I was raised in the greater DC metropolitan area and began visiting the museum at age eight. 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. read more

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The National Air and Space Museum is absolutely worth a visit when you're visiting Washington DC. It's on the national Mall and one of the best of the museums. We spent about two hours there in total and it was incredible. We found that the Wright Brothers Section was one the most enjoyable to us. A very extensive history of aviation as well as land speed records. Their Gift Shop is absolutely amazing as well. Reservations are required and you cannot enter and tell the time of your reservation. Associates are quite welcoming and friendly when you enter. Overall, A+ experience! read more

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We reserved timed tickets to explore the world renowned collection of air & space artifacts & stories. We spent a lot of time getting through security at the door. Eight new galleries are now open & the museums renovation is scheduled to be completed next year. The vast 2 story gift shop offered unique amazing books, clothing, models, posters .... The Mars cafeteria offered expensive coffee, pizza, sandwiches & pasta. I was disappointed that the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater was closed. Planetarium tickets were sold when we entered. Some of the highlights of our visit were: 1903 Wright Bros. Flyer Apollo 11 module Star Trek's Enterprise Northrop Talon Mercury Capsule Ford - AT read more

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This is great place to see and learn about the space and aircraft's. This museum has free entry but it can only be accessed via a reservation. If you are planning to visit this museum, I would recommend booking your timed reservation before few weeks. We unfortunately didn't know about the reservation part were denied entry on the first day we try to visit. When we checked online, there was no availability for two remaining days we were in the city. We were told that everyday few slots are opened sharp at 8:30am each morning and you can book it if still available. On first day, Saturday we tried but after 5mins of waiting time, there was no availability. We tried again the next day at 8:30 am and were lucky enough to get a 10:00am slot for 4 people. You can reach there between 10:00am to 11:00am for an entry to your 10am slot. There is so much to cover inside and if you are thoroughly going through all the information, you will need a minimum of 4 hours. The time when we went there was a portion that was closed for renovations so it could take even more time if whole museum is available. 2-3 hours is enough if you are glancing and quickly going through all the rooms. There are various stores inside for shopping and a restaurant. There are various paid planetarium shows that are available for booking. Parking can be little challenging on weekdays, but on weekends there were few spots that were free and not timed. If you are in DC, you should visit this museum. You would not be disappointed! read more

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Went on a Friday afternoon mid March 2025, the week before the cherry blossoms bloomed. We were glad we arrived earlier because even after reserving a slot online (which was mandatory), we needed to line up. And not surprisingly, it was quite crowded inside. I imagine it would be even more crowded if the cherry blossoms were in full bloom! Very fun and interactive. I can't believe it's all FREE too! We spent 2 hours here easily just skimming through all the text. If you read everything, you'd need way more than 2 hours! The place looks clean and new. Again, I can't believe it's all free! Great place for people of all ages! They have elevators for accessibility. read more

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You have to reserved a timed ticket and those are released at 8:30am every morning, otherwise you're out of luck. We didn't realize this until 10am but were lucky enough to be able to snag two tickets for the 4pm time slot. I would line up early for your time slot because we got there a few minutes before 4pm and the line to get in stretched all the way to the corner from the entrance. Thankfully the line moved quickly. A lot of the museum is under construction and not open to the public unfortunately, so I wouldn't prioritize this museum until construction is done. On the other hand, admission is free so you can't even be mad that there's not a ton to see. If you're an air/space fanatic it still might be worth it for you. read more

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How could you not like this place!!! I could come here everyday for a month and barely scratch the surface. I highly recommend the Smithsonian to anybody visiting the area. read more

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I like my airplane! They need more airplanes here. We went in March '25. What they have is nice, but half of the place is under construction. And, it's the cool stuff that is being worked on - Pioneers of Flight, IMAX, WWI, WWII, Basics of Flight. Seriously probably 60% of the total museum off limits. Bummer. I had to take a star off. Anyway, it's free so can't complain too much. Go on line and reserve tix and an entry time...or you can do it on site. There will be a line. There will be a mass of humanity. Bathrooms, snack bar, and a gift store to part ways with your hard earned cash. Btw, every food truck known to man will be parked out front just in case you want some salmonella to go along with your museum visit. This joint would be an easy 4-4.5 stars when fully loaded. We'll be back. read more

