National Air and Space Museum

National Air and Space Museum Review

This is the country's most visited museum, attracting 9 million people annually to the world's largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft. Its 22 galleries tell the story of aviation from the earliest human attempts at flight to supersonic jets and spacecraft.

Look up to see the world's most famous aircraft: hovering above are the Wright 1903 Flyer, which Wilbur Wright piloted over the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis; the X-1 rocket plane in which Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier; an X-15, the first aircraft to exceed Mach 6; and the Lockheed Vega that Amelia Earhart piloted in 1932: it was the first solo transatlantic flight by a woman. You can touch the displayed 4-billion-year-old slice of moon rock collected by Apollo 17 astronauts. Free docent-led tours leave daily at 10:30 and 1 from the museum's welcome center.

Strap into a flight simulator, walk through a model of the Skylab orbital workshop, and learn about the history of flight and the scientific study of the universe from the permanent exhibits.

Immerse yourself in space by taking in an IMAX film or a planetarium presentation. The movies—some in 3D—employ swooping aerial scenes that make you feel as if you've left the ground and fascinating high-definition footage taken in deep space. Buy IMAX theater and planetarium tickets up to two weeks in advance or as soon as you arrive (times and prices vary); then tour the museum.

The three-story museum store is the largest in all the Smithsonian museums, and one of the best. Along with souvenirs, books, and collectors' items, it also displays a model of the USS Enterprise, used in the filming of the first Star Trek television series. A huge food court offers fast food, from pizza to McDonald's.

For more giant jets and spaceships, visit the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, near Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia. If you want to combine a morning visit with an afternoon departure flight from Dulles Airport, there are 15-minute shuttles every hour between the airport and museum for 50¢. Unlike the museum on the Mall, which is divided into smaller galleries with dense history and science exhibits, the Udvar-Hazy Center focuses on one thing: planes and rockets, hung as though in flight throughout two vast multilevel hangars. This focus makes the center more appealing for families with kids who may not be old enough to take in detailed historical narratives, but will certainly ooh and aah over the marvelous planes. It is also much less crowded than the Mall museum.

One giant three-level hangar is devoted to historic aircraft, such as the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the sassy-looking DeHavilland Chipmunk, a prototype aerobatic airplane; the sleek, supersonic Concorde, and the Enola Gay, which in 1945 dropped the first atomic bomb to be used in war on Hiroshima, Japan.

A second hangar is largely taken up by the space shuttle Enterprise, as well as satellites, space stations, and space missile launchers. It also features a small but fascinating display of astronaut paraphernalia, including space food (chicken and peas for American astronauts, borscht for Russians) and special space underwear required for spacewalks. There is also an eight-story IMAX theater, which screens an award-winning 42-minute film, Blue Planet, with sweeping footage of Earth taken from space. 14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy., Chantilly, VA, 20151. 202/633-1000; 202/633-4629 movie information; 202/633-5285 TDD. www.nasm.si.edu. Free; IMAX film or planetarium show $9; IMAX feature film $15; flight simulators $7-$8. Daily 10-5:30.