Air & Space: The Udvar-Hazy Center

In the realm of air and space museums, we already covered the Big Daddy about half a year ago. Today we feel the time is finally right for the little brother to get his due. About 30 miles east of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in D.C. you’ll find the official annex and an excellent museum in itself, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport.

(If you’re one of the millions of Americans who saw the abysmal Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, you’ve actually already seen the Udvar-Hazy Center disguised as the National Air and Space Museum. And if it’s good enough for Michael Bay, it should be good enough for … well … I don’t really know where I’m going with that.)

In grand style befitting a Smithsonian, the Udvar-Hazy Center features an impressive display of artifacts large and small, including whole aircraft and spacecraft. And because it’s still technically the Smithsonian, it’s free!

At the moment, the strong majority of the collection is split across two enormous hangars. In the larger Boeing Aviation Hangar, you’ll see the more atmospherically inclined pieces. Hundreds of’em:

• The massive Air France Concorde
• Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Cold War-era
• The Enola Gay, famous/infamous Boeing B-29 Superfortress
• Clipper Flying Cloud, Boeing 307 Stratoliner
• Dozens of small to medium-sized aircraft

Next door is the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar, which will be more or less interesting depending on whether you’re a Top Gun or The Right Stuff kind of guy. The most famous inhabitant is the Space Shuttle Enterprise, which spent exactly zero minutes in space but manages to thrill nonetheless. You’ll also see:

• A mobile quarantine facility
• Freedom 7 11 Mercury Capsule 15B
• A Mars Pathfinder lander
• Spacelab
• Engines, rockets, missiles and more

There are a couple ways to experience the wealth of exhibits at the Udvar-Hazy Center. DIY folk can explore at their leisure, or you plan ahead to attend one of the twice-daily guided tours. They’re free and about 90 minutes in duration. Other things you may want to check out include the Observation Tower, where you can watch planes come and go from Dulles and learn about air traffic control. Paid attractions include the IMAX Theatre and Flight Simulator.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located at Dulles International Airport and is open daily. You can find hours, directions and more about the exhibits here.

Here’s one weird thing. Admission is free, but parking will set you back. The answer is this week’s hotel pick.

Have fun at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

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