I've come here a few times now and I've always enjoyed the experience…read more I brought my older kids here a few years back and they were a little too young to appreciate the advances in aviation that we can see over the whole museum. Luckily, they loved the space exhibit towards the back, including watching an Imax show about the Shuttle program. Went back recently with all the kids and the older ones were much more into the various planes/jets throughout the museum. The front desk has scavenger hunt sheets to help give littles a goal while exploring the space. They earned a small prize for completing it. Child #3 was able to get around fine in his stroller with various ramps and elevators throughout the musum. No matter your age, it is an impressive selection of aircraft, including some of the early prototypes from the late 19th century, up to more recent advances such as one of the Concordes. On one visit, there was a temporary display of a replica of the Wright Brothers' plane. Seeing those old aircrafts, to the stealth Blackbird, to the space shuttle Discovery, it's incredible just how far we've come in just a century. Make sure to go up the observation tower, where you can watch planes fly into Dulles. There's even a spot where you can listen in on air traffic control. When you see that a new plane comes in every 2 minutes (my wife and our friend counted one interval of just 90 seconds!), you truly appreciate the work that goes into modern aviation. The location is a bit out of the way of everything (it's about a half hour drive to DC or Alexandria), but there are some decent restaurants in Chantilly if you want to skip the resident Shake Shack for lunch. Parking is easy and relatively cheap (make departure easy and pay your parking pass before you drive away; otherwise you're sitting in line for a pay kiosk). The museum itself is free, so the excursion is quite the bargain.

Amazing exhibit of aircraft, you can easily spend the day immersing yourself in all of the history…read moreand background of all of the aircraft, including rocket ships! They also have an observatory with nice views of the surrounding greenery, an IMAX theater, and Shake Shack! Ample parking (with a small fee) but the exhibit itself is free!

This is a free exhibit with many things to do on the inside. Some cost aliitle money and some are…read morefree. The imax theater had show ever hour regarding various topics dealing with space and travel. Also. There were simulators to make you think you were out of space. Big planes, small planes, helicopters , missle and rockets. They were upright. In the air and full of wonder. The institute was very handicapped accessible with elevators to boot. We checked all 3 floors. We did not do the Imax since wifey said no. I wanted to do the simulator to feel like an astronaut but did not. Both were affordably priced under $20. There is a small cafeteria to get something to munch on. On our way out, The smell of popcorn burned the roof of our nose. I was all in for popcorn. There is a observatory deck. We saw planes going into Dullies airport. It was a sight for soar eyes. Admission was free but you can donate to the institute to help maintain it and preserve items in it. We had a spectacular good time!

Can't believe no one's rated this yet. AMAZING place if you're an aircraft aficionado. It's got…read moresome legendary aircraft's like the Discovery shuttle, the SR-71 Blackbird, the STOVL model of the X-35B (which is now the F-35 Lightning) including the engines on display, F-14 Tomcat, the Concorde and HUNDREDS of more civilian and military aircrafts & artifacts. Parking is $15 standard and Entry is "FREE" which means you get here at 10 and can spend until 5:30pm any day of the week! There's restaurants, an Airbus IMAX experience and a souvenir shop. Guided tours provided as well which are EXTREMELY informative. https://maps.app.goo.gl/7AJTEZ5TxQeY1q1k8?g_st=ic

I really enjoyed the overall concept and creative vision of this museum. It has a lot going in its…read morefavor. It has a prime location within easy walking distance of Metro center, in the beautiful old Franklin building. The staff are friendly and helpful. There is no charge for entry although donations are very welcome. One could almost go exclusively to visit the gift shop and the museum cafe as they are both so nice and full of fun things to feast the senses on. But for now I will stick to the museum. You start on the third floor and work your way down. There are displays for all ages and levels of interest, from very technical linguistics to basic "repeat after me". There's karaoke for the brave, joke telling for the dads, a Photo Booth for the tweens and an absolutely epic library in which fairy tales come to life. There's also a section on advertising and it's lures. The café is really fabulous and delicious and gives you a true taste of the global plate that America thankfully has adopted. I thoroughly enjoyed my West African chicken and shrimp curry. I was only sad that it was too early in the day on a weekday and with kids to enjoy one of their dozens of fantabulous looking cocktails! I'll have to go back for that!

We went here with some friend while visiting the DC. area. It was very fun and interesting I wish I…read moretook more pictures. They had a room with a digital globe in it where you learned about different languages. Another room talked about telling jokes and you would sit and tell jokes to one another. There was a karaoke room where you learned about how music is constructed. There was a library which is like a Harry Potter room with a hidden door to a poetry nook. I would definitely recommend this place for $15.

This little museum is charming and free to visit, so well worth visiting if you're in Loudon County…read moreor Leesburg for the first time. It's on the smaller side, but has exhibits that explore the history of the county in the civil war and revolutionary war periods. It also had an exhibit of artworks by local and county artists when we visited. The staff member there when we visited was really friendly and answered several questions we had when we walked around. It's a great introduction to the county, and I'm glad we stopped by - even though we only had time for a short visit!

If you live in a Loudoun and is interested in local history, this museum is a great. Currently…read morethere is a free admissions for a civil war exhibit. First Fridays in Leesburg has great restaurants and drinks. You can feed your mind and tummy!

