The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is located in Washington DC, and it holds the worlds largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft. The museum is important because it shows how travel has evolved over time, and how the aspects of science, technology, and engineering are involved in the use of creating air and spacecrafts. The museum is open from 10 AM to 5:30 PM and people usually spend about 2-3 hours inside the museum. Some exhibits the museum offers include the Wright Brothers, Destination Moon, Thomas W. Hass We All Fly, Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring The Planets, Early Flight, and America by Air. Each piece is very detailed, especially in the America by Air exhibit where the planes hang from the ceiling. Each plane has a name and description associated with it. Each exhibit is extremely detailed and provides thorough descriptions and details on each artifact. The museum has items hanging from the ceilings all throughout it, and it adds a nice touch to the museum and makes it feel interactive. I really like how detailed this museum was from the entrance all the way to the exhibits. It really added that finishing touch to the museum and made it feel super interactive. I took a virtual tour of this museum and it still had so much detail. My personal favorite exhibit was the America by Air exhibit. I really liked learning about each plane and what they were used for. I chose to visit this museum because I wanted to learn more about how we used to travel back in the day, and how science and technology have evolved over time. The National Air and Space Museum was interactive, engaging, and told me so much about the history of air travel. I highly recommend paying a visit! read more

So we were a little disappointed that half of the museum was closed for renovations but we still got to see some great things and learn some things as well. The museum is free just need timed tickets which luckily I ordered a couple days ahead because there were none the day of. My son got hungry halfway through our visit so we decided to hit the cafe they have. This is where things took a turn. Now given my son is picky but we didn't see anything onthe menu that he would remotely enjoy. I saw someone else said hot dogs but I didn't see those I only saw paninis. The line was long and there were not really many seats. My son at that point was hangry so we decided we would just get out of line. We went to the gift shop where he got some new souvenirs and we hit the carts outside. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the rest of the exhibits but hopefully we will go back after renovations and have already eaten beforehand. read more

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

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I knew it was being renovated but didn't realize it is literally half closed. Still, an amazing museum. The entry takes you past, and under, some true classics. Spirit of St. Louis, X-1, LEM, etc. You get a sense of scale, and history. Off to the main galleries, which at this point are decidely space-centric. Lots of rockets. A few small side galleries about navigation, and the basics of flight. Very impressive and educational; I wished Baby K were with me to learn, better than I can explain, about the forces of flight, etc. Decent gift shop. Not so decent cafe (self-serve and expensive.) You can get a beer here, oddly. Good signage, lots of elevators, escalators, bathrooms, fountains, etc. I was here 30 years ago and saw a lot of the planes, and hope to come back in a few years and see them again. read more

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I would recommend not going to this museum for at least a year, because as I type this, over half the museum is currently under construction. While admission is free, they do charge you for some of the better exhibits, such as the imax theater and the flight simulators. The biggest highlight for me was the Wright brothers exhibit. I have already visited Kitty Hawk so this was a good place to get some more information about the history of the brothers and how they have influenced aviation. But the highlight is seeing Neil Armstrong's spacesuit from when he first walked on the moon. To be that close to such a pivotal part of American history is a pretty big rush. As for the other exhibits, there wasn't much else that really grabbed my attention. The history of the space program race was pretty good and be able to touch a rock from the moon was fine also; the rock was a lot smoother than I expected it to be. read more

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I've come here a few times. The first time was when I was very young, over Memorial Day Weekend in 1985, when I touched a piece of the moon for the first time. The last time was in August 2017 to get the free eclipse viewing glasses, and to watch the eclipse. I remember bringing my brother here on a weekend in 2018 for him to explore the place, although I didn't have the time to spend hours in the museum with him. A very cool place! read more

This was one first visit the the air and space museum. It was educational. You are able to go into a space shuttle can see how they ate and showered. They have missiles right in the middle when you first walk in. They even have small ships you can ride and kinda see how it is. Only thing they were under construction. Boo. So we were only able to see liken a quarter of museum. It was still enjoyable. We also had to enter thru a different section because of the same. I want to go back and we all when they complete it. read more

