National Air and Space Museum, Now there are TWO!!!
Written: Jun 03 '04 (Updated Jan 31 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It has everything you could imagine, especially with the new addition.
Cons: It has so much it can be overwhelming.
The Bottom Line: Though you can see this museum at anytime, try to avoid the summer crowds if possible.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: National Air & Space Museum |
The National Air and Space Museum is one of the most visited Museums in DC. It is considered the Flag Ship Building on the Mall. I love this museum. It is immense and holds so many interesting and enlightening exhibits and displays that encompass flight from its earliest roots to the unbelievable, if you really think about it, feats of space flight today and where the future may take us.
PLAN AHEAD
When visiting this museum, I suggest you try and decide what you want to see. This can actually take a few days, that's correct, days if you really take your time and check out all there is to offer. This includes the new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center that is actually in Virginia. This is another building that houses much more of the aviation and space vehicles and items that the NASM is conservator of. I'll have quite a bit more to say about this new facility that opened just six months ago in a bit. It happens to be an important new addition to the Air and Space Museum.
The museum on the National Mall has 22 or 23 different sections. Some are large and some are smaller. Each section takes you through a period of aviation and space flight. The museum also has the Einstein Theatre and IMAX shows. Simplistically said, the museum on the mall is divided in two. The west side's two floors contains the history of aviation and many airplanes and flight displays. The east side of the building has all the rocketry and space exploration exhibits. The museum has hands on interactive things for the kids to do and so much to see. In particular is the "How Things Fly" section. This is an exciting, I suggest, first stop area and will give the kids a learning experience that can help get them eager to see so much more. Here they actually use their hands to show how "things fly". Lift and thrust is shown in working displays that the kids operate. The truth is this kid likes to do these things too.
MY HIGHLIGHTS
My particular highlights, of the space center area, are being able to touch moon rock and the way they displayed the Saturn rockets, that are so huge, by using mirrors to show their size. Seeing the LEM, the Lunar Module was also cool because being a Long Islander I am proud of this aircraft that was designed and built just miles from my home. An original LEM that never saw flight is in the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island and I was able to talk to some of the guys who built it. Their enthusiasm rubbed off on me and that makes my visits to the two museums in the DC area so much more exciting.
In the aviation area, again being a proud NY, Long Islander, I am happy to see the "Spirit of St Louis" on display. The small aviation museum on Long Island claims the sister ship to the "Spirit", but there is nothing like seeing the real thing that took off from Long Island and made it to Europe non-stop.
I also enjoyed seeing the actual space capsules the astronauts flew in. Seeing how small they were and the actual conditions they flew in helps make you realize what an accomplishment these flights really were especially in days when we did not have the kind of computers we have today.
The Wright Brothers displays are also a do not miss list. "Wright" now the flyer has been relocated at eye level. I believe it was done as part of the commemoration of the 100 years of flight. There is so much in this museum that I could probably go on listing things that I really liked for pages and pages.
I do suggest trying to get to this museum and for that matter all the museums on the mall in the off season. A winter visit to the museums and a spring visit to all that is outside would be perfect.
SOME THINGS TO KNOW
The museum is open everyday but Christmas from 10AM to 5:30PM. It is free. Your tax dollars pay your admission.
All bags are screened. I suggest carrying as little as possible or if you are in a very small group or visiting as a family to have one small pack for incidentals. The security process is pretty quick, but the more bags, the longer the process.
The museums IMAX shows do sell out early. I suggest you get tickets for show as soon as you enter the building. It's a good idea to get a show set for a few hours later than you arrive. This gives you some time to explore and then sit down and rest while watching the show giving you a break. The museum is free but IMAX is not. If you have the money the IMAX shows are well worth seeing. Check out combo tickets. You can save a few bucks per person. I would be wary however about getting a combo ticket to the shows in the Virginia facility. It's hard to know how to pace your time and you may get a bit rushed or perhaps not make a particular timed show at all.
There is a restaurant area in the museum dominated by McDonald's, a Boston Market and a pizza place of which I have forgotten the name. There was some controversy about fast food establishments in the National Museums but it seems the people and the vendors won out. I believe more kids go to this museum than any of the other ones so to me it makes sense to have the "familiar" available. There is a cafe upstairs that I have never done.
