Smithstonian visit

We will be visiting the Smithsonian next month. Who has been there, and what parts do you all recommend?
I also plan to visit the museum at Ford's theatre. I especially want to see the pistol that Booth killed Lincoln with. I have one like it.

tom in nc said:

We will be visiting the Smithsonian next month. Who has been there, and what parts do you all recommend?
I also plan to visit the museum at Ford's theatre. I especially want to see the pistol that Booth killed Lincoln with. I have one like it.

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This is the one that killed Lincoln. Seeing Fords theater and the house across the street ,where Lincoln was brought after he was shot, is well worth seeing. As far as the Smithsonian goes there are around 20 museums in the DC area that are part of the Smithsonian. Do your homework on line before you go.

Museum of natural history is amazing. I liked the air and space museum as well.

NRA museum is in Fairfax county...worth the drive!

Ditto on the NRA museum. But if transportation allows the Udvar Hazy facility just south of Dulles Airport is well worth a few hours. It's an extension of the Air and Space and among other things it contains a Shuttle, SR-71 and the B-29 Enola Gay. The American History museum is well worth it too. Not to mention the Holocaust museum. That one will sober you up in a hurry. There's also a Spy Museum. Not sure if it's affiliated with any Agency. But it too is worth a visit.

I spent 30 years living in Virginia 18 miles from the White House. Still didn't see it all.

Now if you're seriously interested in aviation, you'll need a trip to Dayton, Ohio and the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB. That's a couple of days worth there.

The Smitty is huge. If you plan to see it all reserve a week to do it. Otherwise do some research just as @APG Suggests.

Like the people said,you need a week or two looking thur them.

We are in the DC area this weekend. I went to Ford's theatre and the house across the street where they took Lincoln to die the next morning. We didn't make to the Smithsonian this time. Maybe next trip.

We did it all in one day.

Most time spent in art.

NAS Pensacola was every bit as good as the air and space museum, for old stuff go to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

The Viewing of the Constitution document was in a dark area in a dark view box, waste of time.

As soon as it gets near dark get out fast.

Davey Boy said:

We did it all in one day.

Most time spent in art.

NAS Pensacola was every bit as good as the air and space museum, for old stuff go to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

The Viewing of the Constitution document was in a dark area in a dark view box, waste of time.

As soon as it gets near dark get out fast.

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The Air and Space downtown has some interesting displays to be sure. But the Udvar Hazy facility near Dulles is far and away better than downtown. You walk in and are faced with an SR-71 with one of the Space Shuttles behind it. Just for starters.

But for a real aviation museum, the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson in Dayton, Ohio. It's the Udvar facility 2-4 times over. Downside is it is all military vehicles.

The Air Zoo at the Kalamazoo, Michigan airport is worth a day. As is the Marine Corps museum on Quantico.

tom in nc said:

We are in the DC area this weekend. I went to Ford's theatre and the house across the street where they took Lincoln to die the next morning. We didn't make to the Smithsonian this time. Maybe next trip.

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I did 39 years in the DC area. Never again.

I'm glad we got to see Ford's theater and the house across the street where Lincoln was taken to die. At Gettysburg I loved the wall of guns from the era. I looked at examples that I had never seen before, except in photographs.
My daughter and son-in-law live near DC so we might go back again.

tom in nc said:

We will be visiting the Smithsonian next month. Who has been there, and what parts do you all recommend?
I also plan to visit the museum at Ford's theatre. I especially want to see the pistol that Booth killed Lincoln with. I have one like it.

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The Civil War exhibit was fair but the indian exhibit was lacking. Over all there are some very interesting exibits. You may like the space show as well?