No dream is too high for those with their eyes in the sky. -Buzz Aldrin
If you are a history buff like me and enjoy a great museum, I would encourage you to explore the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum!
As a kid, my parents took my brother and me to Washington D.C. where we explored the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall, and I remember it leaving a mark on my fascination with space travel. But did you know that the Smithsonian has so many exhibits and artifacts, that they are stored away, unavailable to visitors?
In 2003, in response to long held concerns about how to house and move heavier and larger modern aircraft to appropriate properties, the Smithsonian Institution opened the 760,000 square foot Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The center opened during the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother’s first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and it became the most visited museum in Virginia with an average of one million visitors per year.
Located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the second site for The National Air and Space Museum dedicated to the restoration, conservation, and collection storage of flying history. Among countless fascinating artifacts, the museum boasts exhibits such as the Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress which dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan; the Space Shuttle Discovery; the Gemini 4 & Friendship 7 space capsules; a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft; an Air France Concorde; and a surviving piece of fabric from the Hindenburg disaster.
Other must-see features to check out during your visit include: a souvenir shop to help you mark your experience; an observation tower with a 360-degree view of the area that includes a bird’s-eye view of the Dulles International Airport’s runways where you can view take-offs & landings while listening to pilot/air traffic control chatter; free 90-minute tours; large-format IMAX films shown daily; flight simulator rides; lockers for storage of personal items; and elevators and ramps that offer accessibility to everyone.
If you are hungry during your visit, the museum hosts The Shake Shack between 11 am-5 pm and boasts menu items unique to its equally distinctive location.
Find the museum at 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia. Open everyday of the week, 10 am to 5:30 pm and closed only on Christmas Day. Admission is free but parking is currently $15. IMAX films and flight simulators require tickets which can be purchased as you enter the facility. Plan your visit at https://airandspace.si.edu.
My husband and I enjoyed our visit at our own pace and while we did not join a tour, the museum provides informative markers and we dipped in and out of tours as we went, gaining more information that way as well.
Definitely worth a visit, if you are visiting the Washington D.C. area, a day dedicated to this museum will be an enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Let’s Just Go! 