Smithsonian - Cirrus. Nice GA plane - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I'm not sure why the yelp business says just Smithsonian, but since air and space museum is a Smithsonian and exactly at this location, I'm rolling with it. Right now (July 2025), half of the building is under renovation. This is unfortunate, but just means we have to come back. What we did see was magnificent. There were still about six exhibits open to check out between two floors. The giant spaceships were all blocked off though which was unfortunate, but honestly I didn't notice until writing this review. That shows that what we did see was awesome. We saw the beginning of flight, planets and early airplanes. My kids (four and six) absolutely loved it. We ended up spending about two hours there. The gift shop is two floors and pretty awesome too. Make sure you sign up for passes online. Ours was for 10 am, we got there about 11 am and walked right in. You cannot leave and come back so don't plan to leave for lunch. read more

Such an awesome museum in DC! My family and I went to the National Air and Space Museum on a very chilly Friday morning. We made reservations on the phone and walked right in. While walking through the exhibits was cool, I really wanted to highlight the tour we had with tour guide/volunteer Raul. He was so incredibly passionate and very educated on each exhibit. We learned so much through his tour and were captivated every step of the way! It's always refreshing to be surrounded by people who are in their element. The planetarium show was cool, too, but I think the main exhibits are just fine to do, as it's all free. read more

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I've lived in the area for years but never made it out to this museum. I finally decided to come here 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. read more

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Great museum! Need a timed ticket for entry and some things are ticketed. Half the exhibits seemed closed.

Outstanding newly renovated museum comparing to my first time 20+ years ago, it was way better and much more fun. Plenty hands on interactive experiments to engage in learning. Organized information and display. My favorite were the Wright brothers gallery and historical era of air travel exhibition. I spent majority of time in those two. There are two floors accessed by escalator. Sufficient restrooms and resting area. Can still get a dog tag for $10. Better to book ticket in advance through its website. Free entry like all smithsonian museums in DC. Very cool experience. Highly recommend it! read more

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Need reservations (free) for admission (2024). Must see! Half the museum was closed for renovations but still worthwhile. read more

Smithsonian - X-Wing Fighter - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

So much to see and so much to do! There's so much rich information and history here. There were some games that were out of service, which sucked bc our kids were looking forward to playing them. Nevertheless, the amount of things they have available to learn, touch, and play with was enough to make up for the non functioning devices. This is an entire day type of experience. This museum is free admissions. You'll just have to get a reservation ticket online. Get ready to learn about all types of airplanes; old and new. Did I mention: There's an interactive game simulation where you can pilot a plane. Our mission here was incomplete - so we'll be back! read more

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Another must-visit if you're in DC. It's not as flashy as the one in Dulles, but there's definitely a charm that you get from the older building and smaller exhibits. If you can dodge the construction, that is! The cafe and gift shop is the typically overpriced stuff you'll find at any tourist spot, but they've got to offset the free admission somehow. It's an investment, I say! The pizza also looked much better than I thought it would. Classic frozen midwestern pub style. There are a ton of really cool interactive exhibits that take some hard to conceptualize concepts like the sheer scale of space, and make it easy for anyone to wrap their head around. Not to mention in the last few years they've really upped the A.V. game in the special exhibits. It's a great time for the family and nerds like me. read more

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Normally I would give this Smithsonian 5 stars. However during this visit, a big selection of exhibits were missing due to an expansion of the building. Unbeknownst to us, visitors now need timed entry tickets. In the event you don't already have tickets, the scan code is outside of the museum for visitors. Not everyone is familiar with using this scan code. Staff will assist you and walk you through the process. You are not allowed in early. If you have an 11 o'clock entry, you will be admitted at 11 am. There are two gift stores available at the museum. You can visit 2 different floors for the exhibits. read more

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We had so much fun at our visit!! Definitely make sure you get there a little bit early before your scheduled ticket time because the line starts forming early to get in. I would recommend heading upstairs first because the lower areas got pretty crowded because everyone rushed those areas when we could get in. So amazing all of the free things that you can do in Washington DC! I prepaid for parking in a lot close by. I recommend doing this as well as parking is a little tricky in the area. read more

