Aggie Wang

A very interesting and informative museum. Although there are only two floors of exhibitions, there are so much to see. The visit starts at 5th floor where you are given a badge and assigned a covered identity to state an interactive spy mission. While strolling through the exhibition, each of the collections is a story teller. On Friday through Sunday, the museum opens till 8pm. I booked a 4pm entry. But when I had to leave at 8pm when it was closed, I felt I still had not viewed everything. It’s absolutely a must visit museum in DC. It’s suitable for all ages. And make sure to book the ticket in advance to get a desired time slot.

The entrance is free but it requires a reservation for a timed pass. It does not allow for an early entry. On a hot summer day, it was no fun standing in a line outside the museum for almost 20 minutes until been letting in.

Some of the exhibitions were cool. We enjoyed the early planes and inventions, flying cars, Nation of speed. Unfortunately the iMax theater was not open. And large spaces were closed due to renovations. The displaying planes were much less than I expected. We visited on Saturday which was a packed day for the museum. There were not enough sitting area. Overall it’s a nice place to visit. But I would wait for a couple more years before visiting again to have a more interesting and enhanced experience. On its website, it says the full building is expected to be open in 2026.