I had never been here before attending a smaller/private show with a couple groups of kids over the…read moreweekend. I've been to a few planetariums, but this one was pretty great, especially given it's random location. I think the person putting on the show was named Bob? Anyway, he did an awesome job. I learned and saw things I had never learned or seen before and he did a great job of explaining things without boring me and the many children in the room to death. Planetariums can make me dizzy and nauseous, also I had to look away periodically, but he moved at a pretty good pace, so I actually could enjoy much of the presentation. It was about light and went into a bit more about planets and the universe later on. I would definitely return.

The Arlington Planetarium is back and open to the public! If you love science as much as I do or…read morejust want to learn a little more about what you are seeing in the local night sky, then come out to the planetarium. My husband and I attended for the first time last night and we plan to return for the monthly presentations. The planetarium provides a small and intimate environment for families to learn about different scientific topics and study our local night sky. The planetarium is part of the Arlington Public School system and as such, hosts school aged educational programming in partnership with local schools. However, most of the cost of operating the facility and programming comes from members of the community who support via membership in the Friends of Arlington's Planetarium nonprofit organization. Volunteers actually run the monthly public outreach events. This is a great place to rediscover the beauty of the world and universe around us. There is a small parking lot outside the building and they do offer restrooms, as well as a small gift shop (table) inside. Thanks for an excellent evening. We will be back next month! :-)

Space... the final frontier.... Whether you're a kid, or just a kid at heart, your mind will wander…read morewith the possibilities of seeing the actual vehicles and relics of historical significance and marvel at the drive of the human spirit to first take flight, then zoom past the curvature of the ocean until you hit new land, and, finally, break the bonds of gravity and stake your claim in the cosmos. I've been so many times, and it's free to go and see these incredible achievements of humanity in real life. You can look at the lunar capsule and imagine the bravery and ingenuity of the millions of people whose guts and brains it took, over thousands of years, to make such an achievement possible. This is the true legacy of humanity and it inspires while posing the question, what is next for mankind....

We loved coming to the air and space museum. We got the 10 am tickets for when it opened and the…read moreline wrapped around the building. We had a lot of fun here and watched one of the IMAX shows which was about the future of space, it was perfect timing because the astronaut on Artimus II was in it and it was the day they launched. My only wish is that it wasn't so crowded or a way to have less people to be able to enjoy exhibits more and have it be less overwhelming. My kiddo was definitely overwhelmed and overstimulated as were we. We didn't get though everything but all the top floor and some of the first. The cafe doesn't have a ton of food options and the line gets long but it was what we had for lunch.

The planetarium is nice, it's not what I was expecting, I thought it would be more along the lines…read moreof a film, not a ranger narrating everything the whole time. But it was still nice. If you're not a kid person, don't go. All in all, it was nice, just wish the show was a bit longer, 30 minutes flew by.

Fun family activity for a weekend - so many great trails nearby! Parking is ample and there are…read morebathrooms the nature center, as well as great directions from the staff on site. We parked near the horse center and got a chance to watch horse riding lessons.

This was a free and fun place to visit. I came with my sister, brother and his family. He had two…read moreyoung children, both under the age of 5, and they were pretty entertained. A staff member told me they usually have something for children, but with a busy holiday weekend, they didn't have those activities available. The volunteers that work there are very knowledgeable about the topic they are explaining, and it makes for a great learning experience. It's worth coming back when the children's activities are available.

This is like the overflow of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, but just as cool, if…read morenot cooler. I mean look at that gorgeous plane from Lockheed Martin (I think). Usually I think of Steve Martin when I think of Planes (and Trains, and Automobiles, and Two Pillow), but that is a think of beauty! USA! USA! USA! It's off the beaten path near the Dulles (IAD) airport so if you're in DC Proper, it's a bit of a haul. But I was lucky enough to be in Leesburg for a bit and stopped in. The museum is Free, but there was a $15 per vehicle parking fee, which is probably good for a clown car, but I was there myself so I ate the $15 myself. Speaking of eating $15, there's a Shake Shack on-site which was convenient. I didn't give it a try as I was heading to dinner after my visit. The two highlights for me were the Space Shuttle which is always cool AF to see (and you can get close), the Enola Gay which is historical, that Black Plane, the "Big Joe" Mercury Spacecraft (and all of the other space stuff), and the fact they don't give you a math test. It wasn't as crowded as the main attraction in DC Proper, but just as cool and awe-inspiring. I rushed through in about an hour but could easily spend more time here! Oh, and don't miss the tower where you can see for miles around the area! Cool, but not the highlight for me.

There's fun kids' activities in the Maryland Science Center downtown Baltimore. We're members, so…read moreit's free to go as often as we like! With that, we can stay with any one thing we're in the mood for, and next time see other stuff. This time, (Apr 2026), it was all the color-panel floor! No, I dont know what the official name is. The kids with us just ran and danced and played across the changing shapes and colors, and sometime just lay there as the colors and shapes changed around them, while other kids of all ages joined in for longer or shorter times. I don't think they have free days, but there are some inexpensive entry categories, and you can bring a friend in with anything but the most basic membership.

With your ID and your Bank of America card you can enjoy free admission to the Maryland Science…read moreCenter on the first Saturday of the month. Okay for adults but best with kids. The two of us were done under 3 hours. I loved the paper airplane shooter.

