It's a second time we visited that place and its even better than I remembered…read more The amount of history under one roof, plus all the space travel and discovery, kids had a blast. And honestly, we did too. I cant even tell how great it is, no picture does justice to the whole history of aviation. But I did took one that shows it. Free entrance, donation based. Parking is $15. Benches to picnic in a shadow right by the entrance. Official picnic area is in full sun so we avoided going there.

What a great place to learn about the aviation history of our country and the rest of the world…read more Very fitting that some of the most iconic aircraft of generations past are housed at our capital. It was really cool to see an authentic space shuttle, concord, blackbird and some many war birds including the Enola Gay herself. Living history that you can see with your own eyes, all with fascinating stories to share with those who visit. My kids had a great time exploring each nook and cranny, lots to see here. I will admit that I lasted longer here than my family, but I really enjoy aviation history so I was like a kid in a candy shop. As a plane enthusiast, I appreciated seeing some very unique, one-of-a-kind prototypes and test aircraft. Some of the planes housed in this museum are found nowhere else in the world. Very cool. On top of the great museum, staff are very welcoming, helpful and engaging. You can tell they love the planes and their history just as much as any other enthusiast. The gift shop was pretty big and offered a lot of items to browse through. There is a cafe that serves deli and quick grab and go items and a Shake Shack that has an exclusive menu to this location. The museum is free and close to the Dulles airport. You can't walk or bike into the museum, so you will either need to drive our get a bus/car app ride to visit. Well worth it though, especially if you are looking to spend some layover time from the airport.

Sign up for the tour given by the park authority ($10 per adult) and you will get a fascinating…read moretour with access to buildings that are normally locked to the public. Our guide today was Morgan and she was extremely knowledgeable.

Located very close to the Dulles airport and the National Air Museum . There's free and easy…read moreparking.Entrance is also free.If you want to take a tour that does cost a fee . I came here without expectations and open to what I would see. The area is very walkable.There's a visitor center . It has information and artifacts from the property . It's also where tour tickets can be purchased .I was able to tour the grounds, including the recreated enslaved quarters. I was able to go inside of the enslaved quarters. Some of the buildings are undergoing renovations and can only be viewed from the outside. This includes the main house.The guide stood in the middle of the grassy area and talked about the main house. He also showed pictures of the inside. Yes, this area was part of the Underground Railroad , but not as a beacon of freedom. It is also on the national registry of historic places. Owned by north Virginia's first congressman and his family this was a working plantation. At one point it was also used by confederate soldiers. Give yourself at least 45 minutes for the grounds.

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

The Heritage Farm Museum is one of my favorite ways to entertain a toddler on a rainy / hot / snowy…read moreday! You can spend a full morning here, running around, playing, and exploring all the different exhibits and not get bored. The general store is a personal favorite and my kiddos love putting on an apron, stocking and restocking shelves, and pretending to purchase bread and potatoes. There is also a little interactive farm, one room school house, and recreation of an old timey kitchen that are a big hit with our toddler set. In nicer weather days, they have actual farm demonstrations and lots of tractors and other wheeled contraptions for kids to look at. The cost of a morning of fun? $5 for adults, $3 for kids, and FREE NINETY NINE for the two and under set. You can tire your kiddos out, grab lunch at nearby Ridgetop Coffee (which has an indoor playroom), and have a peaceful car nap home. Truly one of the best hidden gems for families here in Nova.

Great spot to spend a few hours with your toddler! The museum is small but perfectly sized for…read moresmall toddlers that need to burn energy on a hot or rainy day. The woman at the front desk was incredibly nice and helpful. The play areas were clean and creative. There farm area and general store were our toddler's favorite! Would definitely recommend and we will be back soon

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.

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.

The Haymarket Museum is housed in a small, historic building that I believe was originally built…read moreback in the 1880s. Originally, back in the day, it was used as a schoolhouse. In the modern era, as a Museum, it is used to chronicle the history of the Town of Haymarket - from as far back as 1760 or so. It's also used as a public space from time-to-time for electoral and civic purposes. For example - a couple of years ago - it was open for folks to cast absentee votes in a Presidential election - for folks that would not be in town during the election. I ended up standing in line here to cast my absentee vote. The Museum is currently closed but will reopen in the Spring of 2011. Gorgeous little building right off Route 55 - worth stopping in for a visit!

This is a fascinating little railroad museum in a lovely tree covered setting at Fairfax Station…read more Originally the 1903 local train station, the building was moved to this site and restored in 1980. Today, the museum is opened on Sundays from 1:00 - 4:00, but offers special tours for groups and scouts. Admission is modest ($5) to tour the building. The railroad had historic importance for commerce across North Virginia in the 1850's. During the Civil War, the line was used to bring wounded troops to this location, where they were nursed by Clara Barton. The line also carried supplies. Outside is a 20th century caboose that visitors can look inside. There is also a train car for the 1950s. The parking lot holds about a dozen cars including several handicapped spaces. There are a few picnic tables under the trees to have a snack. The grounds are immaculate and beautiful. This is a great place to bring the kids or you favorite history buff for the afternoon.

Cool free museum from the outside…read more Inside pay a nominal donation for an indoor exhibit. Location: Hidden in Fairfax County VA off Ox Road. Built in 1852; was a depot built by Irish immigrants--Fairfax Station!! Typically, open on the weekends. Mainly Sundays. Check the schedule on the website. For kids -- toy trains to play with inside. Build a toy train track, plenty of toy trains. Parking -- free. With overflow parking across the street.

Oatlands is a beautiful house that merges the history of the 18th-century Carter owners and the…read more20th-century Eustises, who donated the house to the public. The house was beautifully decorated at the holidays. The tour guide seemed not to like or want to focus on the history of the house or the objects inside unless asked. It felt like she was bringing a lot of personal biases to her perspective, which made the experience a lot less enjoyable than it could have been otherwise. She took us through the first-floor rooms and then announced the top floor is self-guided only. At the admission price, that detracted from it being a better experience. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is the new manager of the site, and they bring a historical interpretation to the site that some visitors may not find as valuable as the tours given by the previous volunteer staff. There is a garden, a greenhouse, and a nice-sized gift shop. It's a beautiful house, and I did like getting some information on the inhabitants and the long history of the property. The presentation itself needed improvement, but the site was worth preserving.

I wasn't going to rate the Oatlands because we attended the Stage Coach Theater at the Oatlands but…read moreI believe it also deserved to be rated! The road down to the main building was not paved, very long and bumpy. Once you arrive to where you're ready to park there really aren't any signs directing you of where to go so we went up to someone at the big building and asked if we were at the right place to which they confirmed we were. I would suggest a larger sign on the main road stating that the entrance is coming up rather than right at the entrance. There was a very cute store inside which would have been very nice to shop at but there was only one person working the pay line which was also full of people buying drinks and cocktails. I highly suggest at least 2 people working that area in the beginning when people are arriving and definitely at intermission. We would have purchased more if we were able to get in line, purchase our items, and be back in time but we didn't think we would make it back in time. Also, when leaving any event, PLEASE be very careful. There weren't any lights leading away from the building to the parking lot which was pretty scary given that it also was not paved or a sidewalk. It was rocks/dirt and we all had to use our phones to leave. This could be dangerous for others that may have more of a difficult time seeing at night.