It's one of the best museums we've been, ever! Impressive planes,flying machines, rockets and specially the Columbia space shuttle will entertain everyone! We spent almost 3 hours there, and could have stayed longer, that's how much it's there to see. If you are staying in Washington, you'll have to drive there, the metro doesn't go there. Parking is $15.00 but the admission to the museum is free. Don't miss it!

Two words: space shuttle. This alone should be motivating enough to bring a visit to the museum. If that's not enough, the museum also houses a Concorde, an SR-71 Blackbird and various historic planes (Wright brothers, WW2, ...).

On a Monday in February is a fabulous time, but any day in any season is a great time to visit this amazing museum! There were very few people when we were there, so we were able to get all the pictures we wanted of the over 200 aircraft and space objects along with the star attraction which is the Space Shuttle "Discovery". Admission is free; however, parking is $15. Some airport hotels offer free shuttles, but you can get a Virginia Regional Transit bus from the airport for 50 cents. Free tours are offered (see the schedule at the tour desk behind the SR-71 Blackbird). There is an IMAX theater and a viewing tower with great views of airplanes coming in at Dulles Airport. There is also a McDonalds in the museum if you get hungry. Be sure to look for the Restoration Hangar overlook as well. We spent about 3 hrs. at the museum, but you could get through much faster if you planned your visit ahead of time. The museum's website offers a lot of great information and maps for self-guided tours. http://airandspace.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/

This museum, near Dulles Airport, has the space to allow literally hundreds of aircraft to be displayed. From some of the earliers models to the Blackbird. But the current start of the show is the space shuttle Discovery. When I visited recently, there was a docent with a laptop who seemed very knowledgable and had a loptop handy with photos and technical information. For instance he explained the streaking on the tiles and the different types of thermal shields on the shuttle.