Why You Should Go to the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum

Many focus on the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall, but don’t realize that some of the most iconic aircraft like the Space Shuttle and SR-71 Blackbird are housed at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum, an extension located near Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly. 

If you’re planning a trip to explore this museum, this guide covers everything visitors need to know, from planning their trip to exploring must-see exhibits and hidden gems.

All photos by Valerie Moore

Intro to the Udvar-Hazy Center

If you’re a big aviation fan or have the slightest interest in space exploration, visiting the Udvar-Hazy Center should be on your go-to list. As home to many famous flying machines in history, you can see legendary aircraft and spacecraft models up close in an immersive and more interactive experience. 

What is Udvar-Hazy Center?

Originally known as the Dulles Annex, the Udvar-Hazy Center was opened in 2003 as a companion facility for DC’s Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM). Within an hour’s drive from Washington DC, the second Air & Space Museum is located near Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia. 

The idea for expansion was suggested by Don Lopez (Chair of Aeronautics Division) to Director Michael Collins (yes, the Apollo 11 astronaut) when he realized that future aircraft acquisitions as big as the Boeing 747 would need a dedicated exhibition space to house. 

With limited space at the National Air and Space Museum building on the Mall, thousands of aircraft and space-related artifacts were forced into storage. The expansion at Dulles was made possible thanks to a $65 million donation from aviation entrepreneur Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, whose name the museum proudly bears now.

Today, the Udvary-Hazy Museum has become a large exhibition space with two massive hangars: the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. These hangars house bigger artifacts including the iconic space shuttle, a Concorde, and over 300 aircraft and space-related artifacts. 

Back in 2003, only 80 aircraft were displayed on the Boeing Hangar, but now it has over 180 including its most famous exhibits, the SR-71 Blackbird and Enola Gay. A year after the museum opened, the Space Hanger was added, featuring space artifacts like missiles, satellites, rockets, and space capsules. 

Location & Accessibility

You can find the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia.

• Address: 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA 20151
• Distance from Washington, DC: About 45 minutes by car
• Parking: $15 per vehicle; Free for arrivals after 4:00 PM
• Public Transport: Bus service from Innovation Station on the Silver line

Planning Your Visit to Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum

The Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum is open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM, except it is closed on December 25.

The best time to visit is early in the day to avoid a busier experience with crowds from families and school groups visiting on a weekday. If you plan to go on a weekend, be prepared for larger crowds. However, even on weekends, the museum is so massive that you’re unlikely to feel crowded.

Admission & Ticketing

The best thing about exploring Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum is that admission is completely free, just like all Smithsonian museums in DC. However, if you’re driving, parking costs $15 per vehicle. 

After 4:00 PM, parking becomes free. So if you want to make the most of free parking and you’re short on time, an evening visit for 1 hour and 30 minutes before closing time would make an excellent option.

Another good thing is, this museum does not require timed-entry passes, unlike the Air and Space Museum in DC, so you’re free to walk in and explore at your own pace whenever you arrive!

How to Get There

Getting to Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum is easy for both locals and visitors since it’s located near the Dulles International Airport. There are multiple ways to reach the museum whether by driving, public transit, or rideshare service.

Driving

The most convenient way to reach the museum is by car, as it is located off I-66 and Route 28. It also has tons of parking for $15, so that’s the best option if you’re coming from Washington DC, Northern Virginia, or surrounding areas.

Some travelers also choose to rent a car for the day, which is ideal if you’re planning to visit other attractions like Great Falls, VA along the way.

While it is accessible via public transportation, it is a long travel time from DC. It is possible to reach the museum via Metro and bus service. If you’re coming from DC, these are some options travelers have tried:

Metro Silver Line + Bus

Take the Silver Line Metro to Innovation Center Station, then transfer to Fairfax Connector Bus 983, which runs directly to the museum. Buses arrive every 25 minutes during peak hours and every hour during non-peak times and weekends. The bus fare can be paid using a SmarTrip card or cash.

