Great small museum, rich in local history! I visited the…read moreManassas Museum in downtown Manassas and thought it was a fantastic, bite-sized immersion into the area's past. The museum reopened in 2023 after major renovations, and it feels both fresh and inviting while still honoring its roots. Highlights: Free admission makes it an excellent stop for visitors or locals alike. The museum is compact a few rooms covering settlement, Native American history, railroad development, and the Civil War so you can fully explore in about 30 minutes.

I attended National Night Out!…read more What a great family event! So glad I was about to attend.

To me the Smithsonian can do no wrong. The exhibits are so well curated and really hold your…read moreattention. I probably love the Henry Winston Gallery the most...I mean who doesn't love seeing the Hope Diamond in all of its glory? Can't forget the ginormous elephant there to greet you in the lobby. Love that thing! It's really cool getting to see tools and such from ancient times and ponder how humans were able to accomplish all they did with what they had. Another museum where I could spend hours getting lost in all of the collections and exhibits. And, as always, free admission.

You really can't go wrong with any Smithsonian museum, especially when admission is free, but we…read morereally enjoyed the Natural History museum. We got through security quickly and found the museum very clean and easy to navigate considering how much there is to see inside. You could easily spend several hours here and still not see everything. We spent most of our time in the fossil and gem sections. My favorite was definitely the Hope Diamond. If you're visiting Washington, DC, I would absolutely go to the Natural History Museum but give yourself plenty of time because there is a lot to see.

Since my last review, I ended up purchasing a family membership to the Children's Science Center…read moreand it is the BEST purchasing decision I have made all year. It's close proximity means that I have a go-to spot to bring the kids on school breaks, rainy days, cold days, or whenever we simply have nothing to do. While there are a few standing exhibits, the staff does a really good job at changing things up (and keeping things topical) so each visit feels special. And the best part... SLIME. We've made slime conductors, spider slime, fluffy slime, snowflake slime, glow-in-the-dark slime .. basically alll the slime. The experiment lab always has a slime option and it is a highlight of every visit. My eldest daughter went from barely reading and needing help at the beginning of our membership to fully reading and creating experiments on her own. It is so much fun to see. For the littles, there is a small playroom with building blocks, magnatiles, books, and those large blue fort/construction material building materials. My two-year old loved spending time in this room but now that she is three she likes making her own hovercrafts and setting them sail in the wind tunnel. The staff is SO kind, SO helpful, and so passionate about what they do. I love how they offer volunteer/internship opportunities to teens and will also set up special traveling science labs to Title I schools. If you are a member you also get discounted or free visits to children's science museums all across the United States which has made this membership 100% worth it for our family. If you are looking for an experience gift to give a little one this year, I highly recommend the Children's Science Center!

Had a great time with my toddler today. She's not quite two so her admission was free and there's a…read more$2 discount for purchasing tickets in advance. I was worried there wouldn't be enough activity for her age but she had a blast playing with exhibits and blocks in the interactive room. She also made "play dough" as an experiment. The staff were all friendly and helpful, we will definitely be back.

We went here with some friend while visiting the DC. area. It was very fun and interesting I wish I…read moretook more pictures. They had a room with a digital globe in it where you learned about different languages. Another room talked about telling jokes and you would sit and tell jokes to one another. There was a karaoke room where you learned about how music is constructed. There was a library which is like a Harry Potter room with a hidden door to a poetry nook. I would definitely recommend this place for $15.

Really lovely museum and experience. Beautiful exhibits and super interactive as well. Really…read moreenjoyed being able to learn the origins of words. Good for adults and kids alike. Great for people who love books or are just looking for a nice museum. Store was also very adorable and fun! Free tickets no reservation required. Very clean, new building as well. Good signage everywhere.

This museum is fantastic. The parking lot is large and parking is $15 but entering the museum is…read morefree. There is so much to see and so much rich history here. You could really spend all day reading the signs and learning about the development of aircrafts/aviation/spacecrafts. I love that the planes they have here are the real thing and not just models. There are also free tours you can join to learn from a staff member! A couple more pros are that there's a movie theater and shake shack within the building. I think this museum is great for people of all ages. Another thing I appreciated is that there are plenty of bathrooms and water fountains!

We visited the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on a Friday morning and really enjoyed our visit. This…read moreis an impressive facility with so much to see, and admission to the museum itself is free. Parking is $15 per car, but parking is free after 4 p.m. If you're just dropping someone off or picking them up, you can enter and leave within 30 minutes without paying for parking. There is a security check when you enter the building, and everything was organized and easy to navigate. They also offer free guided tours, with the tour times posted near the entrance, so be sure to check the schedule when you arrive. The entire facility was very clean and well maintained. There are some long staircases, but there are elevators available for anyone who has difficulty walking or climbing stairs. There was also a staff member operating the elevator that takes visitors up to the observation tower, which was helpful. On the basement level, you can purchase canned water or refill your own bottle at the filtered water fountains. We didn't eat or shop during our visit, but there is a Shake Shack inside, and it appeared to be very popular and busy. There is an incredible amount to see here, and it's definitely worth visiting if you're in the Dulles/Northern Virginia area. Give yourself plenty of time to explore!