Smithsonian - Plane - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I wanted to love this museum, and there are plenty of interesting displays but in all fairness my experience was three stars, just average. For takeoff, let's mention the long lines and timed entry. With these restrictions, one would think the museum was going to be packed to the gills to or the tours would be guided as with the Capitol. So to paraphrase the USPS, with snow, sleet, heat or hail you would stuck outside. They were not; in fact, as my ticket wasn't loading in the email they sent, I went to the desk to ask. They keyed in my number and let me in. While I appreciate the access, it's indicative they could have a better system of crowd control. Yes, general admission is free but the planetarium shows are extra. Also, part of the museum is under renovation and thus not accessible. This would be like riding coach class and not getting your Biscoff cookies & small cup of soda I did enjoy the airplane cutaway displays especially where you can get close to see the cockpit techie displays and fixtures. Some of the interactive displays were nice as well. The displays on the space program gave balanced coverage to the Russian space program as well, including Layka! There were a few displays in the environment and cultures which may have been better suited to the Natural History museum. To me, an air & space museum should have more space dedicated to a technology geek out. How about some more displays on military aircraft, or on blimps? Here's hoping the renovations do include those. read more

Hard to go wrong with Air & Space! Do yourself a favor and get tickets in advance, you need them. Once you arrive 10/15 minutes early you're going to see a long line and think "huh at least I have tickets and don't need to wait" nope wrong. That is the line for those with tickets. The tickets are free, but to keep the entries at a safe amount you have to sign up in advance. After waiting for almost 20 extra minutes we were inside. The museum has everything and something for everyone. The Imax theaters are great, and you can even interact with 70% of the museum. I believe there is a food court downstairs but we haven't had a chance to check it out. I loved getting to see the various space themed parts of history and how flight apparel has changed throughout the year. This is great for anyone over the age of maybe 7- there's a lot of reading but it's worth it. I always stop by when I'm in town! read more

We visited the Air and Space museum today. There are timed entry so make sure you book ahead of your visit. It is good for the hour you choose. It really saved us a lonnnngggg line today!! One bummer is they are renovating two big chunks of the museum. So be aware of that too. It still is a cool place. read more

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Planning ahead is absolutely necessary as this is one of the busiest museums we encountered. Timed-entry passes are required and I would say chances are slim trying to reserve a spot on the day of your visit. I was shocked to see lines form at least 30 minutes before the allotted time slot and they literally wrapped around the block. It's no wonder why so many food trucks park right in front of the museum since there's a constant crowd! At the top of the hour, the line moved swiftly as everyone got their tickets checked and then walked through the security screening. Despite a wing of the museum being under renovation, there was still an abundance of exhibits to view. Those on the first floor are more history-focused while the second floor is more science-centric. One can easily spend over half a day here. We had about three hours to explore and felt rushed as we were trying to read and see as much as possible. At times, it felt like information overload, but in the best way. In my opinion, these were the highlights: * Destination Moon: See a variety of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo artifacts. Learn about the technology and journey that led us to stepping foot on the Moon. * Exploring the Planets: Delve into the solar system surrounding us. There's so much knowledge to absorb here. * The Wright Brothers: See the original 1903 Wright Flyer... yes, the actual one! Before leaving, we stopped by the cafe on the ground floor to pick up packages of astronaut ice cream. It was $2 cheaper here than in the gift shop. This museum turned out to be one of my favorites of our trip. With diverse exhibits and many interactive aspects, I highly recommend for visitors of all ages, especially science enthusiasts! read more

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Definitely one of my favorite experiences in Washington DC. Despite half of the facilities being reimagined there is plenty to see and do. Definitely worth also checking out their sister site which isn't too far of a drive away. read more

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There is a LOT to see. They have some really interesting exhibits, particularly on the space side of things. It is very crowded though, and you have to wait in a long line to get in. Arrive early! Go well rested - it is tiring to fight the crowds and long line, but there are a lot of cool things to see. There are some things under construction currently. If you've been to other flight museums or NASA, there's probably not a ton here you haven't seen before. read more

