This museum is AMAZING! Clean, quiet, open 364 days a year and IT'S FREE! If you are passionate about history and like guns you will absolutely love this museum. I went on a Saturday but learned that during the week there is an extremely knowledgeable curator. I highly recommend this museum. Also they have a range at the museum so definitely don't forget to check that out as well. read more

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Epic collection of firearms with a rich history. The staff at the museum were very professional and answered all my questions thoroughly. The firearm collection is very extensive and goes beyond my highest expectations. We were immediately greeted at the front desk by Zack. He was very informative about the museum. 98% of the museum is made up of donations. About 8,000 firearms donated are in storage. Bill, one of the staff, was very helpful and talked about James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr.. I was impressed at the arrangement of the firearms and how they were organized in a meaningful way. It would take many hours to go through and read all the exhibits. We spent about two hours there. I was very impressed with the exhibit of weapons used in Hollywood movies. I adored the exhibit with taxidermy animals especially the bear. The Buffalo Bill and George Washington exhibit were very eye catching as well. The most spectacular moment in the museum was hearing about and see an exhibit piece owned by one of America's most notorious criminals, Charles Manson. The museum curator, Ernie, gave me vivid details of how the gun was confiscated by the police. Admission to the museum is free and one of Fairfax's finest and unique local attractions. Strongly recommend this museum. read more

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Am a gun nut, so of course am biased. Yet I think even non firearm folks could find this interesting. There is a lot of history in this. Visiting is free, and it's convenient to the gun range on the opposite side. They've stepped up on this since my last visit. A friendly docent showed me "the highlights, which were a thrill." Thank you to the late Bob Peterson, for making this possible. It really shows firearms the way they should be. Loved the old shooting range, which moves as you walk by it. There's President Kennedy's gun, and one commemorating the marriage of Prince Charles to Princess Diana. That is beautiful. Also there are firearms from movies. I was shocked to see Hans Grubers H&K from Die Hard, the long gun from Grand Torino, and so many more. It's eye opening fun. Family friendly, this is a comfortable place to check out what the history of firearms and the second amendment is. read more

Loved this place. Staff was very helpful and the museum had many guns with a lot of accompanying info. The only thing I didn't like about the museum would be that we did get lost a couple of times as the directions are a bit confusing to follow. read more

Yeah the only reason I was here was because my husband wanted to go and it was free. No one else was there either. Just us ! No air conditioning either One star because I have no choice read more

Great way to spend a rainy afternoon. There is so much cool history in a relatively small space. They even have a display of guns that have been used in movies, including Dirty Harry's .357 Magnum. The only downside for me is that the museum store was open - would have loved to have picked up something for my husband. If you have a gun and extra time to spare, the range is around the corner. You might want to call ahead to see if there is a wait. And if you want to share your 9 mm ammo with the older lady with the Springfield xDM, "Go ahead, make my day." read more

Great place to check out some old school firearms! Very informative and you learn a bunch of history behind the gun makers. Would definitely go back if I am ever in the area. Plus there is no charge to get in! read more

A must see museum if in the Fairfax, VA area. The collection is incredible. The location is convenient. There is no fee.

I'm an NRA Life Member and somehow only just got around to finally making the pilgrimage to this Mecca of a firearms museum. The entrance fee can't be beat as the price is FREE!!! It was a slow day when I made my visit and I had limited time so the few other visitors made it easy for me to have the freedom to get through the museum fast even though I could have spent a lot more time enjoying everything there was to see. They have a very impressive collection of firearms although I didn't see a Finnish M39 in the displays... The staff were very helpful and were easy to interact with and the museum was quite easy to do on your own although it is much larger than I expected and some of the hallways become a bit of a maze so make sure you don't miss any of the displays. Several of the displays were still in being worked on so this is still a work in progress. There is also a nice little gift shop with some interesting items, books, shirts etc. Overall this is a great place and certainly worthy of a visit. read more

