Fredericksburg, Texas - Bush Gallery of the Pacific War

The Admiral Nimitz Historical Center now also houses the George Bush Gallery of the National Museum of the Pacific War. The Bush Gallery offers a pretty extensive collection of information, memorabilia, and artifacts from the war in the Pacific that will hurt your brain by the end of the three hours it takes to skim the surface. It's well worth the trip and the effort though, even if you're not a history buff, because of one specific, elaborate exhibit: a sort of haunted house-style walk through an airfield on some anonymous Pacific island has been constructed complete with animatronic WWII soldiers, scampering rats, and exploding grenades. The production of this thrill ride was top-dollar and nicely done, but animatronic people are still creepy and hilarious no matter how fine the craftsmanship. [Lisa Rawlinson, 02/03/2001]