The museum also has one larger museum store on the first level and a couple of others too. I never saw any of the smaller ones open. Maybe I just passed them by with so much to see. The larger store is packed with books, videos, models, and all kinds of other aviation and space goods. If you have some $$$ to spend, they do have some fun items the kids will like.
THE STEVEN F. UDVAR-HAZY CENTER
This complex, that is opened the same hours as the mall museum, could be considered an annex. It was needed. The fact is, as large as the National Air and Space Museum on the mall is, it can only display just about ten percent of all that the museum actually owns. One way to make so much more accessible to the public was to construct a new building to house more. They did so, but because of the space needed, there was no way it could be done in the DC mall area. It was placed in Chantilly, Virginia right next to Dulles International Airport.
You can now take the shuttle bus ride that cost $7.00 per person from the mall to the new facility and back. The ride, they say, will take from 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. I happened to drive there with my car. If you are not familiar with the city maybe it's best to take the shuttle. Washington traffic between Dulles and DC, at rush hour, can be horrible and a map doesn't always show you the best flow of traffic.
The NEW PLACE
It is HUGE!!!
The facility's main building is a quonset hut style. I find it difficult to give you a vision of how large it is. Everything is on three levels that are all open to each other. You arrive, go through a pretty thorough security check and enter on the middle level. They call this the Skyway. For those who live on Long Island, it is much like the Cradle of Aviation Museum there but on a very grand scale. The planes are hung at different levels. Some people may not like walking on these walks that are above the aircraft. They are very secure and perfectly safe for kids, though they do need to be supervised at all times.
This site, like the mall facility, is divided up with "aviation" in one area and "space" in the other. The space hanger is the smaller of the two but it's still large enough to house the Space Shuttle Enterprise and much more. There are some space capsules in the new center too! I always seem to spend more time in the Space section of museums and looking at those objects. Here, like the NASM on the mall I was once again fascinated by the artifacts that are displayed.
This museum is a must for any flight or space enthusiasts. Because it is open it has a very different feel than the NASM on the mall.
Just to give you an idea as to the size inside of the hangar you can see a French Concorde, The B29 Super fortress Enola Gay that dropped the first atomic bomb in WWII, and the 107' long Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. These are just a small part of the almost 100 aircraft in the building that is hoped to have over 200 flying machines when it is totally set up.
I couldn't believe what is there!! They have commercial, military and even recreational aircraft. Besides the huge aircraft, I am amazed at how small some of the others are. The proximity of the large aircraft with small ones hanging over them helps define the scale of these flying machines.
MORE THINGS To KNOW
You may find some great picture opportunities in this museum. Be sure to bring a camera. They are permitted.
Like in the mall museum, it's important to get tickets to the IMAX early if you do not want to get shut out. This is also important in reference to getting timed tickets for access to the tower where you can watch flights coming in and out of Dulles Airport. This is free but tickets are required. Kids will like this! You get a commanding view of the airport and its environs. The deck area on top is very clean of clutter and wide open with angled glass that helps give an excellent birds eye view.
The kids will also like the museum store that is between the main hanger and the IMAX. It, like the mall museum store, is loaded with great items about aviation and my favorite space flight. If I were to go to any one museum shop, this would be it.
McDonald's will soon have a home in this building too. It's set for the summer. As of now you can purchase pre-packages Subway sandwiches. This can be found on one end of the building.
Parking for this place is $12.00. Man that is a rip off especially when you see so many acres of flat land around the airport area. This may be another reason to consider the bus shuttle between the two homes of the museum. I'm not sure but the parking may be privately run.
Mr. Steven F Udvar-Hazy was the main contributer to this facility and therefore it now bears his name. Quick note; Udvar is pronounced oodvar. I found that out when I mispronounced the name while talking to a park employee. Oops.
The National Air and Space Museum has always been fascinating to me. I remember going to DC to see the original museum before the new mall facility was opened in 1976. It's hard to believe that the new building of 1976 would soon be outgrown by the aircraft, artifacts and memorabilia that continues to grow. Now with the new addition of the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center we can see and learn even more.
Other DC reviews by popsrocks
The Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Washington DC
The Korean War Veteran's Memorial
The Vietnam War Veteran's Memorial
The National World War II Memorial This is a new major memorial that has just been dedicated.
The National Art Gallery
Fairmont Washington Hotel
The Old Ebbit Grill Good Eats near the White House
CRADLE of AVIATION MUSEUM Long Island, New York
Passport to your National Parks
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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