Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Reviews 4

AL

Alice Wang

Ive been here twice so far, once for a company holiday party and once with my parents. This is a really great museum thats a (somewhat long) stones throw from D.C. Although there is no admission fee, parking is $15 per vehicle. However, if you enter the museum after 4pm, parking is free! Also, if youre just dropping people off at the museum, you can get a refund. Even so, I consider the $15 parking fee to be worth it especially considering the many exhibits inside this museum and the fact that the other Smithsonian museums in D.C. are all free of admission. As most people know, this museum is the companion facility to the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. Its located in Chantilly, VA, close to Dulles International Airport. It features two large hangars - the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James McDonnell Space Hangar. There are thousands of air and spacecraft here, with the most famous probably being the Discovery space shuttle. This museum also has an Airbus IMAX theater and an observation tower which gives you a view of the airport and the surrounding area. FYI, the observation tower closes at 4:30pm while the museum closes at 5:30pm. I think they did a great job of organizing the exhibits and spacing out the artifacts. Everywhere you turn, there may be a plane, glider, helicopter on the ground or suspended in the air. From the early days of flight to commercial aviation and human spaceflight, the exhibits take you on a historical journey of space and flight. The human spaceflight exhibit is a very popular one, containing lunar modules, rocket engines, pressure suits, capsules, and of course, the Discovery space shuttle. Another renowned aircraft is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which youll see as the first aircraft on the ground once you pass security and enter into the Boeing Aviation Hangar. It is a formidable presence in the museum and an aircraft you cant simply glance over. In addition to all the various air/spacecraft, there are also aviation electronics, military uniforms and personal items, a collection of rockets and missiles including German World War II artifacts, and pins and insignia. There are also simulators you can ride. You can take a free docent tour which lasts 90 minutes. Some of these guides are former NASA employees and pilots who flew some of the aircraft in the museum collection. If you want to watch an IMAX movie, its $9/adult, $8/senior, and $7.50/child. I highly recommend this museum if youre a fan of aviation and space. Its a great companion to the Air & Space Museum on the National Mall so if you liked that museum and want to see more, this is definitely the perfect counterpart. Currently, you need to either drive, taxi, or take a bus over to this location.

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A Private User

Ill start with the museum itself. Im 54 and handicapped. But this is something Ive wanted to do for some time. I went for it and will never regret the trip. I have seen many photos and of course visited it on the web. It is nothing compared to being there. I love anything to do with flight and this is just unbelievable. You can reach out and touch some of the aircraft. It covers flight history from day one to present. It had taken us two days to see it all. (I must admit to really taking my time, and almost 400 pics) To get around is a piece of cake. There are seats built into the display borders all over. Ramps and elevators. The people are real friendly. Parking is plenty and close for handicapped. You pay to park but the museum is free. Where can you go, spend all day with the family and have that much fun for $14.00? I went mid week hoping to beat any crowds and that worked fine. I had to rest a bit and one stop was under the wing of The Space Shuttle Enterprise! I sat staring up at The Concord! Looking at the exhaust of The SR-71 Blackbird! I could easily go on and on. We also took in a quick movie at the Imax Theater on site. It was pretty cool. And only about 45 minutes. Long enough to take a rest but nor hog up the day. Plenty of fountains and a McDonalds on site. We grabbed food for the motel. Worked out well. I should mention it is a history lesson also. There are information tablets with all the aircraft. It turned out my wife enjoyed it as much as I did. It would be just the place to bring the kids. The Enola Gay is there and as big as a house. You could write books on the history in this building. I might as well add with it being in Chantilly you can miss a lot of the hassle vs. going into DC. You will want to time your arrival and getting around so as to miss the heaver traffic. We went in on 270 (loop around DC) and we left 11-15. Much less hassle and a peaceful scenic ride. It had only taken eleven more minutes getting back home that way. But a lot less stressful. I would recommend staying at The Best Western in Fairfax. Not too expensive and good people and very quiet. Just 15 minutes or so from the museum. We had reserved a room, then decided to stay a couple of days more and it was no problem and the rate went down. Extra bonus was The NRA Museum is right there in Fairfax. It is supposed to have one of the best ranges in the country. (I didnt even know it was there until I came back to PA and checked the site on the web) If you enjoy shooting. I dont think you can rent a gun so check on that before you go. Over 3000 weapons on display. Again history what is. If you go and enjoy the trip 1/2 as much as we did youll have a great time.

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Neal Silbert

This off-site museum is an enormous hanger complex near the airport outside of DC. It is about 45 minutes through traffic from DC proper. It is an AMAZING museum focused on aerospace technology. You can actually stand right next to and look at many historically important planes and space ships. Its incredible. Many of these things are simply too large to fit into the Smithsonian in downtown DC. They have a number of interactive exhibits including numerous flight simulators and even working airplanes you can climb into and manipulate (they dont fly, but you can move the flaps, etc...). We were amazed to see the secret Nazi jet fighters of wwii, the incredible US, Japanese, British and German bomber and fighter planes. We saw the early commercial airplanes that gave birth to our modern day airlines. There is simply so much to see! The 3d OmniMax theater is amazing - try watching any of the movies there and youll have a great time. They honor both Smithsonian and Smthisonian aerospace memberships - which at $12 a piece are great deals considering the very high quality monthly magazines they produce. We could go back several times and really enjoy something new. Children should be encouraged to go on the treasure hunt - its fun and motivates them to see a broad variety of sites. Although the historical context is quite sad and tragic, you can see the original Enola Gay - which is historically very significant.

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SO

Sonja Richardson

Great experience for all ages. Always something to look at and possible to have a good time for as little as $15 per vehicle. We spent about 6 hours enjoying the displays, an IMAX movie, and lunch at the on-site McDonalds. It was a really great display and you could go through and take as much or as little time in each section. It was divided up into a non-military/commercial section, a military section, and a space section. Ib liked how everywhere you looked there was something different and planes were displayed in all sorts of angles, areas, and configurations. It is also nice where you can read a little blurb about each item, including some basic stats, or look up more info on some kiosks scattered throughout. It was also neat to go up into the mock control tower and watch airplanes land at the airport just down the road. We didnt do any simulations, but those were available. They also had some free guided tours and a paper airplane contest. Cost wise, it was pretty good, especially for a family. Its $15 per vehicle and, unless you want to see a movie or do a simulator, you can easily enjoy an afternoon while spending no money. You can pack a lunch as well provided it stays out in your car until youre ready to eat it. The movies and MacDonalds were the same price as if you had gone anywhere else to see a movie or eat fast food.

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