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The Air and Space Museum has always been one of my favorites. Unfortunately, it's been undergoing major renovations since 2018. I honestly don't recommend visiting it until their work is finished. There's usually an overwhelming amount of exhibits to see here. I know this from many prior visits over the years. It was definitely missing half of its inventory. We were done in less than an hour. It was very disappointing. Also, keep in mind that you have to reserve timed tickets for entry. You're not going to enter immediately by walking through the doorway. No, you're going to wait in a long line with everyone who has the same entry time. All the way out to where the food trucks are along the sidewalk. Get there earlier than your time of entry if you want to be under the overhang. They do warn you about it on their website. I'll give them that. The line does move quickly once they allow entry. The highlight for me was the Wright Brothers Exhibit. The 1903 Wright Flyer is the focal point. I love that it's up close for all to see. The newer look of the rest of the exhibits appear more organized, but are now encased in plexiglass. The lighting and glare are not optimal for pictures. I'm sure it will all look amazing once all the galleries are reimagined. I'll update this review in 2026. That's when they say the full building will be open. Oh, and the Lightsaber cooler drinks at the Mars Café were not good. You've been warned. read more

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It's been quite awhile since I last visited this museum which happened to be when Night of the Museum2 was first released. Now timed tickets are required to be booked in advance before one can enter. The staff were quite strict managing the entry times noted on the eticket and turned away the people in front of me who were more than two hours early. However they will let you in up to one hour after the entry time on your ticket. They made a few changes and some others were still in process. About half of the museum was still under renovation according to the map. The Wright Brothers exhibits was one of the original rooms still the same while the racing room downstairs was new. The space room was one of my favorites with an Apollo capsule, remnants of rocket stages and engines on display along with lots of other historical items, videos, etc. The lines to walk into parts of an old Northwest Airlines 747 and American Airlines prop plane were just a few minutes wait. If you like sci-fi movies then checkout the Star Trek Enterprise model at the entrance and the Star Wars X-wing fighter on the second floor near the theatre. One could spend more time here but due to my short time in DC, I wrapped up my visit in a little over one hour. Will come back after all the renovations finish up in 2025. read more

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Air and Space is a very cool Smithsonians. From pedal power to rocket power it's all here. Nice exhibits from the Wright brothers to air travel in the late 50's to current. So many nuggets abound here. Should be on your list of must hit Smithsonian experiences. I highly recommend getting here early. We came during off peak season which also helped. read more

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We didn't know that we had to get timed tickets to get into the museum. The process is easy. Just scan the bar code ( they are outside) and select the available time slot and answer a few questions. Then stand in line until it's time to enter. There was some work being done so we could not view all of the exhibit. I noticed children being engaged and having fun! So this museum is great for the young and old ! There are elevators and escalators to take up and down instead of the steps. read more

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I have been to over a dozen science museums across the US and in other countries, the Air and Space Museum remains brilliant and at the top of my list of things I highly recommend people to see if they're in DC. If you have any interest in space or flight, this is a museum you simply cannot miss. It is REQUIRED to have timed entry tickets reserved in advance simply because of how popular this museum is. I've been 3 times; they have been accommodating when I have showed up once 45 mins late (traffic into the city remains my mortal enemy) and each and every employee I've ever spoken with has been incredibly kind and inviting. The beginnings of flight section and entire space section is simply breathtaking. No matter what words I come up to describe it, nothing can compare to seeing these incredible museum pieces in person. The sheer volume of historic air and space artifacts takes my breath away every time. You can very easily spent 2-3 hours in this entire museum just reading each description piece and delighting in all that there is to offer. I do prefer real historic air and space related paraphernalia, but there is also some fictional paraphernalia available to Star Trek + Star Wars fans. I haven't been to the cafe that they have so I cannot speak on that. They do sell custom dog tags you can make for $8 which seems like a sweet souvenir deal to me. Their gift shop is a massive two story endeavor that you can enjoy although their shirts do tend to sell out in smaller sizes so you might not get one in your size which is a bit unfortunate since most of their stuff isn't offered on the Smithsonian's online gift shop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ read more

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If you're a big fan of aviation and space like me, you have to check out this museum. This was definitely my favorite Smithsonian museum I visited. It's free entrance but you have to book a ticket online. Once you arrive within your time slot, they'll scan your emailed digital ticket. There was so many cool things displayed like the Wright Brother's flyer, first astronaut suit, items from space missions, plane simulation, variety of planes, etc. The planes hanging from the ceiling reminds me of the Museum of Flights from Seattle. There's a huge gift shop as well as these crank machines for coin pressed souvenirs. Also, there is a cafeteria that serves food on the ground floor. The only downside is we visited while they were remodeling so we missed a lot of the big exhibits. I would love to come back in the future to see the rest of the museum! read more

