The Santa Maria Museum of Flight on Airpark Drive near the Santa Maria Public Airport is a small but enthusiastic collection dedicated to aviation history, with particular focus on World War II aircraft. The collection includes a P-51 Mustang, a T-6 Texan trainer, and a growing number of restored and replica aircraft displayed alongside personal histories of the men and women who flew them.
The museum is volunteer-run and the volunteers are often veterans or former aviation professionals — conversations here tend to be more illuminating than at larger, more formal institutions. Worth an hour for anyone with an interest in the history of flight.