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Lucky to be invited by Monumental Sports to meet the Wizards in the newly renovated Museum. I wish I had more time to look around but these few pictures show how much work has been done to make this attraction so much nicer. read more

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Brought the kids here around 2pm on and rainy Saturday. About a 5 minute wait time in line. More gift stores have been added since I last came a few years ago. A few new areas for kids and a virtual reality section has also since been added. The Smithsonian metro stop is one of the closet to the Smithsonian mall. You could probably also walk here from union station read more

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

The Smithsonian Museums are AMAZING!! Free to the public we reserved a e-ticket online and admission was smooth. Informative and amazing collection of historical exhibits and displays. And the docents were all so friendly and knowledgeable. Cannot wait for the expansion to be complete. read more

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This museum was rather popular amongst guest you must make reservations. We managed to see it to spite everything. My son was inspired by all of the airplanes and history. Tip dont just show up to this one make reservations for you and your guest ahead and you will be just fine read more

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Air travel can be fun. If coming here on a plane, you may not think so. The National Air and Space Museum is more about experimental aircrafts, and a significant part is about space travel. Many exhibits on NASA spacecraft and history. There's also many older airplanes including the Wright Brothers' first one. From the outside it looks like a very big spacious building. It has these humongous aircrafts in them so the space is needed. The interior feels like it's the right size. It only has two floors. The museum is still large, so it will still take awhile to see everything here. It has a variety of aircrafts. The older aircrafts are mostly grouped together. Of all these the one that people want to see the most is the Wright Brothers' airplane. There's a whole room about this aviation pioneers. It also includes some of their other aircrafts. The other room people care the most about is the one about space travel. It has some of the most important NASA artifacts. The highlight is the lunar lander, looking the same as when it was on the moon. Open areas of the museum are filled with all kinds of aircrafts. There's a Learjet and there's more stuff from space travel. It kicks even more ass because it's completely free. It's a good place for you to bring someone who likes wearing a NASA shirt to see how much they actually care about it. There's all kinds of stuff for all interest levels. read more

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Very interesting, educational and fun place. My husband loves airplanes and so when we heard about this place he made sure that we visit it. One of the museum I recommend to see if you are in DC. You will have a great time looking at different exhibit like aircrafts, rockets, spacecrafts and whole lot more. I absolutely love this place! read more

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We came here when it was under construction and it was raining. We waited in line for over 2 hours so to say we were anxious was an under statement. We popped in the virtual reality space ride. I think tickets were $12. It was worth it and it was a way to dry off. We will be back so I can't wait to update my review once this is updated and renovations are over. read more

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Had not be here in years! Part of the exhibition is closed because they are doing a major renovation, but still worth the time. I went on a docent led tour, which I normally have really enjoyed. However this particular docent was, well, not very good. People kept drifting off the tour, and soon I was one of them. Took in an imax show (which you have to pay for is) but was worth the money. read more

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

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I love the history of flight and air travel so this was a must stop for me when I visited Washington, DC. I got there early enough that I was part of the first group to enter. That meant no lines and I could move from exhibit to exhibit without having to dodge people and wait to get up close to take a picture. There was plenty to see and many educational pieces that explained the history of flight and the evolution of aircraft from the days of the Wright Brothers to modern space exploration. I did not get a chance to get into the theatre or the exploratorium so I cannot speak to those areas. I love it and would go again the next time I am in DC. read more

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I remember coming here as a kid and being in awe at the experience. Today, it feels like a good half of the museum is closed for renovation and expansion. And it was quite crowded on a Tuesday morning. Very popular attraction for kids. Highlight for me was the 3-story gift shop. I'd probably recommend waiting till the renovations are complete to visit (if you had an option to come back at a later time). There is a cafeteria in the basement for pre-packed sandwiches and salads. I tried the $7 hotdog with dry bread and Luke warm hotdog and wouldn't recommend unless you're starving... read more

Super cool museum, but by far the rudest, most impatient staff I have encountered during our week in DC.