FAIRFAX, VA. - Reopen after a lengthy pandemic closure, had never been. Wife and I went on a blustery Saturday morning. Is in a wing of the NRA HQ, Arrived as anti-gun protesters out front were packing up. Something like 2,000 firearms on display of all shapes, sizes, eras. Could do with more details/info in some cases, but definitely a lot to take in already. The organization seems a bit haphazard - here's this collection of this guy, then over here is guns thru history - and some of the displays make it hard to actually see what's on display, with these small windows you have to look through. Here and there the collection - like stuff taken from Hermann Goring - a bit distasteful. But overall worth going and worth the admission (which is free). Gift store seemingly permanently closed. A 3.75-star experience. Tons of parking. Security guard who buzzed you in quite pleasant and professional. read more

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Upon arriving I was able to park out front and walked towards the buildings that house the NRA. The museum entrance is at the base of the South Tower and the door is kept locked. To enter, you must press a button and let security know that you are here to visit the museum. Upon the door unlocking you then walk into the lobby of the South Tower where the security desk is located. They will then answer any questions you have and provide you a map of the museum whose entrance is about 15 feet away. Inside the museum you see a vast collection of guns. Long guns, handguns, military and civilian, etc. from the earliest firearms to the most modern they are all here. I found the museum to be interesting and enjoyed one of the last sections the most which chronicled Hollywood's Guns. It took me about 90 minutes to go through it all. Some may be able to do it in an hour. Since the admission is free it really doesn't matter. This museum is worth your time to visit. I am only giving 3 stars because I found some of the display cases difficult to follow as the numbers on each gun did not correspond to the written nomenclature in the display case. Also some of the display case lighting caused glare and made it difficult to look at particular guns. All in all, it is an impressive display of firearms and shows how they played an important role in the development of our nation and our world. read more

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Great assortment of weird, wonderful and unique firearms! Really enjoyed the museum. We spent almost 3 hours there and didn't see everything. The staff member enlightened us on many facts on several of the exhibits. I really enjoyed the talk and assumed he knew something about everything in the museum. If you enjoy firearms and very special ones you have to see it. Enjoyed the movie room as well. read more

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I've lived in this region for 11 years and wasn't aware this place existed. It's tucked away in a small area but it is a great find. They have a great show room (museum) filled with so much historic and priceless firearms on display. If you have any questions their are some tablet like screens that can provide more information on the firearm you're interested. Each weapon on display has a catalog number that can help you look when searching the tablet. The best part of it all, the entry is FREE!!! You can't beat that. Lastly, there is a museum store to purchase any souvenir you may like. I will say it's a bit pricey but I guess the FREE entry evens out the playing field. Highly recommend to anyone who may enjoy and or is interested in firearms. read more

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Super cool museum! Free to get in. I was thrown off a little bit by its location. But later found out it's part of the actual HQs, so that's why it seemed a little weird entering. I felt like I was driving up to a business when I arrived and not a museum. And it the parking lot was really empty, so that just added Timmy confusion! Anyways, they have a TON of guns!!!! A lot of antiques too. I had a few favorite area in the museum. Seeing all the guns and weapons and learning what they were used for was really interesting. The history of it all was great. I was hoping to see a little more current weapons the military uses; like the heavy guns, grenade launcher, automatics weapons, etc. I spent about 90 minutes in here, but could've stayed longer (the fam was getting tired), so we left. read more

