Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum is a must-see among the Smithsonian museums. It houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts. The museum has two D.C. locations. One is the museum itself, which is located in the heart of the Smithsonian complex and was built in 1976. You can see the 1903 Wright Flyer constructed by the Wright brothers and the Spirit of St. Louis, which Charles Lindbergh used to make the first solo, non-stop, transatlantic flight in 1927. (It took him 33.5 hours to fly from New York to Paris.)

The second is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is located near Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, VA. This massive hanger accommodates large aircraft and spacecraft, such as the Enola Gray and the Space Shuttle Discovery. (The Discovery is the oldest and most accomplished orbiter. From 1984 until 2011, the Discovery flew 39 Earth-orbital missions and traveled 150 million miles.)

The goal of this museum is to commemorate the past and educate and inspire the future of aviation and spaceflight, while maintaining the history, culture, and science of the fields. This is the largest of the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, with some 60,000 objects ranging in size from microchips to Saturn V rockets.

Racertrips™ Tips

• Want to check out the Udar-Hazy Center? You can drive (parking is $15) or take mass transit, and the museum website has step-by-step transit directions. The trip by transit takes about 90 minutes each way. If you’re driving, the trip may be a short 15 miles on the open road or an exercise in patience (and frustration). It will all depend on D.C. traffic.
• The D.C. museum location will be undergoing renovation for the next several years. The museum will remain open, but be sure to check their website to see which sections of the museum might be closed during your visit.
• Both locations are open from 10 am to 5:30 pm daily (except Christmas) and admission is free.

Kam

Legacy Ambassador

I started running marathons in 2008, with the Marine Corps Marathon being my first one! After that, I was hooked, completing four more marathons in the following four years. After that, I decided to complete a marathon in each of the 50 states. As of October 2018, I’ve completed 16 marathons in 14 states + Washington, D.C.