MUSEUMS, AIRCRAFT SYMBOLS OF ANTELOPE VALLEY'S HISTORY.

Byline: Daily News

Exotic airplanes and animals and museums dedicated to pioneers, soldiers, Indians and artists are among the sights for day trips around the Antelope Valley.

In Lancaster, the city operates two museums: the Western Hotel Museum and the Lancaster Museum Art Gallery.

The Western Hotel Museum is in the city's oldest remaining structure, built in 1888 and occupied until the early 1970s. Refurbished by the city, the two-story wood-frame building at 557 W. Lancaster Blvd. contains furniture, cooking equipment, clothing and other artifacts illustrating the valley's diverse history, from American Indians to early pioneers. The museum is open Friday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. It is closed Monday through Thursday. Admission is free. Information: [phone].

The Museum/Art Gallery exhibits changing shows of work by local, regional and national artists.

The museum, at 44801 Sierra Highway, is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. It is closed July 1-12 and Aug. 19-30 to prepare for new shows.

From July 13 through Aug. 18, the gallery will present an exhibit showcasing marine and seascape images. Featured artists include Dennis Calaba, Rodney Kilmer, W.A. McGreevy, Peter Mendez, David Paz and Roz Thomas. The opening reception from noon to 4 p.m. July 13 is open to the public.

Children ages 6 to 12 can participate July 27 from 10 a.m. to noon at the gallery in the summer Kids' Club program ``Mythical Sea Monsters.'' Youngsters can learn the history of giant squids, mermaids and manatees. Cost is $9 a child. Register by mail or at City Hall.

From Aug. 31 through Oct. 6, the Visually Impaired Art exhibit will feature work in an array of media by artists who are visually impaired. In addition, visitors will be allowed to touch sculptures by sighted artist Ellie Riley. The show will open with a free public reception from noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 31.

Other local day-trip destinations include:

Air Force Flight Test Center Museum: Visitors to Edwards Air Force Base can see a B-52D Stratofortress, F-84F Thunderstreak, F-111 Aardvark and 10 other historic aircraft at the museum's airpark on Rosamond Boulevard west of Lancaster Boulevard. An interim museum in the base shopping area displays photographs, personal memorabilia and artifacts. The museum, housed in Building 7311, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Visitors should request a map and pass at the base entry stations on Rosamond Boulevard or 120th Street East. Because access to the base is occasionally prohibited, visitors should call ahead. Information: [phone].

Edwards Air Force Base tours: The Air Force also offers tours by van of the base every Friday. Visitors must arrive at the base Public Affairs Office at 10 a.m. for the 90-minute tour. Reservations should be made two to three weeks in advance. Information or reservations: [phone].

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center: NASA gives tours to the public of its center at Edwards Air Force Base, where the X-15 rocket planes were based in the 1960s and the space shuttles landed in the 1980s. Tours leave the NASA center at 10:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. weekdays. For reservations, call [phone].

Blackbird Airpark: Operated by the Flight Test Center Museum, the Blackbird Airpark on Avenue P at 25th Street East in Palmdale contains open-air displays of two Lockheed Blackbird spy planes that flew 2,000 mph. One is the first A-12, the version operated by the CIA in the early 1960s. The other is the slightly larger SR-71 operated by the Air Force. Other exhibits include a jet engine, wind-tunnel models and the once ultra-secret D-21 reconnaissance drone. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, weather permitting. Admission is free.

Exotic Feline Breeding Compound: The nonprofit center houses more than 50 wild and exotic cats representing more than 15 species, from the smaOll Gordon's wildcat to leopards, jaguars and tigers. The center is open every day except Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no admission charge, but donations are accepted. Founded in 1977 as a private wild feline breeding and reproductive research facility, the center was opened to the public in 1983. The center is located off Tropico-Mojave Road, four miles west on Rosamond Boulevard from the Antelope Valley Freeway. Information: [phone].

Fort Tejon State Historic Park: Holding the remains of an Army post established in 1854 to guard Grapevine Pass and keep an eye on the Indians living to the north, the 205-acre park now is most notable for re-enactments of Civil War battles. Volunteer history enthusiasts in painstakingly accurate uniforms re-enact battles - complete with cannon and musket fire - at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month from May through October. The park is just west of Interstate 5 about eight miles north of Gorman. Information: [phone].

Antelope Valley Indian Museum: One of the Antelope Valley's best day-trip destinations is closed each summer. The state-operated Antelope Valley Indian Museum at 15701 E. Ave. M, near Lake Los Angeles, will reopen in September. Built by artist H.A. Edwards in 1928 in the style of a Swiss chateau, the museum holds basketwork, stone tools and other artifacts. The main building itself is worth the visit: erected on the side of a rocky butte, the staircase to the second floor ascends between giant boulders. Information: [phone].