Udvar-Hazy Center Near Dulles Airport

Don’t let down time at an airport get you down.  If you have downtime at Dulles Airport (Washington DC), you can visit the Steven F. Udvar- Hazy Center, companion museum to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (located on the National Mall).  Between the two museums, the Smithsonian offers the largest aviation and space collection in the world.

Udvar-Hazy is full of exhibits that you may find familiar, including the Enola Gay, an Air France Concorde, the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Gemini VII space capsule, and the quarantine unit used for the returning crew of Apollo 11.   There are lots of other exhibits that cover both military and private aviation and space exploration.

You’ll also find an IMAX theater, flight simulator, and observation tower.  From the tower you’ll get a nice view of the surrounding area, as well as have a prime viewing spot for watching take offs and landings at Dulles Airport.

Fit your museum viewing time to your available time, and wander through at a comfortable pace.  You can spend hours and hours looking at everything, or just a quick hour to catch the highlights.  Pick up a “flight plan” at the visitor’s center and locate the important displays and artifacts so you don’t miss anything on your must-see list.

The Center is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 10 am to 5:30 pm, with an extended closing time of 6:30 pm during the summer.

Museum admission is FREE; daily parking is $15.  There is a shuttle between the two Air and Space Museums, and between the Center and Dulles Airport.  A taxi from the airport to the museum will run about $12-15.

Photos courtesy of National Air and Space Museum