Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Washington D.C. |
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Rating |
Good |
Age |
5 and up |
Lockers |
Available |
Restrooms |
Adequate |
Food |
In Museum |
Closest Coffee |
Nearby businesses |
Recommendation |
A good stop, especially for the Wright Flyer and the Rockets, but the Virginia branch is the must see. FREE! |
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Review: by Dad
When I was living in D.C. this was one of my favorite museums. But now two things have led to me lowering my opinion. First, being on the National Mall makes security a real concern. It used to be that you could just walk in, now there is a long line for security. Plan accordingly. Also, with the opening of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport, they have moved a sizeable amount of the collection.This is the companion site to the National Mall site, so they are really just two branches of the same museum, but if you are short on time, hit the Virginia branch first.
That said, the Air and Space museum still has an awful lot to offer. Along with this it is located convieniently with all of the other main Smithsonian Museums.
The new exhibit for the Wiright Flyer includes much more information on the early evolution of airplanes, and the strggles the Wright brothers had to overcome to get off the ground. The space exhibits are still out of this world. It is interesting to tour parts of the space station, and to see some of the technology that got us to the moon. Also of interest are some of the other "firsts" in flight like the Spirit of St. Louis: the plane that took Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic Ocean. Along with this is the Gossamer Albatross, the first successful human-powered plane, and the Voyager, the first plane to circumnavigate the earth on a single tank of fuel.
This is definitely a nice museum to visit, escpecially if you are interested in airplane history, or the history of manned space flight. When you are done here though either drive or take the shuttle down to the fantastic Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
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