How to Plan a Trip to Fort Bragg, North Carolina

It's the home of the 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Special Operations Command and thousands of soldiers and their families. It served as the training ground for the Army's first paratroopers in World War II and today is one of the largest Army bases in the country.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Identification card
• Car registration and proof of insurance

1. Pick the best time of year for you to visit. Beware that July and August can be very hot and humid.
2. Decide where to stay. If you want to be local, you'll need to stay in Fayetteville. If you like to golf, Pinehurst is about 30 minutes from the Fort Bragg gate. Another option is to stay in Raleigh which is about an hour drive from the base.
3. Bring proper identification. There is a special lane for vehicles without military identification tags. You will need to provide your driver's license, proof of auto insurance and vehicle registration. Everyone in the vehicle needs to have some form of identification card. The guards at the gate will also search of your vehicle.
4. Visit the 82nd Airborne War Memorial Museum. The museum has artifacts relating to the 82nd Airborne Division and paratroopers from World War II through today. There are also helicopters and other aircraft on display. The museum also has copies of a driving tour map of Fort Bragg.
5. Tour the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center School Museum. The school itself trains the Army's Green Beret soldiers. The museum strives to collect and share anything to do with special operations in the U.S. Army. They have items from the American colonial period up through today.
6. Stop by Iron Mike. He might sound like a professional fighter, but Iron Mike is actually a 15-foot statue of a World War II paratrooper.

Tips & Warnings

• There are no official tours given at Fort Bragg, but if you have a scout troop or other large group coming to visit the base, call the base's Community Relations Office. They should be able to help coordinate something.
• Make time to visit the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville. The museum is great for all ages and really immerses you in the history of paratroopers and special operations soldiers. It is also free to the public.
• Both museums on Fort Bragg are closed on Monday.
• There is usually at least a 30-minute wait to get through the gate.
• Unless you have a Department of Defense ID card, you wont be able to purchase anything from the base commissary, gas stations or Post Exchange. Instead you can purchase things at the museum gift stores.