Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum

About Us

At the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum we see ourselves as a “Progression of Transportation” with artifacts ranging from bicycles to planes to space memorabilia. Sparta is the bicycling capital of America, having one of the earliest “Rails to Trails” programs in which old railroad tacks were converted into bicycle trails. The museum has over 80 bicycles on display that span the history of bicycling throughout the centuries. There is also a strong aviation interest in Monroe County; we have dozens of model planes on display including a model of the Wright Brother’s first plane, and a full size, real life 1932 Pietenpol airplane. Our collection of space memorabilia includes artifacts from Sparta native Deke Slayton who was one of America’s first astronauts, part of the Mercury 7 group which was formed in 1959. We also have a real piece of the moon on loan from NASA. Bring the kids, we have a great kid's play area including a loft, toys, games, and space suits! So please stop by the museum and check out our fantastic collection today!