One thing that you must know about me is that I am a huge fan of museums and somewhat of a history buff. Any chance I get to visit any type of museum, and they can be the grandest of grand or the tiniest of tiny, I go out of my way to do so. And with DC, it's like the mecca of museums, you could literally museum hope all day for a week and still not have seen all of the museums. I have been wanting to come to this particular Smithsonian for a while now. I somehow always end up bypassing it when in the area, because something else has caught my eye or a newer museum has just opened. However on my most recent visit I made sure that I would purposefully come here. My morning started out with me pulling up my maps app and charting a course to get here as fast as I could. I was excited when I finally neared here and anxiously waiting to attempt to get inside. Of course I got stuck behind the group of schoolchildren that were there for the day at the entrance. Once inside I went the opposite direction of them. I was a bit bummed when I finally did enter. It seemed like something was off. It was rather quiet and not that busy at all. I came to find out that a lot of the exhibits were being given a spiff up. So my time in here ended up being shorter than I expected. That did not detract from the fact that I got to see some pretty amazing things. I particularly liked the Wright Brother exhibit. After being at the Memorial in Kitty Hawk, I really wanted to see that as well. For some odd reason I was elated to see the Spirit of St. Louis as well. It's a piece of American folklore now that I knew I had to see it. I also did enjoy the space area as well. Being able to walk through the space capsule and see just how huge the Hubble Telescope really is. I guess in the future I will look up on the website just how much there is to see here on my next trip around. That way I will be able to spend more time in here. read more

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Museums have multiple purposes - to curate and preserve, to research, and to reach out to the public. They challenge us and ask us to question our assumptions about the past or the world around us. With that said, when I was in Washington D.C., I knew had to go to the National Air and Space Museum. Now, the only reason why my rating isn't higher is because of how overhyped this museum was. Which this isn't necessarily the museum's fault, but I was still a bit disappointed. In any case, the Air and Space Museum had many cool and astonishing exhibits. For example, the exhibits of the aerobatic flight, Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, The Wright Brothers, and the modern military aviation were all extraordinary. In parallel, the museum has an IMAX theater that shows movies on the history of aviation which is very cool, but the lines are ridiculously long. In addition, there is a massive McDonalds in the museum, but the prices are inflated. On the other hand, my biggest problem with the museum is that it isn't very big. I was able to get through the entire museum in an hour. I've been to some museums which take me the entire day to get through. Also, the museum is so crowded that it is very difficult to enjoy yourself. By and large, the National Air and Space Museum is captivating, but a bit overhyped. read more

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I've been here years ago, before the construction started. They have tons of construction going on and one of the main entrances of closed because of it. The signs say it'll all be done in 2025. We got here and realized you need timed tickets, which are free. So we had to wait for the next time slot which was an hour away, so not horrible. There was a long line to get in, but once your time slot comes, the line goes quickly. There were so many people there, so it was a little overwhelming and hard to keep up with your toddler and see what you want to see. They used to have a kid area, but it's not opened at the moment. So that sucked because there wasn't much that my toddler was interested in and could touch, few things here and there. I think I'll try to visit again in 2025 read more

We tried at 9AM for the tickets that come out at 8:30AM and we didn't have any luck. We were already in town so we just walked over and tried again for the 1230PM release that they do Fri-Mon. We were blessed to receive some tickets for 1PM. We got in line and it was relatively short, maybe 10 people were ahead of us. This place is in very high demand and there were people and group tours everywhere. The person that came out about 10 min prior to the time slot to manage the crowd was a little aggressive and rude. Otherwise, once we got in the place was great! Open, modern, clean, and lots of video interfaces for the kids to interact with. We really liked the exhibits and the planetarium movie. My kids love anything they can touch. We liked the exhibits about the planets and the moon and the world connected was cool. The one about speed we found a little dry. There were a couple of sections we were not able to see. The food was very overpriced, as was the gift shop. The gift shop spans all 3 levels and is pretty unavoidable. Although tickets are free, our family of 5 spent about 200$ during the visit. Planetarium tickets cost as well. Outside food is not allowed. When we left around 4 the line was as long as a city block. Please plan accordingly and get here early. read more

