Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, USA

Address:	600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
Phone:	+1 202-633-2214
Site:	airandspace.si.edu
Rating:	4.6
Working:	10AM–5:30PM 10AM–5:30PM 10AM–5:30PM 10AM–5:30PM 10AM–5:30PM 10AM–5:30PM 10AM–5:30PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

meenal bothra

This was one of the best places we visited in this trip! So much to learn, so much to see and absorb! IT was a weekend when we visited the Museum with our 4 year old, so there was a bit of a crowd. The various models of aircrafts, the entire war fleet exhibits is a treat. What of course, was the highlight was the "Moon rock" on display - a tiny bit of black stone that you can touch that has been got from the moons surface (My little one was over the moon to have touched it!). The other hero was the Wright Brothers Arena with their actual aircraft on display - the first airplane known to have successfully taken flight! And then the space shuttle Apollo 11s command module; a walk in a space craft and the entire planetary section are wow factors! Another highlight is the practical room where principles of science and space, flying & aircraft laws are demonstrated by way of simple experiments. You do relearn what thrust, gravity, pull etc means! It is one of the best ways to spend a weekend with your kids if you live around. Warning: If you are travelling with a smaller kid make sure you are prepared for an entire day to be spent here. The least time would be about 2-3 hours to even walk around the museum. Although the war aircrafts might not be of interest to a lot of children or adults alike. Carry enough water. Food: Outside food of course not allowed. But there is a McDonalds outlet in the premises that served fuel to survive. However, again, except smoothies / coke there were no options for vegetarians like us. So hunger drew us out of the museum sooner than we would have liked. However, dont give this one a miss the next time you are in DC if you like anything remotely about the solar system, the aircraft you took to reach there or even the missions on moon.

Igor Z

It was the only Smithsonian museum we could fit into our 2-day visit to DC, and we had a great experience. We loved the huge open halls, with real planes, rockets and satellites suspended in the air (and viewable from ground and 1st-floor level, where you can get quite close to them). That really is the main attraction. Other highlights include the Wright Brothers real first plane, Emilia Earharts plane, and Charles Lindberghs plane from the first solo crossing of the Atlantic. There is a piece of Moon rock you can touch. We also liked walking through a space science station / module. The gift shop was also excellent. With hindsight though, I would say that the "space" sections are not as comprehensively arranged as those focussed on the history of planes. I would have liked a more immersive exhibit, combining real and model rockets, etc. with mock-ups of landing sites etc. There is a hall about space flight, but its just photos and information. Ive seen it done better in other museums, e.g. Londons Science Museum (which this year is also having a special exhibition about early space flight, focussing on USSR). Still, the museum is a very fun and often jaw-dropping experience for anyone. I would recommend 2.5 hours, and thats moving at speed. It would have been good if the staff told us that on Fridays this is one of a few Smithsonian museums open until 7.30pm! Then we would have popped into the adjacent Native American museum first.

Chintan Pandya

The Air and Space museum was on the top of my list of places to visit when I came to DC. There is so much to see and read and learn that I had to go in two full days to fully grasp everything. (That is, if you stop at every exhibit and read it through completely). There is the Einstein Planetarium as well. Great place for every typical city dweller to see what stars actually look like in the night sky. You can even see the milkyway! Unfortunately we live in a time where the night sky is flooded with artificial light and you only see a black expanse when you look up on a moonless night. It is a life changing experience for many when they actually see the night sky with a sea of diamond-like stars and planets twinkling away in a place far away from city lights. Anyway, coming back to the topic, my favorite exhibits were History of time and those with Mars and New Horizon missions. Also the one showing the Lunar missions with the actual Apollo 11 Module! It was indeed an enriching experience. There is so much to see for everyone. From the history of space flight to World War I and II Memorials. Just go see it! A review cannot describe the experience. Love the souvenir shop as well a lot of cool stuff to bring home.

Damian Keeghan

Quite Disappointing. Coming here was one of our main reasons for visiting Washington and we were left disappointed. There is a lack of direction and structure to the exhibits, making your journey through each section disjointed and cumbersome as people are milling around in multiple directions (the Wright Brothers exhibit was a bit of an exception here because it told a chronological story which was nicely thought out.) The majority of the exhibits were quite dated, or had interactive experiences that were either broken, poorly thought out or had kids hogging them by mashing buttons because they were bored. Speaking of kids, DONT take your young kids here (especially if they are in a stroller), the look on ALL of their faces was one of complete and utter boredom! A large amount of the exhibits are experienced through reading (or watching videos from the 80s) and the kids just dont care about any of it. The one shining light was the planetarium, saw an exceptional short film about dark matter and dark energy which was fascinating. Didnt try the simulators, but overhead a number of people complaining that it wasnt worth it, and I was going to head into a line that led out of the door for that.

Angelo R

Whats not to like about this museum? It probably holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world and the best part is, FREE admission! This is 1 of 17 enormous Smithsonian museums in Washington DC and my top favorite besides Natural History Museum. I used to come here often during my youth days when I lived in DC. Since my hotel was close by, I decided to pay a visit to reminisce my 1st time experience. I explored the Apollo 11 display and variety of spacecraft exhibitions and checked out the life-size rocket ships, original Wright Brothers craft, historic military / war planes and numerous full-scale aircrafts soaring above in different sections of the museum. Just the scale of the displays was mind-blowing! My inner childhood was definitely reignited once again :) This museum also has a Planetarium plus an enormous IMAX theater for a nominal fee of $9. Check showtimes on their website and plan ahead. If youre into flight simulators, this place got them too for a small fee. Getting to the museum by subway is also very easy. Theres a dedicated Smithsonian Metro Station and the other closest stop is LEnfant Plaza.

robert corso

Dont listen to whiners who have to point out every nit-picking negative detail, this is one of the WORLDS GREAT MUSEUMS!!! It covers every facet of air and space that you imagine, from early attempts at flight to the history of space as well as potential attempts at future space travel. The sheer number of air and space crafts and their historical value is staggering. Even if you are not a fan of either air or space this museum will interest you in its sheer magnitude. And if you are a fan then you have found your utopia!!! Let me also mention some of profund films (D-Day and Hubble) that are showing at the two IMAX theaters and also magnicent Planetarium! Yes, there are lots of people and especially kids on a busy day but then is only the museums fault in that it is huge, popular, and full of knowledge. And yes, they do not serve gourmet food but thats not why you would go there. The SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION does an incredible job with this and all their other museums. However long you are in Washington, DC do not miss this museum even for just a walk through but also know that you can spend two days in here!