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I must admit, the National Firearms Museum caught me by surprise and turned out to be excellent. So, I happened upon the NFM when I visited DC with my step-dad (who is a gun enthusiast and NRA member - we won't discuss politics here!) Anyhow, I promised to take him to the museum which was a 1/2 hour drive from where we were staying in Georgetown. Off we drove... I had hoped to find somewhere to eat lunch as we had been sightseeing all morning, but somehow ended up at the NRA Cafe. Wow, what a crummy place for lunch. It was really a gross cafeteria for the employees of the NRA...awful grub in a nondescript, dated setting. I think I saw the place in the movie The Falcon and the Snowman - a 1970's era cafeteria in a government office building. The NRA building is a dated 80/90's era building (my 16 year-old likened it to a Scientology building - some freaky cult-like haunt - things weren't looking up at that point.) I was quickly growing worried that the museum would be some whack-job paradise of weapons and propaganda set in a room of bad red carpet, cheesy brass hardware all displayed under dismal blue fluorescent lighting. Alas, we finished lunch and wandered next door to the museum. The friendly CIA agent, uh...security guard let us in to the lobby, welcomed us, directed us to the museum and explained that it was FREE...no charge, nothing. As we stepped in, I was instantly taken aback. The guns on display were works of art, pieces of history, intricately designed and detailed marvels. Seriously, I was blown away by the amazing collection of firearms and how nicely they were displayed for all to see. The Mayflower gun came to the new world on...you guessed it - The Mayflower! Annie Oakley's pistol was on display. There was a "Guns in Film/TV" room - Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry .357, Eddie Murphy's Beverly Hills Cop gun...really cool stuff. Military weapons (from Revolutionary to Civil to WWII to more current military conflicts) and even fantasy/art-like weapons called "Steampunk" - really weird, but interesting. The National Firearms Museum was...simply put - outstanding! I wasn't asked to join the NRA, there weren't any weirdos making me sign petitions and I didn't have to get fingerprinted to step foot in the museum. I was greeted warmly and invited to spend as much time as I'd like in the nicely lit, well laid-out museum. Honestly, I'd probably make the effort to drive there again from D.C. to take anyone interested in checking it out. I know, I know...there is so much gun angst in America...political posturing, right vs. left agendas, anti-gun movements - maybe rightfully so, but this museum is really well done and is a must-see for open-minded people who know firearms have a long history in the United States. ...just don't eat at the cafe :( 5 stars read more

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I'm a life member! I was in Washington DC to attend the Trump rally. After all of the government funded museums were closed, I realized that the web site for the NRA Museum stayed that it was open till 9:00. I drove 2 hours in traffic and will drive 1 hour back to the motel. The security guard told me they update their Facebook page regularly. That doesn't help me much. What a waste of 3 hours on a Saturday evening. Maybe Don Jr can whip them into shape, someone needs to. read more

Ever since I heard about this museum years ago, I've been dying to visit! It's an absolute must visit for any gun nut/lover/collector. Before coming here I had imagined a tiny showcase of firearms, mainly because this museum is FREE. Wow was I surprised 3 hours later when I was still inside! Firearms of all types and time periods are displayed here, even ones from the 1700s! There are also a few special collections including ones featured in Hollywood, used during wars such as WWI, WWII and Vietnam, and a whole exhibit on Teddy Roosevelt who was an avid hunter and collector. The museum is housed on the 1st floor of NRA headquarters in Fairfax, VA, just a few minutes outside DC. It does get a little confusing when navigating the museum at times because there's no specific order and is basically a giant room with display cases. Some of the display cases are so full, they don't have room for placards so you have to look up numbers at touchscreen kiosks placed throughout. I didn't look any up and was still inside the museum for over 3 hours trying to read all the placards! Parking and admission are both FREE, and they're open daily except Christmas. Be sure to come early because they close at 5 pm! read more