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It is amazing to see the originals of the Wright flyer, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules!! Very sad to see Wernher von Braun not mentioned in the moon exhibits! He was head of NASA and instrumental in getting us to the moon! I expected the museum to be much bigger and have more exhibits. Some exhibits were closed read more

This museum is a fun and interactive activity that works for family or adult outings. Visit their website for free tickets. The exhibits were very interesting and the space paintings were breathtaking. read more

I came here when I was a kid, many years ago. When you're a kid, everything seems huge. So, I assumed my memory was faulty. This is one case where I remembered everything exactly as it was. There are so many full-size airplanes, space craft, and satellites here. I could seriously spend all day here. There are also many interactive things to do, for children and for those of us like me who sometimes don't want to grow up. And, of course, there are plenty of dives into history here. Besides Charles Lindbergh, you can learn all about the Tuskeegee airmen, and lesser known aeronautical adventures. And, best of all, admission is free. Just like it was when I was a kid (when everything was free). read more

Smithsonian - Admission is free, but there are plenty of places to spend your money. My wife couldn't resist buying one of these for a friend's baby. - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Some sections were too busy to enjoy. The cafe was lacking in things my kids would eat so we left early to hit up the food trucks outside. read more

Smithsonian - Neil Armstrong's space suit - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I felt like a little kid on an adventure of a lifetime. Standing at the base staring up at a 74 foot tall rocket looming above me; handling an astronaut's actual space suit; pretending to be a gunner in a virtual reality airplane that rolls 360 degrees: I was giddy with delight! The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum is crammed from floor to ceiling with "the world's most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration" - website. Your jaw will drop at the overwhelming amount of information bombarding your senses: there is no way you can absorb it all in one day. Good thing there is no admission fee, because you'll need to come back multiple times to take it all in. "More than eight million visitors a year" so plan your visit accordingly: I would recommend visiting on a weekday and as soon as it opens, in order to avoid the throng of visitors. read more

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What a cool museum! This was only our second Smithsonian Museum to visit. We came in towards the end of the day around 4:00p and had 1-1/2 hours to roam around the museum until they closed at 5:30p. Security check was in progress - backpacks, personal items, jackets went through screening process and we had to pass through a metal detector. The screener was so nice she let me go through without having to take off my coat... I was really bundled up wearing triple layers. I was prepared this time for the cold DC winds! She even laughed at me and noticed how cold I was and pitied me. LoL As soon as we gathered our belongings we went through the different sections beginning with the bathroom -ugh- hubby always has to use the restroom first almost everywhere we go. The exhibits in the different galleries ranged from the achievements of the early space program, to sending the Apollo to the moon, to Cold War aviation, to commercial aviation. Not sure if we reached all the galleries but we also watched a 25-min presentation, "Journey to the Stars," (narrated by Whoopi Goldberg) at the Albert Einstein Planetarium. Adult ticket price was $9/each. I'll never see the sky in the same way again.... extraordinary images captured by telescopes on Earth and in space. So cool! Guests can also watch a newly released feature film at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office. Currently showing was the latest Harry Potter film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. I may be the 1%-er who could care less about Harry Potter so we skipped this. The museum is open daily except December 25. Admission is FREE, no tickets required. Great experience! Review #1200 read more

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Right on the National Mall, this branch of the Air and Space museum is a real gem with some life-size exhibits, fun interactive exhibits about flight, and a whole room about Wrights Brothers. Half of it was closed for renovation but still quite worth visiting. Lot of signs of aging though. Half of the interactive exhibits did not work. The VR room could do better (too hot in there due to lack of air circulation and heat generated by the computers). They sell a one of a kind "space (dry) ice cream" (room temperature) in the souvenir shops. Give it a try. However, staff was very friendly (in the shops, the Wrights Brothers' room, VR room, most staff we interacted with). read more