Metro Silver Line + Rideshare

Take the Silver Line Metro to Dulles Airport, then use a short Uber or Lyft ride to reach the museum (about 5-10 minutes). The bus drops you off at the entrance of Udvar-Hazy Center.

Travelers using public transit from downtown DC should plan for about 1.5 hours each way, depending on connections. Visitors typically spend 2–4 hours exploring the museum, making it a half-day trip from the city.

Must-See Exhibits & Attractions

Expect to experience more than just seeing large iconic aircraft up close at Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum. There’s more to the museum as it is full of history and architecture where you get to see flying cars, participate in family activities, watch a movie, and even experience live restoration work.

The Boeing Aviation Hangar

The Boeing Aviation Hangar, ten-story high with 200 aircraft, has the most intimidating aircraft you’ll ever see. As soon as you enter, you’ll see the SR-71 Blackbird, the legendary aircraft and fastest jet in the world capable of speeds over 2,200 mph. 

Boeing Hangar is designed with a dramatic and in-flight effect to showcase aircraft at different heights and angles. From the ceiling, you can see airlines hanging like the Curtiss P-40E Warhawk to mimic its typical flight maneuvers.

On the hangar floor, visitors can walk around the larger aircraft displayed, including:

• SR-71 Blackbird: The fastest aircraft ever built, capable of speeds over 2,200 mph.
• Enola Gay (B-29 Superfortress): The aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War II.
• Concorde Fox Alpha: The legendary supersonic passenger jet donated by Air France for crossing passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound.
• Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II: One of the most advanced stealth fighters ever built in history and designed to dominate in both air and ground combat.

While a lot of the aircraft on display is former military planes, there are many civilian aircraft too. Some of the most interesting aircraft we the specialty ones created by civilians.

You’ll find early planes from before 1920, the Red Bull Stratos, hang gliders and other sport planes, acrobatic planes, helicopters, and commercial planes.

Space Exploration at the Space Hangar

The James S. McDonnell Space Hangar displays the most important artifacts in NASA history, including 65 spacesuits from the Mercury and Apollo programs. It’s fully connected to the Boeing Aviation Hangar and part of the museum.

At its center is the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery which flew 39 missions, more flights than any other shuttle, including the return to space after the Challenger disaster. It travelled nearly 150 million miles in space, which is like travelling to the moon and back more than 200 times!

In 2012, it was transported to the museum from Houston, Texas on the back of a Boeing 747. On its flight to Dulles, it took a detour and flew to Washington DC so that people could see it in transit.

Surrounding Discovery are hundreds of space artifacts, including:

• Apollo Lunar Module: An unused module from the Apollo moon missions.
• Hubble Space Telescope Test Vehicle: A prototype used to test systems before launching the real telescope into orbit.
• Mars Pathfinder Lander Prototype: A test model of the Mars lander that successfully reached the Red Planet in 1997.
• Apollo Mobile Quarantine Facility: The containment unit used during the Apollo 11 mission to protect Earth from potential lunar contaminants.

Restoration Hangar & Behind-the-Scenes Work

Located on a second-story mezzanine, visitors can observe restoration and preservation experts at work through large viewing windows in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar. Their preservation process aims to remain historically accurate and collaborates with museums and collectors worldwide to search for missing components.

Here’s what to expect at the Restoration Hangar:

• View aircraft restorations in progress: Visitors can see the behind-the-scene workspace of ongoing restoration projects.
• See aircraft undergoing preservation: Visitors can see the meticulous work put into each preservation project, or whether aircraft require preservation or full restoration.

Interactive & Family-Friendly Experience

Visitors can expect so much more than just the Space Shuttle. Beyond aircraft and space artifacts, Udvar-Hazy Air & Space has many interactive and hands-on exhibits, giving visitors of all ages a one-of-a-kind experience to take home with. 

Observation Tower 

Ride an elevator to the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower, the highest structure in Udvar-Hazy Center where you can get a 360-degree view of planes landing and taking off at Dulles Airport. 