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This is a real testament to sticks that propel projectiles. If you are into that, I don't see how you could find a better place. I am not really into guns and I'm less into guns after visiting this place, but it was very nice, the staff was incredibly nice, and I just cannot give it less stars than 5 (reluctantly, but they earned every star). You should know that this is not a great place to take kids. All the glass is pressure sensitive and alarms go off if you touch it. The guards were really nice about it, but they were also incredibly on top of things. After looking through this place, I really think that if you've seen one gun you've seen them all. I had to listen to other people talk to figure out what they enjoy about seeing so many of the same thing: a stick that propels a projectile. It sounded like a lot of the visitors were excited to own replicas of guns on display in the museum, even older models that were totally obsolete (like a flint lock). Some of the guns have carvings, some require you to build the bullet into the barrel rather than having a fully packaged, ready to fire bullet. Some guns were from interesting places. There was some impressive woodworking and metal work/carving. And an entire room is devoted to guns from Hollywood--which of course were visually the most impressive specimens on display. The other museum visitors creeped me out. It's a swath of generally who you would expect to see here, I'll leave it at that. The NRA employees who are not public facing are also a special group. To park, you can either proceed to the lot right in front of the building. Or if you need a handicapped entrance, you can go under the building to the back lot. This place is not ADA friendly and I'm actually surprised they passed inspection. Once you are inside it's fine, but getting in was challenging. It seemed like you could arrange a tour. Everyone else in the museum had a tour guide except for the large number of Germans wearing tank tops, who happened to be there at the same time as me. I think you could spend all day here if you are really into guns. Every single gun has a story, and those stories are pretty long and complex in a lot of cases. The simplest ones were things like "m16 from vietnam" or "gun used in Scarface the movie", and even those had a story to tell. read more

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Wonderful museum, and an excellent indoor shooting range to boot! This was one of the highlights of my road trip! Thank you, NRA! Join the NRA to protect your Second Amendment Rights! read more

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Bar none . . . this is probably one of the best non-government sponsored curated museums in the area that's FREE! The place, which is funded through generous donors is pristine and the museum pistols/rifles/shotguns are in immaculate condition. They have several exhibits that take you through the history and evolution of firearms. I especially liked the hollywood props area, WWII area, as well as the modern area showcasing the popular Glocks and such. In fact, I plan to take my dad here in the Spring. read more

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My husband and I were looking for something free to do. Initially, we were going to head to the Udvar-Hazy Ctr. until I read that it was $15 to park. Yikes! That was a little steep for my liking. So we settled on coming to the Natl. Firearms Museum. My husband is a gun aficionado, knowing quite a bit about firearms so I thought this might be a spot he and I might enjoy. The displays are impressive. There are hand pistols and rifles that look beautiful with artwork carved into the handle. We wandered through the exhibits which show the earliest firearms to some more recent. There's also a collection of Tom Selleck's gun collection and then firearms used in famous movies like "Dirty Harry" and "True Grit" (the John Wayne version). It's a small museum so we probably got through it in about an hour. read more

I've been meaning to visit this museum for the longest time and with the day off work after Thanksgiving and having no interest in Black Friday shopping I finally got my chance. It's located on Waples Mill Rd off of where 50 and 66 intersect. I was expecting it to be in a building on it's own but it's actually on the ground floor of the NRA's office HQ. There's no entrance fee and plenty of free parking. My overall impression is that it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Not that they don't have lots of famous and historical guns on display, but I felt that a lot of the weapons on display were all crammed together into display cases. To find out what rifle or pistol you were looking at you had to look up the number next to each weapon in a computer next to the display. Not that I was in a hurry or anything but I found this system very cumbersome and took too much time going back and forth from the computer to the display. I liked the displays with descriptions in them better. I am a big defender of the 2nd amendment however I did notice that there were no infamous weapons on display. But what else did you expect from a museum located underneath NRA HQ? read more

National Firearms Museum - Museums Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

My husband and I stopped here because we were bored and looking for something to do. Plus we had always wanted to check this place out and it was free. It is easily located on Waples Mill with plenty of parking. The museum it self had a large of variety of donated items and borrowed items. The guns were really cool to see how they have changed in sizes throughout time. I am not a gun enthusiast but I did find this museum pretty interesting and recommend checking it out at least once. read more

Let me start by saying that I am the furthest thing from a gun fan there is, but holy cow this is a great museum! First of all, there are tons of interesting object, including a vampire hunter's kit, and a French rifle with engravings that allude to STDs from the 19th Century. They have some of the earliest guns ever made from all over the world. The collections are (for the most part) well organized and the signage is good. From my professional standpoint as an anthropologist I want to give two thumbs up for the curation as well -- whoever is the head curator really knows how to frame history. It puts a lot of far better known museums to shame. For one thing, telling the story of history without mentioning weapons is really leaving a gaping hole. This museum more than rectifies that (obviously). The museum is in very nice digs, there are comfy chairs scattered all around. Some of the rooms are set up like your dad's den. Bathrooms, water fountains, gift shop, all there, all well managed. Free parking. The museum is also free! read more

