The Museum of Flight welcomes Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission. The exhibition is from the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and is the final stop on a two-year tour to four museums. The showcase of the exhibit is the Apollo 11 command module Columbia which brought astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the Moon and back. This tour is the first time the module has left the National Air and Space Museum since the museum opened to the public in 1976. The exhibition will be on view April 13-Sept. 2. The 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing is July 20.

"The museum is honored to work with the Smithsonian to host this historic exhibition during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's flight," said Matt Hayes, The Museum of Flight President and CEO. "We look forward to celebrating Apollo 11 with the global community, and especially with our neighbors in the Northwest -- some of whom helped get us to the Moon, and now there's a new generation of space explorers based right here."

The museum will be offering special events and programs during the run of the exhibit. Patrons at the museum's Friday, April 12, celebration of spaceflight dance party, Yuri's Night, will be treated to the first public preview of Destination Moon (6-11 p.m.) The April 13-14 opening weekend of the exhibition will offer special lectures, family programs and Moon-themed VR experiences.

The 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing will be celebrated in a weekend festival with each day having a special theme: July 19, a "1969" family day, with an evening ‘60s music concert and movie; July 20, a rocking celebration of the Moon Landing with an evening outdoor concert for 4,000 (artist to be announced); July 21, a presentation reflecting upon spaceflight today and tomorrow. There will also be several free community days for Destination Moon (dates to be announced).

On display, there are more than 20 one-of-a-kind artifacts from the Smithsonian, many flown on the historic mission, plus dozens of NASA and Russian spaceflight additions from the museum's collection. Family experiences include Augmented Reality Moon walks, spaceflight interactives and an indoor playground with a full-scale, hands-on command module.

In addition to the exhibition, the Museum of Flight has its own exhibits which highlight the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Rare objects include a Soviet Sputnik satellite, a cosmonaut spacesuit, and rocket engines that boosted Apollo 12 and Apollo 16 to the Moon.

Tickets are now on sale for the exhibition for $10 plus the cost of the museum admission. Visitors are encouraged to buy their tickets online before arriving at the museum because the exhibition is expected to be very popular. Insider Tip: The Museum of Flight is a Blue Star Museum from Memorial Day to Labor Day and offers military servicemembers and their families free museum admission. (You will still need to buy tickets to the exhibition.)

Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 13-Sept. 2, daily, The Museum of Flight, 9404 Marginal Way S., Seattle, 206.764.5700, museumofflight.org