For aviation lovers, visiting the observation tower is the main highlight. They get to see real-time air traffic control broadcasts live at the tower, along an exhibit that explains the basic features of an airpot and how the US traffic control system manages air traffic. 

Flight Simulators 

The thrilling part about going to Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum is you get to experience a ride, flight, and virtual reality adventure! You can find their interactive simulators behind the main staircase at Boeing Aviation Hangar. 

You have three simulators to choose from:

Ride Simulators

Price: $10

Ride inside a red motion capsule and choose between many ride experiences available, including: 

• Seeing galaxies, stars, and nebulae in the Discovery: Space Mission Hubble ride
• Explore aviation history and fly alongside legendary pilots with Wings: Flights of Courage 
• Travel through the universe and black hole with Destination: Black Hole
• Climb into the open cockpit of a WWI triplane with Red Baron

Flight Simulators

Price: $12

Look for the white capsule with a lightning bolt on the side, that’s where you’ll experience a fully immersive fighter jet stimulator. 

With this flight simulation, you get to experience 360-degree barrel rolls and learn or practice your combat maneuvers skills with many aircraft options, including the P-40 Warhawk, P-51 Mustang, F-4 Phantom II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-18 Hornet, and F-22 Raptor.

Virtual Reality Transporter

Price: $12

Travel to space with electronic VR goggles from Udvar-Hazy Center, and choose between many space adventures, including these popular ones:

• Float outside the International Space Station (ISS) on an extravehicular activity (EVA) with a Spacewalk adventure
• Experience a virtual Saturn V Rocket flight and relive humankind’s first steps on the Moon with Apollo 11 & Beyond
• Travel at fast speed from Earth to Moon, Venus, Mars, and Neptune through the Cosmos Coaster adventure

Tickets can be bought at Simulators or Airbus IMAX Theater box office. You get a $1 discount if simulators tickets are purchased with an IMAX ticket + another discount if you bring along 10 or more people as a group.

IMAX Theater 

Stop by Udvar-Hazy’s Airbus IMAX Theater for an amazing 4K cinematic experience on movies you’ll love. Towering six stories high, this theater has laser technology that lets you see every image detail in cinemas upgraded to life-like (even better) graphics. 

If you’re also a technical geek, you will love to make it to one of only four IMAX screens globally and only one on the US East Coast with such cutting-edge projection and sound. However, tickets are required and can be accessed online or onsite at the IMAX Theater box office. 

Showtimes are released on the Smithsonian calendar every few weeks, so check back later for show updates if a date you see appears inactive.

Hands-on STEM Exhibits

Udvar-Hazy’s interactive STEM exhibits make it a perfect visit for families, young explorers, and visitors of all ages. These interactive activities lets visitors:

• Experiment with aerodynamics using wind tunnels
• Learn how aircraft engines work
• Explore space technology, including satellite models and robotics
• Learn about the sun

Visitor Tips & Insider Advice

These tips will help you plan your visit to the Udvar-Hazy Center, covering areas on luggage, storage, accessibility, and even nearby attractions to visit. 

How to Maximize Your Experience

Most people spend 2 to 3 hours when visiting the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum, not including the travel time from the DC Air & Space Museum to Udvar-Hazy which takes about 1.5 hours (if you’re travelling by public transit from DC).

Udvar-Hazy Center is huge and there is a lot to see and experience. Their website says it’s best ideal to dedicate a whole day visit for Udvar-Hazy and not fit in other museum or attractions into your schedule after it, but a 2-4 hour visit is enough time to allocate, depending on which activities you’re interested in. If you are just looking at the aircraft and not taking part in any of the programming or activities, expect to spend 1.5 hours.

Before your visit:

• If possible, visit after 4:00 PM for free parking
• Plan your route first to prioritize the exhibits and artificats you must see first (see this floor map)
• If you want to see everything in detail, including the Observation Tower, flight simulators, and IMAX Theater, plan for 3-4 hours.
• You can’t bring outside food and drinks (including coffee), but you can bring bottled water inside.

