I can already hear you thinking, “Wait, there are two air and space museums in Washington, DC?” Yes, there are, but the other one isn’t as well known, but I think that should change.

First, let’s talk about Smithsonian Museums in 90 seconds or less.

The Smithsonian museums have an interesting history that starts with a man who never actually visited the United States. In 1829, an English scientist named James Smithson left his entire fortune to the United States to create an institution dedicated to "the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Congress accepted the gift, somewhat reluctantly because of the War of 1812 that was still fresh on many people’s minds, and in 1846 the Smithsonian Institution was officially established.

It all began with one building on the National Mall, often called "The Castle." Over time, the Smithsonian grew into the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. Today, it includes 21 museums, the National Zoo, libraries, research centers, and millions of artifacts that preserve everything from natural history and art to space exploration and American culture.

One of the best parts? Most Smithsonian museums are completely free to visit, making them one of the greatest values for families traveling to Washington, DC. Whether you're interested in airplanes, dinosaurs, gemstones, or American history, there's truly something for everyone.

Both Air and Space Museums are part of the Smithsonian Institution, which means they're both completely free to visit, and absolutely amazing!

Why are there two museums?

So, why are there two Air and Space Museums in Washington, DC. Well, to put it simply, planes are big and they ran out of room. 

This year, 2026, the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall is celebrating 50 years. Fifty years of flight. Fifty years of visits. Fifty years of collecting amazing planes, and other artifacts. So, by the 1990s, they had hundreds of aircraft that just sat in storage because they couldn’t fit them in the Museum how it was and there was nowhere to expand on the Mall.

So, in 1993, Congress gave the Air and Space Museum permission to expand to a building near Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Virginia. It was the perfect location because there was plenty of room to grow. So, construction began in 2000, and by 2003, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - so named because of a huge donation made by Steve F. Udvar-Hazy - opened to the public. 

Udvar-Hazy Center is about a 40 minute drive, or about two hours by train and bus, from Washington, DC so keep that in mind as we talk more about both of the museums.

The Air and Space Museum on the National Mall Experience

On the National Mall, you will find the Air and Space Museum. As with all of the museums on the Mall, you will have to go through airport-style security to enter the Museum. With this museum, you will also need a free timed-ticket to enter. You can get that online beforehand, or using a QR code at the museum, provided they still have tickets.

When you enter, you will be greeted by a huge display of airplanes, rockets, and satellites. Take a second to read about what you’re seeing. Then you have a choice to make. Left or right. To the right is the birth of airplanes, including the actual Wright Flyer. On the left is more modern aircraft and space exploration. And upstairs you will find planes from WWI and WWII, plus keep your eye out for something from Star Wars that just might surprise you.

Here are some things to not miss when you’re visiting the National Air and Space Museum:

• The Wright Flyer - that 12 second flight changed the world. And keep in mind that there's only 66 years between this first flight and the first person on the moon. 

• The Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia - this is THE capsule that carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the Moon and back.

• The Spirit of St. Louis - this is the plane that Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

• The Bell X-1 “Glamorous Glennis” - this is the rocket plane that Chuck Yeager piloted in 1947 when he became the first person to go faster than the speed of sound.

• A Moon rock you can touch - if you want to touch a piece of Mars, that’s in the Natural History Museum just across the Mall.

And friends, that’s just scratching the surface. This museum just opened some new areas and they are much more hands on than they used to be. Lots to learn about WHY flight works which is pretty cool.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Experience

Now for me, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is what I think of when I think of an airplane museum. You walk in and look out over a huge 3 part hangar that houses hundreds of airplanes, both on the ground and in the air. 

If you’re driving, keep in mind that while the museum is free, parking is not. 

If you’re taking public transportation, you will need to time your trip to catch the bus that only goes out to the museum once an hour. This is where Google Maps would come in super handy!

Here are the must sees in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center:

• The Space Shuttle Discovery - for a kid who grew up in the height of the space shuttle era, this is by far my favorite thing in the museum! It is amazing to look at it and think that this has been in outer space. You can see where the heat shield went through the fire of reentry. It is just plain old cool! And the way they have it set up is perfect for pictures!

• The SR-71 Blackbird - this is Trooper’s favorite. This plane still holds the speed record of over three times the speed of sound.

• The Enola Gay - I didn’t know what this was when I first went to the Museum but I could tell it was something to see by the hushed tones people used around it. It is the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima at the end of WWII.

• The Concorde - Brent always smiles when he sees this airplane. It could fly from New York to London in about 3 hours, where it normally takes 8 hours. Unfortunately, they no longer fly the Concorde because of a horrific crash in 2000 that hit the company hard, then 9/11 came and they couldn’t survive. But you can definitely imagine how cool it would be to leave New York in the morning and be having tea in London the same day!

• The Restoration Hangar - Want to watch historic aircraft being restored? This is the place to go! There are windows all around the restoration hangar and they often have notes about what they’re working on. Don’t miss it!

But again, that is just scratching the surface! There are literally hundreds of airplanes there, tucked in under bigger airplanes, or suspended from the ceiling. It’s a great place!

Now to answer a few questions that you might be thinking:

What are the Biggest Differences?

One word - space. The Air and Space Museum in DC just doesn’t have anywhere near the space that the Udvar-Hazy one does. And the Udvar-Hazy one has room to grow so that is never going to change.

Who is each museum best for?

The Air and Space Museum in DC is for the casual airplane junkie. The Wright Flyer is pretty cool to see, but it’s not as dramatic as the Udvar-Hazy museum.

If you have a family member who LOVES planes, who stops whenever they hear a plane, who notices that they in fact change the kinds of planes they fly in Top Gun, then the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is for them. They will be entranced. I know this because this describes Brent and this is one of his favorite places!

But, if you only have a day…

Which I get because there is so much to see and do in Washington, DC. If you only have a day, stay on the Mall and go to the Air and Space Museum. It’s a cool museum and before we went to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, I would have left it at that - what a cool museum. Now, there’s a “but” in that sentence…

Can you do both?

Absolutely, but you’ll spend the whole day at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center between getting there and the sheer size of it.

What’s my recommendation?

I want to preface this with I married an airplane enthusiast who is slowly converting Trooper to his ways, but my favorite of the two is Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. It is awe-inspiring. There is enough to keep me intrigued right along with them. And the Shuttle is really, really, really cool.

So my recommendation would be this: The Air and Space Museum in DC is cool, but the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is a hidden gem, right next to the airport.

If you only have time for one museum, I don't think you can make a bad choice. The National Air and Space Museum is iconic. It's home to some of the most important artifacts in aviation and space history, and it's right on the National Mall.

But if you have even half a day to spare and don't mind driving out toward Dulles Airport, I really think the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is worth the trip. Standing underneath the Space Shuttle Discovery, seeing Concorde up close, looking at the SR-71 Blackbird, it's an experience that's hard to put into words.

And honestly, I think that's what makes both of these museums so special. They don't just tell the story of flight. They let you stand in the presence of the machines that changed history.

Whether you visit one or both, I don't think you'll leave disappointed.

And as always, let's keep making traveling with your family easier, one trip at a time. See ya next time.