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I have been to a lot of museums abroad and in the US, and I would say that this is one of the best museums I've been to. Honestly I would would there May be some bias as I love guns and the history of them. This museum has a lot of good information on the second amendment, history of guns and the people who've made them. There's guns from famous movies, a successor of a dictator, and some types you might have never heard of. You know what else is great about this museum? It's free!!! Even if your not as enthusiastic as others or myself you can enjoy this museum, and if for some odd reason you don't you haven't lost any money. The staff at the entrance was very kind and helpful, and the NRA gift store had a lot to offer. You can purchase books about gun laws and history or stock up on stickers, patches, and pro gun goodies. read more

National Firearms Museum - Museums Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Don't even try to test me on guns. I would get a F! The most I've done is twirl a rifle for drill meets. That is the extend of my knowledge! Personally, I just like looking at the artsy part.. like the gun handle area. Some of them have pretty designs on it. I guess I just get fascinated easily via visual senses. They do have a ton of firearms for the gun freaks. This would be much more enjoyable for someone that loves firearms. read more

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While I would not have come here of my own inclination, I'm glad my guy took me with him. The museum is small and you can walk through fairly quickly. It probably takes 30minutes or an hour of you read through everything carefully. It's not close to DC so you have to get a car to drive out if you're coming from DC. My favourite gun was the vampire hunter which came with bullets in the shape of vampire heads. read more

National Firearms Museum - Museums Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

What a wonderful museum!! It's not too big, but filled with history. Price: Free. You can take pictures. They are still in the process of adding new collections. There is a small gift shop by the entrance. Neat place!!! read more

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Badass. Awesome. Magnificent. All Americans need to go to this museum and earn about guns. The history is amazing and educational.

Great historical value for all Americans. NRA Life Endowment member and believe in the right of all citizens to keep and bear arms. Wish NRA would open other side so visitors can view the giving wall on weekends. read more

If you're into firearms, this is the place to go. Located at the NRA HQ, the Firearms Museum is practically teeming with rifles and pistols of all sorts, ranging from historically significant (like General MacArthur's sidearm) to vintage to modern to fantastical (I got a kick out of the steampunk machine guns). For bonus points, stand in the middle of the room and do your best Nick Cage impersonation from Lord of War by yelling "Guns! Guns! Free Guns!". OK maybe don't do that, but I bet security would have a hoot with you if you did. read more

This museum was pretty close to our hotel and it was free so I suggested to go since I wanted to see the guns despite me not being a gun owner. The museum itself is pretty big and spent around 2 hours taking our time. They have many collections as I took a lot of pictures. Will post more later. But they go over the history and the guns that were involved throughout the USA in the wars that were fought. It was a great US history lesson and good for anyone who does not know much about our history. They go through movies guns were in. Overall a nice collection. read more

A must stop museum in Northern VA! Free and open to the public. The amount of guns and anything related are pretty interesting, and the staff had extensive knowledge on every single item. We could tell how passionate they were! Polite, welcoming and fun staff. I wish we could've stayed for the tour. The gift shop was pretty cool. I purchased some 9mm tire valve covers for my Dad. I would definitely visit again! read more

Great place for teens and older. The museum was free entry and free parking. There is a lot of history in this building. There were guns displayed used by some of the most infamous people in the world. The coolest part for me was seeing the guns the were used in some of my all time favorite movies. I won't spoil it and say which ones so you will have to see it for your self. They also had a cool little gift shops with gifts that all ages would enjoy. read more

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Sure, this place is full of guns, but I was looking for two things that were completely absent: a) the Vegas AR-15s that killed the most civilians in a short amount of time (or any other mass shooting weapons) and b) a tribute to all children killed by firearms. I won't be returning until both are there. read more