I've lived in the area for years but never made it out to this museum. I finally decided to come…read morehere a little early before the Formula 1 movie. There are street parking spaces on one side of the museum, but it'll be tricky to get a spot. They let people in at the top of the hour. You'll scan a barcode at the entrance to get to a website to sign up for free tickets. Then, you get ticket barcodes for them to scan at the entrance. Having been to the Chantilly A&S multiple times, I thought this museum wouldn't be anything new. I'm a little off here. The two A&S museums offer different things. The Chantilly one has a lot of space to house so many more planes. If you want to see the actual planes, Chantilly is the place. It's more complete in my opinion. The DC A&S is more educational. It offers a more complete history of human flight, but not a lot of space to show you that many planes. You'll find all the way from the Wright brothers' beginning, and space explorations to Star Wars X-Wings here. I like seeing the astronaut food section.

I was raised in the greater DC metropolitan area and began visiting the museum at age eight…read more There have been many changes and updates to the Air and Space Museum, and the hardware is magnificent. I noticed that not one spacecraft -- particularly the robotic -- have a single description of the hardware. Why not? What visitor has looked up at the Mariner or Voyager spacecraft and wondered what the components are. Same for the Martian landers and surface robots. I think the Museum staff is missing the point: it's great to have the machine there, but explain something about its structure and components -- and explain the hardware's purpose. I noticed a lot of young children in the museum. I don't mind them, but the experience is lost on them, too young to understand what they're seeing, or to understand most explanations. I noticed several of them falling down stairs yesterday, unsupervised by the adults with them. Perhaps there should be a lower age limit? (There were no apparent injuries to any of the kids.) Last of all: there is an exhibit about SPEED. Know what populates the exhibit? Cars. Really? How does this apply to an Air and Space museum? Just filling up the space? Don Garlitz and Mario Andretti are no doubt legends in their time, but what does this have to do with aviation or spaceflight? There are dozens -- if not hundreds -- of speed records set in manned aviation and spaceflight: why not have these records posted? This exhibit was exceptionally disappointing. All in all: I think the leaders of the museum have lost their vision.

I am so glad that this theatre is still in operation…read more Also contains a first rate museum in the basement that includes the gun used to kill Lincoln and a pillow that still has dried blood on it So glad that I went!

The famous for theater has become more of a museum nowadays than an active theater, but it still…read moreholds some performances today. It's the historic theater that Lincoln was shot. There's plenty of memorabilia to Lincoln's life and life back then within the theater. It's a very cool historic site that is worth the ticket to admission! Being in the same room and looking up at the box that Lincoln sat in where he was assassinated was a very interesting and also somber experience !

Had a wonderful time here. This was the top museum we wanted to visit on our trip to DC. I could…read morehave stayed and wandered for hours, but I let my kids lead the way. Some of the things I thought for sure they would love, were not a hit as I had expected: namely dinosaur bones and the animal displays- but it was also very crowded and a lot to take in. Every where we turned there was more info, more interesting things to see- beautiful, fascinating, interesting- but I think it can be overwhelming- it is almost too much, if that is possible! We had to pace ourselves. A museum is designed for all ages in mind, so it is difficult to know what exhibits will appeal to whom. The part my kids loved the most was the live bug displays. So many species, and so fun to try to find each creature. We stayed here a long time. The exhbits are built with children in mind, many at eye level for little ones. The exhibits with glow in the dark species were so fun! I had to block the way at the end of the exhibit so they didn't move into the mummy section, as just seeing the hint of this display really scared them. I had a blast in the gems section, but my kids were not as excited about this section as I had hoped. We had to take breaks by going to the eatery on site, perusing the gift shop (I let them fill a bag of gems, which was incredibly exciting for them!), and chill out watching a documentary in a screening area.

What a great museum! How can you not love going here? I didn't have time to read a lot or explore…read moretoo many things in detail, but walking through, I could tell I wanted to come back. It has a decent layout and the maps guide you to the various areas nicely. Obviously dinosaurs are cool and prevalent in any Natural History museum. But they had lots of other cool things too. Probably the biggest draw is the Hope Diamond... It's big and beautiful diamond (BBD) and just something you should check out if you're here. This is one of the more popular of the museums straddling the National Mall, so plan accordingly if you want to get in and spend more time exploring. The crowds can get a little crazy. I got there at 3p and there was a line to get in.

Small kids play area located on the first floor of the American history museum. Nothing big or…read morefancy but a good spot that is enclosed with staff at the doors so kids can play freely in the area.

If you have littles, the Wegman's Wonderspace on the first floor of the National Museum of American…read moreHistory is a great place to get your wiggles out on a cold or rainy day. Concept wise, this place is tops! There is a special seating area for parents, a child-sized replica of Julia Child's kitchen, farm replica complete with a hen house, construction area, and the piece de resistance -- a discovery climbing station. There is a museum employee at the front door who helps check guests in, but I suggest having an actual play space attendant to make sure that things do not go array. It can get crowded quick and there are lot of really big kids mixed in with the babies/toddlers and I feel like if there is not dedicated eyes on all corners things could get pretty crazy. Bring a pack of sanitizer wipes, lower your expectations, and make sure you are keeping an eye on your child and you'll have a great time!