Fantastic museum tucked away in MD, only a 45 min drive out of DC. Visited two years ago in the…read moresummer and went back this week in the fall. Enjoyed a delicious lunch at the cafe, which was under renovation the last time we went. Highly recommend the chicken sandwich. The coffee was also out of this world--maybe our highlight of the day. Very whimsical to watch all the guests walking around draped in Andrea Bowers protest ribbons (which were also at the NMWA!), and the rainy weather added to the ethereal experience. There are free umbrellas in the arrival hall. They cap the guests per day so it never feels crowded; oftentimes, you're the only visitor in a room. Only downside is the weird cult-ish vibe of the greeters at the arrival hall. Both times they've been aloof and unfriendly. But once you make it into the main area, everyone we spoke to was lovely. Service is pretty spotty unless you're indoors on the guest WiFi! There is ample parking and they have shuttles that can take you back to your car from the main area.

I love coming here and the art installations are always so nice and interesting to see. I love how…read moreminimalistic the design and layout of the museum is and I especially love the outdoor experience of walking around and looking at the outdoor art. The staff are always so friendly and welcoming. It's been becoming hard to get tickets now since it always gets sold out fast! However I was able to get tickets and experience their summer music series for the first time. It was a wonderful time listening to live music outdoor and enjoying lite bites and drinks from their cafe patio.

What sets the Reston Museum apart is the vibrant energy and rich history you experience the moment…read moreyou walk in. Reston's story is not only unique but also a meaningful blueprint for other communities striving to create something exceptional.

The visual history of the mid-20th century fabled, world renowned New Town is held by, and…read morepresented in, the Reston Museum in a fascinating way. Excellent Reston related items in the gift section as well.

Sign up for the tour given by the park authority ($10 per adult) and you will get a fascinating…read moretour with access to buildings that are normally locked to the public. Our guide today was Morgan and she was extremely knowledgeable.

Located very close to the Dulles airport and the National Air Museum . There's free and easy…read moreparking.Entrance is also free.If you want to take a tour that does cost a fee . I came here without expectations and open to what I would see. The area is very walkable.There's a visitor center . It has information and artifacts from the property . It's also where tour tickets can be purchased .I was able to tour the grounds, including the recreated enslaved quarters. I was able to go inside of the enslaved quarters. Some of the buildings are undergoing renovations and can only be viewed from the outside. This includes the main house.The guide stood in the middle of the grassy area and talked about the main house. He also showed pictures of the inside. Yes, this area was part of the Underground Railroad , but not as a beacon of freedom. It is also on the national registry of historic places. Owned by north Virginia's first congressman and his family this was a working plantation. At one point it was also used by confederate soldiers. Give yourself at least 45 minutes for the grounds.

Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience. A magical,…read moreinteractive OUTDOOR experience for fans of the Wizarding World and Harry Potter. Bundle up, bring your wand (or buy one onsite) and perform spells as you follow the trail through the forbidden forest. You must follow the directions (extending your wand over a specific spot) for the spells to work. You will also have an opportunity to discover your patronus, duel with your friends or family and encounter magical creatures and characters from the films, including some of the more frightening ones (Aragog and his spider descendants, Death Eaters and Dementors to mention a few), but it's all atmosphere - there are no "jump scares" or costumed cast looking to scare. In fact, cast members are uniformly cheerful and helpful, ready to show you how to work spells, take group photos and generally enhance the experience. We are big Potter fans and to us the experience was worth every penny! Other stuff: There's food and drink for sale at the entrance village (don't miss the Butterbeer!) as well as a large gift shop with a good selection of officially licensed merchandise at prices similar to what you would pay at Universal theme parks. There is another, smaller, food stand at the half way point of the trail. Portable toilets are at the entrance village and the halfway point. Tickets are timed entrance, so make sure you buy your entire groups' tickets at once if you want to go together. Parking is also available in advance. The Forbidden Forest experience is located on the grounds of Morven Park and accessed via gravel roads with speed bumps at multiple points along the entrance and exit.

This was my first time visiting Morven Park. It's a beautiful park with a garden and a historically…read more protected mansion. I went here to take some scenic pictures with my wife and daughter. We were hoping to see some blooming but it's still a little early in the season to see its full glory. There were two beautiful magnolia trees in full bloom and that was worth the visit in itself. There are some picnic tables next to the public parking lot which makes for a nice place to have a picnic. There's an equine center in the park and I'm sure it's awesome for horse enthusiasts. I'm looking forward to coming back and enjoying a nice walk with my family.

An incredible collection and very informative displays. Very much enjoyed it and I don't own…read moreweapons.

Predictably the NRA museum has a vast array of firearms and weapons over a large slice of history…read more Unexpected was the dearth of information about each piece. They refer you to too-few info kiosks to enter the gallery number, case number, and piece number. The array of galleries is not intuitive, and it is beyond difficult to find all the required info. When you DO manage to find the right piece in the kiosk it show you a picture if the item, but provides no addition info about it. So it's fun to look at the zillions of item, I learned little. Picky, but notable by their absence in the "Guns if Movies and TV" gallery were the James Bond PPK and the Man from UNCLE gun.