| If you are looking for a vacation idea and are an air | | | | of Route 50, near Washington Dulles International |
| and space enthusiast, look no further. The National | | | | Airport. The distance between the two museum sites |
| Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | | | | is 28 miles. You can find a map and directions to the |
| near Washington Dulles International Airport is the | | | | Center on Yahoo! Maps and you can try using the |
| place for you. | | | | following coordinates at Mapquest: Latitude: 38.9111; |
| I am fortunate enough to live in the Washington, DC | | | | Longitude: -77.4425 (select zoom level 8 for best |
| area, so I can take advantage of all the available free | | | | results, no directions provided). |
| attractions offered. Today (2/19/2006) I wend on a | | | | Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Closed Dec. 25. |
| field trip to the National Air and Space Museum, | | | | Admission Charge: There is no admission charge but |
| Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. This center is full of | | | | there is a $12 fee to park at the Udvar-Hazy Center |
| historical aircraft and spacecraft enough to fill a | | | | and there are neither rail stations nor bus stops |
| modern building the size of 3 to 4 football fields. | | | | nearby. There is also no shuttle service at this time |
| The center has two I-Max theaters, one space walk | | | | from Dulles to the Udvar-Hazy Center. |
| simulator and two flight simulators in which I enjoyed | | | | Local Accommodations: There are several hotels, |
| immensely. | | | | shopping centers and car rentals near the Dulles |
| But the attractions I enjoyed most was the he Enola | | | | International Airport. |
| Gay, the B-29 bomber used in the atomic mission | | | | Miscellaneous: You may take stills and video for |
| that destroyed Hiroshima, the Lockheed SR-71 | | | | private use in the center. There is a restaurant in the |
| Blackbird and of course the Space Shuttle, Enterprise. | | | | center. The museum's Web site home page address |
| If you love aviation like I do, I highly recommend you | | | | is The tour office phone number is (202) 633-2563. |
| taking your next vacation to Washington, DC to visit | | | | Your tax dollars help fund the two museums, so take |
| this center and the downtown space museum as | | | | advantage of being in the area and visit the original |
| well. | | | | Air and Space museum down town. It is 28 miles |
| Important Information: | | | | from the Udvar-Hazy Center and will enhance your |
| Location: Located in Chantilly, Va., off Route 28 north | | | | experience. Have fun. |