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used to love this place. still pretty good, but I used to spend hours just in the rocket garden. now it is all video clips & blather. prefer a museum that shows actual historical artifacts & puts them in context. this one talks a lot and puts little in context. I liked the recovered Apollo engine parts and such - awesome. but other than that I was underwhelmed. read more

Would recommend waiting to visit until after the remodeling is finished. More than half the museum is closed. Also, they really need to invest in some additional benches and seating options throughout the museum. There are plenty of open spaces and very few tables or benches for folks to sit down. Lots of people just sitting on the floor or leaned up against a wall for a break. read more

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

Disappointing! Long lines (maybe 1/4 mile long outside in the sun), half the exhibits were closed ( the ones I want to see most) and overcrowded ( maybe they let in the normal number of people into half the space?) Enjoyed the Hirschhorn museum across the street much more. read more

The icon of the all the Smithsonian's. I remember visiting as a young person and I go back almost every visit to Washington DC. This museum inspires hope, awe, future, and understanding for all ages in the family. The young and experienced all glean from this spectacular museum. What is most exciting is the museum will be undergoing an overhaul and update in the future. Wow how exciting is that! Of course the Smithsonian's are free and open to the public all year round, except Dec. 25. read more

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One of the most popular museums in dc Much history to be had Nasa and the wright brothers Truly inspiring read more

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On the way to this museum, our Uber Driver told us that this was his favorite DC museum. His dad took him many times to view when he was a kid and now he takes his kids to view. This place is a treat for all ages. Even if you aren't gong ho about space and aviation, the informational knowledge will blow your mind! The two floors are jammed pack with huge exhibitions and some hands on learning activities. I loved learning about the history of flight and seeing preserved artifacts. I was sad to see that the 1903 Wright Brothers Flyer (first successful aircraft) was renovated and not fully the original, but it was still mouth dropping to see. We went during the week and it was still busy. This is one of the most popular Washington, DC destinations, so be prepared to bump shoulders. This place is kid and adult friendly! We were here for two and a half hours, but could have spent more time here! Have fun! read more

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Bobby and Kenny in the shop downstairs need a raise best workers ever so chill Kenny even offered to buy us something but we didn't make the trickshot read more

It's was cool .. just wish there was more interactive stuff for kids .. but you can made a day out of the museum.. it was cool

Visited with my husband since he loves space. The museum is still under renovation but there is still plenty to see. Be sure to get your tickets ahead of time at the website and come early to get in line. The exhibits are very impressive with tons to learn and see. The gift store is also huge. Great to spend a few hours. read more

I'd you're an aviation fanatic, this is like a play land for you! The entrance fee is free and the place is a visual learning hall for the aviation fans! I went into this museum and saw so many artefacts and history regarding our aviation history and modern flying. There are several actual size models around the museum and simulators of take of and landings! This place is a fun time where one can learn about flying, engines, lift, thrust etc. It shows videos and engine cut outs. Great for learning and teaching kids and adults about the science behind flying. You learn about commercial or military jets, new technology and early technology. It is pretty busy with large groups attending. Just be patient through security and through the exhibits. Really just a fun and cool place to visit! read more

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Warning; The dog tag forms don't quite match the machine, so errors were made that I discovered at the hotel. So a second trip to correct. With that said, the Museum has really friendly staff & passing through security is a breeze. Ok, I got tagged for secondary screening due to my belt & watch. But that was fast to. If you are an engineer, or some one fascinated by planes & space ships - this is a must stop. Besides all the regular cool stuff (they have a larger facility by the airport - I'm told), I enjoy seeing several pieces of Burt Rutan's work. Having spent a lot of time not too far from his work shop, he continues to bring inspiration to follow your passions. read more

Never can get into this museum. Timed reservations only - aka - if you're not a planner you're not getting into this place