I went to the NRA Museum on 1/22/17. The museum surprised me. It is much more of historical representation of guns and the history of modern warfare than I expected. I guess. I was expecting more NRA propaganda. In fact the NRA has very little of its own advertisement/marketing in the museum. The museum has a ton of guns enclosed in glass and good amount of description on their significance. However I went with someone who had a very good knowledge of the history making the display pieces much more interesting. If I had one criticism of the NRA museum it would be that if you're coming in "cold" to the museum the significance of how guns have evolved would be a little less interesting. It is helpful if you go with someone with knowledge and/or if the museum should offer some kind of audio tour. I wouldn't have know what cases with display pieces I should be looking at in more detail. It is also important to note you have to be buzzed into the museum by the security guard. You click on the doorbell and state your purpose. The hired security was very professional and welcoming. The museum is free of charge to visit. In a nutshell worth taking a peak if you're in the area regardless of your political leanings. read more

Wow well I didn't expect to love this place as much as I did! My hubby wanted to come here while on vacay and being the awesome wife that I am I agreed . We decided to have lunch in the cafe before going to the museum which is just in the next building over. We arrived about 5 minutes before the tour was starting and decided to do the tour, and boy was that a good choice! Side note- if you want to take pictures you need to fill out a farm and wear a badge. Our tour guide was AMAZING!!! I never realized how much history guns have. The tour wasn't even just about the history of making guns but how different wars, countries, royalties, etc used gun. So much historical information which I found fascinating. Now this tour was almost 2 hours and it had my interest the entire time. They only do one tour at 1pm...I honestly don't think our experience would have been the same because yes you can look at all the guns and read the little signs but just the extra knowledge you receive is priceless! The museum is FREE which was amazing since it was a bit of an Uber ride cost for us to get there! They do have a gift shop and their prices are actually very affordable and of course complimentary gun magazines in the lobby. Wether you are a gun lover or not this place is awesome and I seriously suggest doing the tour- you won't regret it!!! read more

when we were in Fairfax, we stopped here. this is very educational place. they have all kinds of guns. military vehicles on display. it is well worth a visit. we spent several hours here. they have all kinds of military equipment on display. read more

National Firearms Museum - Museums Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Though off the beaten path, this museum is a fun, easy-to-get-to stop in Fairfax. Just off of 66, you can take advantage of the FRE parking and the FREE entry to wonder about the cases. It is impressive as far as military history is concerned and for those who are interested in firearms and other weapons. Also, for a limited time, they have a special vignette of President Teddy Roosevelt's items that are on loan from the presidential museum in New York. Definitely check it out! read more

Not everybody is a fan of firearms. That's alright. But they are undeniably an essential part of the history of the world, for better or worse. The National Firearms Museum presents the weapons in terms of historical significance first-and-foremost, but also with respect to craftsmanship and technological innovations. It's really quite interesting to imagine fighting in the Revolutionary War with the crude weapons on display at the NFM; or to picture yourself mounted on a horse waving your Colt 45, the gun of the Wild Wild West; to understand the significance of the weapons that allowed our brave soldiers to overcome immense obstacles and attain victory during Operation Neptune (aka D-Day). How about guns owned by Presidents and celebrities? Or perhaps you'd just like to admire the magnificent wood-work or meticulous engraving? Unfortunately, during my visit, many of the displays were not fully organized and the number of firearms on display is just extraordinary-- I think they said more than 2000. Those factors made it overwhelming to try and figure out what and why the gun under examination was so important. Halfway through the museum, I really REALLY wished for a tour guide. I also appreciated the fact that although the NFM is closely associated with the NRA, I didn't find any overt politicization of guns aside from a few references to the Second Amendment. It was nice to learn facts and information on the weapons without being bombarded by propaganda. I think the National Firearms Museum is a solid 3 stars and with some improvements could be a 4 star destination. I'd definitely like to go back again. read more