During your visit:

• Leave restricted items at home or in your car, like tripods, monopods, scissors, selfie sticks, food, drinks, and your pets.
• Lockers are available for storage incase you want to visit it before or after flights, but if your luggage is larger than 12″x15″x29″, no alternative storage options are available.
• Visit the Observation Tower in the morning for the best lighting and clear views of Dulles Airport
• IMAX seating is first-come, first-served. Arrive early for the best spots. (However, some visitors mention the seats aren’t the most comfortable.)
• The center seating gets you the best viewing experience at IMAX Theater.

After your visit:

• For visitors driving back into Washington DC, check showtimes at Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center as IMAX theater alternatives
• Great Falls Park is a great nature stop, only a short 40-minute drive from the museum
• Or you can watch planes take off at Dulles International Airport Aviation Viewing Areas
• National Museum of the Marine Corps also has interesting military aviation history, located just 30 minutes away from Udvar-Hazy Center

Accessibility & Amenities

• Fully wheelchair-accessible with elevators and ramps
• Free coat check available at the entrance
• Limited dining options inside and nearby, but it does have a Shake Shack (popular smashburger chain). Vending machines are available.
• Consider bringing snacks (and leaving them in your car) or driving to restaurants in nearby Chantilly. See the Dining Options section for more.
• If you want to leave for lunch and come back, you are allowed one parking re-entry per visit. . When you return, show your receipt so you’re not charged twice.

Photography & Social Media Tips

• Photography is allowed, but tripods and commercial filming are not allowed unless with special permissions.
• The lighting can be challenging for smartphone photos without adjusting the settings. The best spots for Instagram are the SR-71 Blackbird, Space Shuttle Discovery, and Donald D. Engen Observation Tower 

Dining Options

Foods and drinks are restricted inside Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum, but you will probably get hungry after hours of exploring the whole place. They have dining inside the museum, but it’s Shake Shack only, which opens from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays, and 5:00 PM on weekends.

The Shack Shack at Udvar-Hazy only has basic fast-food options like burgers, hot dogs, fries, shakes, coffee, and fries. If you want a healthier and more food variety, Udvar-Hazy allows one re-entry for visitors who wants to eat outside. Just remember that when leaving the parking lot, exit through the far right lane and ask for a receipt so you won’t be charged during re-entry. 

These are other American dining options just a short drive away from the Museum:

• Chick-fil-a
• Wawa
• Odd BBQ at Ono Brewing Company
• Mustang Sally Brewing

However, Northern Virginia is known for its immigrant communities, and the Sully Square Shopping Center area showcases that international community. Here you’ll find Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Latin American, Uyghur, Filipino, and Thai restaurants. They also have a food court/food hall in case everyone wants to try something different.

FAQs & Additional Resources

• Is parking free? $15 per vehicle, free after 4:00 PM
• Can I bring food inside? Outside food is not permitted, but water bottles are allowed.
• Do they offer guided tours? Yes, free daily tours are led by museum docents.
• How long does it take to visit Udvar-Hazy? Udvar-Hazy website recommends spending a day to visit, but most people on average spent 2-4 hours on their visit.
• How much does it cost to go to Udvar-Hazy? It’s free, but parking costs $15 before 4:00 PM.
• Does Udvar-Hazy require reservations? No, Udvar-Hazy does not require ticket reservation. It’s free to walk in.
• Is Udvar-Hazy good for kids? Yes, Udvar-Hazy is perfect for young kids to explore. There are plenty of interactive activities to keep them engaged like STEM & hands-on learning and interactive flight simulators.

Why You Should Visit the Udvar-Hazy Center

You’ll love everything about Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum, even the ideal 2-4 hours won’t do justice to how unique the experience is. Some visitors say even a week wouldn’t be enough and that it’s easy to let 3 hours pass by when visiting the museum. 

It’s definitely a visit you wouldn’t want to miss on your bucket list whether you’re just visiting VA or just stopping over Udvar-Hazy before or after your flight at Dulles Airport. If you have any questions about planning ahead for your visit, you can call their office at 703-572-4118 from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM or by emailing.