This remarkable museum, located 45 minutes west of D.C. near Dulles Airport, opened at the end of 2003 as a companion to the hugely popular and overcrowded National Air and Space Museum on the Mall. But it is in fact a far superior endeavor in almost every way. This museum has a huge amount of space all to itself in the middle of nowhere, and it revels in it. The massive, three-level hangar is like a zoo for flying machines: the Enola Gay, the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and the Concord are all here, to name just a few. Free tours are offered daily. Bring sandwiches from Firehook Bakery or Marvelous Market (both have various locations around D.C.) to avoid having to eat the museum fast food.

• 1. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
  14390 Air and Space Museum Way, Chantilly, VA 20151; 703-633-1000 38.912468-77.440687 More Info