A Museum of Museums

Without a doubt, the preeminent center of interest for visitors is the Smithsonian Institution. Why? Because it is not merely one museum​—it is a whole collection of museums and centers of knowledge. The Smithsonian Castle is easy to pick out on the National Mall​—the mile-long [1.5 km] green swath with the Capitol at one end and the Washington Monument at the other. The castle is the colorful red sandstone building that rears into view on the left side of the famous mall as you face the Washington Monument obelisk.

Which is the most popular of the Smithsonian facilities? In our age of science, it is the National Air and Space Museum​—according to one travel guide, “the most visited museum in the world.” Why is it so popular? It has 23 extensive galleries, and its exhibits, many hanging from the ceiling, illustrate the exciting history of flight. The vast Milestones of Flight gallery even has the Flyer on display, the very airplane that Orville Wright used for his historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. Nearby is Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the plane he had arranged to have specially built in order to win the prize for the first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927. And, of course, there are modern exhibits of history-making spacecraft as well as rocks brought back from the moon.

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The Smithsonian Castle

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Smithsonian photo by Eric Long

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The National Air and Space Museum contains the original “Flyer” from 1903 (at right) and Lindbergh’s “Spirit of Saint Louis” (below)