This is a free exhibit with many things to do on the inside. Some cost aliitle money and some are…read morefree. The imax theater had show ever hour regarding various topics dealing with space and travel. Also. There were simulators to make you think you were out of space. Big planes, small planes, helicopters , missle and rockets. They were upright. In the air and full of wonder. The institute was very handicapped accessible with elevators to boot. We checked all 3 floors. We did not do the Imax since wifey said no. I wanted to do the simulator to feel like an astronaut but did not. Both were affordably priced under $20. There is a small cafeteria to get something to munch on. On our way out, The smell of popcorn burned the roof of our nose. I was all in for popcorn. There is a observatory deck. We saw planes going into Dullies airport. It was a sight for soar eyes. Admission was free but you can donate to the institute to help maintain it and preserve items in it. We had a spectacular good time!

Can't believe no one's rated this yet. AMAZING place if you're an aircraft aficionado. It's got…read moresome legendary aircraft's like the Discovery shuttle, the SR-71 Blackbird, the STOVL model of the X-35B (which is now the F-35 Lightning) including the engines on display, F-14 Tomcat, the Concorde and HUNDREDS of more civilian and military aircrafts & artifacts. Parking is $15 standard and Entry is "FREE" which means you get here at 10 and can spend until 5:30pm any day of the week! There's restaurants, an Airbus IMAX experience and a souvenir shop. Guided tours provided as well which are EXTREMELY informative. https://maps.app.goo.gl/7AJTEZ5TxQeY1q1k8?g_st=ic

Days before D-Day, a secret message from the Japanese Ambassador was decoded in Vint Hill, a former…read moreU.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. The Japanese Ambassador was in Berlin, and had the power to get a meeting with Adolf Hitler. The U.S. gets this message and it gets sent to Eisenhower's staff. This message changed the U.S.' move. To buy time in Normandy for a few weeks, the U.S. puts on a fake ghost war, playing up Hitler's belief that Colette was significant. Fake tanks, commands and signals were staged. Germans in England who sided with allies played Hitler reinforcing Colette on purpose. (Last image is from this ghost war.) The impact of D-Day can be traced here. Very cool learning about cryptography and geospatial intelligence in the Cold War.

Happened upon this by complete happy accident and I cannot be more thankful to have discovered…read moreit!!!! Walking in we were immediately greeted by a delightful gentlemen who I unfortunately couldn't catch his name, that's on me he said it twice but I was so overwhelmed walking in! He took the time to explain exactly where everything was, what room included what, and what the key spots were. We only had a very limited time to poke around so I didn't even get to go upstairs unfortunately :( I was thrilled to see that they had merchandise, so we grabbed two amazing shirts that I've already worn. Clayton was incredibly charming ringing us up. His delightful jokes and willingness to put up with me going back and forth between sizes for 10 minutes still brings a smile to my face. I am so desperate to come back now that I know it is so close to DC (under an hour). Again, everyone was so kind and funny and just amazing and there was soooo much to look at. 10000/10, counting the days until I can come back!!!!

Museum moved to 9129 Center Street Manassas, VA 20110…read more Perfect charming military museum! I'll go again and again.

Welcoming and very knowledgeable personnel, and definitely enjoyed our visit! I highly recommend…read morefor anyone with an enjoyment of military history!

I'm a plane nut so of course I'm going to rate this place pretty high. With three floors to…read moreexplore, there is plenty to see and do here. This museum is easily my favorite museum out of all the Smithsonian museums, hands down. So much amazing history is found here to witness with your own eyes. It really makes the monumental accomplishments that you read in books and online come to life. Unfortunately, my last visit was shorter than usual because a good chunk of the museum was closed for renovation so I wasn't able to see the historic WW2 war birds. Bummer. Hopefully, that section is back up very soon. Looking for a cool souvenir from your time in D.C.? The gift shop here is absolutely huge, three floors with all things space and aviation.

Space... the final frontier.... Whether you're a kid, or just a kid at heart, your mind will wander…read morewith the possibilities of seeing the actual vehicles and relics of historical significance and marvel at the drive of the human spirit to first take flight, then zoom past the curvature of the ocean until you hit new land, and, finally, break the bonds of gravity and stake your claim in the cosmos. I've been so many times, and it's free to go and see these incredible achievements of humanity in real life. You can look at the lunar capsule and imagine the bravery and ingenuity of the millions of people whose guts and brains it took, over thousands of years, to make such an achievement possible. This is the true legacy of humanity and it inspires while posing the question, what is next for mankind....

An incredible collection and very informative displays. Very much enjoyed it and I don't own…read moreweapons.

Predictably the NRA museum has a vast array of firearms and weapons over a large slice of history…read more Unexpected was the dearth of information about each piece. They refer you to too-few info kiosks to enter the gallery number, case number, and piece number. The array of galleries is not intuitive, and it is beyond difficult to find all the required info. When you DO manage to find the right piece in the kiosk it show you a picture if the item, but provides no addition info about it. So it's fun to look at the zillions of item, I learned little. Picky, but notable by their absence in the "Guns if Movies and TV" gallery were the James Bond PPK and the Man from UNCLE gun.