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Coming here was one of the highlights of our trip to D.C.. Admission to visit any of the Smithsonian museums is completely free, and you are able to reserve tickets with a time slot online. The process was actually pretty simple and when we arrived we were able to get in immediately. When you first walk in, you are made to go through a security stop. So the less you bring to any of the museums or attractions in DC, the better. We did the entire museum in about an hour and a half. My child enjoyed the gift shop the most, which actually had a pretty awesome assortment of souvenirs. If you have limited time in DC, and are trying to narrow down which sites to see, this one is definitely worth a visit. read more

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One of my favorite Museums. Well laid out, very cool exhibits, unfortunately over half was closed down due to updates. FYI- it is free, but you do need to reserve a time to tour. read more

Smithsonian - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Fantastic and free!! You first need to go to the website and get tickets there! Don't waste time by going there first. After you get the tickets, you get to enter after lining up outside. Beware, lines are very long. They go to the end of the light by the fountain! Inside, you must go see the planes and go inside if the lines aren't too long. Also, the astronaut suit is very cool along with the planets video on the third floor. The entry had half the first floor blocked for construction. We saw very amazing things it's hard to miss anything. Plan for a good two hours at the least. Have fun! read more

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Wowwww!!! If you are visiting DC, this place definitely should be on your to do list if you like museums! There is a lot of history, details and information about air and space transportation!!! I actually enjoyed my time exploring and appreciating all the visuals. I was in awe with all the memorabilia gathered, just imagining how life was in the past and how far we've come today. Lastly... be sure to go on the website to reserve your tickets. It's free but you need a ticket to enter. (choose available date and time) read more

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4/9/24 Tickets are required to enter. It's free, but it's timed, so check at least 2-3 weeks before your trip. Unfortunately, we still had to wait in a line as they waited for exactly the time on our ticket before they let us in. Half of the building is still under construction. The half that was open is still a large space to walk around. I especially like the space exhibits. There are models of some planes that the sign said to see the real plane at the Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly VA. I will keep an eye on the construction so I can go back when it opens. It would be so cool if the under construction side will have exhibits that show the Sci fi item and then the RL item. For example, the flip communicator in OG STAR Trek vs the Motorola Startac. read more

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Washington DC - love the Smithsonian museums, how they are free of charge! This is a great place if you're into space exploration. Some hands on stuff, some demo, I'd say it's more for ages 7 or above to truly enjoy most things since it's involves quite a bit of reading. Not as much science aspect of astronomy as I would hope. There's more of the space exploration, aircraft and different vehicles displayed than the science of astronomy itself. Worth to pay extra for the dome theatre. Make sure you sit at the very back for the best view. Overall good experience. read more

Smithsonian - Found this cute backpack at the store - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

One of my favorite museums to visit, I had the honor of coming back to the air and space museum after over 15 years. It is currently under renovation which may be a bit of a downer for some just coming by. You also need to reserve a time slot ticket so be ready for that (they are free). Even with these setbacks, this museum was a reason I got so into planes and space as a child and being able to revisit it, amidst the renovations, was breathtaking. Everyone needs to come here, learn a bit about flight and space, and explore that curiosity. read more

Smithsonian - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Cool museum! I booked my ticket online probably a week or two in advance. It did not appear to have day of times remaining (at least for the afternoon) I spent around 2 hours here. At most, I could see myself spending another hour. I appreciate the timed entry to help control the crowds. Some of the lighting in the museum made it hard to read the exhibits. Some of the exhibits were a little busy. Check it out! read more

Smithsonian - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Very fun museum and it's been on my list for a while. You need to book a week in advance. Love the section of speed with motorcycles or speed boats and jets. So cool what humankind has accomplished. This museum is beautiful. Lots of walking. read more

Smithsonian - X-wing - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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If you haven't visited this place in 20 years, you're in for a surprise. It's a newer building and the viewing areas are much wider than the previous building. And some of the things that were in the previous building or no longer here, but it other Smithsonian buildings in the DC area. That was minorly disappointing for me because I was hoping I'd be able to see everything I remembered. But they have a really great café that although expensive the portion sizes are good. The coffee in particular was very good. There are food trucks outside too. Be advised that some of them seem to take lunch hours around one or 2 PM. There's no place to sit and eat your meal but it's more reasonably price than inside the museum. read more

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