Simthsonian Air & Space - which one?

Air and Space is all under one roof if you don't like one you are already in the other WIN WIN!

 

I assume the OP is referring to the Udvar-Hazy National Air & Space Museum and the National Air & Space Museum "National Mall Building" in DC.

I really like both of them. The Udvar-Hazy museum is near Dulles Airport and is bigger and has larger planes like the Space Shuttle, Concorde, Enola Gay, etc.

Both have an IMAX theater in them that show great aviation-or-space-related movies. Highly recommended.

More info and pics here:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/?hp=m

Here are pics of the two "display facilities" of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.
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I would definitely check out the American Indian Museum.

 

The Udvar-Hazy center is essential for anyone even remotely interested in aircraft.

 

If coming up 95 stop at the Museum of THE MARINE CORPS Quantico VA

 

Both are great venues. They have different exhibits. Also, check out the National Portrait Gallery if you choose DC. Grab a bite at the Mitsitam Cafe in the National Museum of the American Indian

 

Yea, I would go here. They have the SR71, Space Shuttle, Egnola Gay and a bunch of other cool aircraft on display there. Plus they have simulators and air traffic tower to watch landings and such. Plus no downtown headache traffic!!!! Another bonus, FOW is just down the street, if you wanna take a peek.

Second, would probably American History, they have the dinosaur exhibits, pretty cool stuff or the Marine Corps Musuem.

 

I haven't seen them yet, but I think the Spy Museum and the Holocaust Museum would be worth visiting.

As far as seeing the dinosaur bones, I think that is in the Museum of Natural History (which also has an IMAX theater in it, showing mostly animal films).

 

I haven't been to the Spy Museum yet though I have been to the Holocaust Museum a few times. It's worth going to, though no where near what I was hoping it would be. A lot of it talked about the overall build up to the Holocaust - at least as I recall that's what a lot of it seemed to be about.

The Museum of Natural History is certainly worth going to, I'm not too sure what exhibits they have rotating through at the moment but it's generally very interesting.

 

Air and Space, holocaust, American history and natural history are all worth seeing. In my opinion, the spy museum is a money grab and not worth the price of admission.

As a DC local, my wife and I recently did the tourist thing and did a Segway tour of DC. It was a ton of fun, and was worth the time. It might be too cold this time of year, but if the weather cooperates, it is worth it as well.

 

I haven't been to Udvar Hazy, but have heard it is excellent. The only problem is that it's not near anything.

The one downtown is amongst a bunch of other museums. You could hit 3-4 different themes in the same day, grab dinner and drinks in Chinatown..then take the subway back to where you are staying.

Try both if you can.

LS

 

Other than the Spy Museum which could be perused in about 2hrs, the other museums will likely take 5-6hrs to explore in detail. I don't know how much time you have allotted to the museum visit, but I'd recommend scheduling no more than 2 museums on any day. The Udvar-Hazy facility is located out by Dulles Airport and will likely be a whole day event in itself.

 

I think the Air and Space location in the National Mall is better, although the other one does hold the SR-71 Blackbird.

Don't forget to check out the Museum of Natural History, which is fantastic!

 

Udvar-Hazy museum is my single very absolutely favorite single place on earth.

 

Udvar -Hazy is well worth the time to go see it ,any plane buff would love it ,and the Blackbird is center stage in the floor .

 

You picked a cold time of year!

Others here have provided good advice. I'll only add that the Smithsonian Air and Space museum is conveniently located to other museums and monuments so it might be easier to see more and pack it into your trip.

Depending on where you are staying, Udvar-Hazy near Dulles might be a little far. Though, if I had to choose one or the other, I'd see Udvar-Hazy.

Have fun

 

Udvar-Hazy is for the aviation buff who loves planes and other aircraft. It is kind of the bulk raw experiance. Not so much a teaching tool the way the original is, more just a showing off of what they got. Plus you are talking an hour and a half or so of travel going back and forth from downtown.

 

I hate to take things off topic, but wanted to address your opinion of the Holocaust Museum. You are spot on. There is a huge reason for the way things are addressed. The overall build up to the Holocaust took a while, there were tons of points in time where the world community could have put a stop to it but instead stood by. The Holocaust Museum is a memorial to those that suffered and those that were killed in the atrocities, but its main intention is to never let it happen again. By showing the build up, it is hoped that the leaders of the world will learn to recognize when such things are happening again and to inspire them to step up and put a stop to it. Unfortunately these things are still happening in the world, but there have been others that have been stopped. Always Remember so that this will Never Happen Again.

 

National Museum of Health and Medicine, hands down. They have actual human body parts there.

 

Very much agree. I found it very thought provoking and moving. I was definitely in a different state of mind leaving than going in and I am quite familiar with the history.

 

If you are over 50 do not miss the Viet Nam War Memorial.

 

One of the hidden side exhibits at Udvar-Hazy is a collection of various airplane engines.
It was great to see these massive WWII-era piston engines up close.

Check out the detail on these engine pics.
The first pic is an Rolls Royce/Packard Merlin V-1650-7. (V12, 1650 cu in, 1490 hp, weighs 905 lbs, used in P-40 and most P-51 planes).
Second pic is an Allison V-1710-33. (V12, 1710 cu in, 1040 hp, weighs 1340 lbs, used in P-40 and early P-51 planes).
Second pic was taken from up above, leaning over the hand rail of the metal stairs.
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