When you travel to the nation’s capital, paying a visit to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, located near our Washington DC bed and breakfast, is a must. The National Air and Space Museum is home to the largest collection of historic spacecraft and aircraft in the world with thousands of objects on display. The museum is filled with rockets, airplanes, jets, and military aircraft to give you a inside look into the history of space travel and aviation. Some of the notable objects you can view include, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the 1903 Wright Flyer, and the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia.
In addition to the many displays, there is also a Planetarium, IMAX Theatre, Exhibitions, Public Observatory, Story Times, Science Demonstrations, and Simulators for you to experience. A few of their current exhibitions are: A New Moon Rises – Landscapes of the Moon captured by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, Art of the Airport Tower, Time and Navigation, World War II German Aviation, and Moving Beyond Earth – an exploration of human spaceflight. There are always new, interesting exhibits coming to the museum, so be sure to check their website to see what’s coming up!
In addition to the DC building, the Udvar-Hazy Center is a companion facility in Chantilly, Virginia with thousands of more aviation artifacts. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and the Discovery Space Shuttle are among some of the items in their two hangers – the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar.
The National Air and Space Museum is located in the National Mall at Independence Ave at 6th Street, SW and is open daily from 10am to 5:30pm. Admission is free. For more information about visiting the National Air and Space Museum, check out the video below.
Shannon Stiles, Innkeeper at American Guest House
