Air and Space Museum

It’s difficult not to feature the Smithsonian Institution yet again in our list of amazing museums for students, because they have so many facilities to choose from.  This one is a must-see attraction for Washington D.C. student tours.

This museum showcases an innate human desire – that of flight and discovery even as it extends to the far reaches of space.  The museum celebrates that desire by displaying and discussing the accomplishments we’ve made so far – from the Spirit of St. Louis (pictured here by Brian Finifter on Flickr) to the plane created by the Wright brothers and every innovative step beyond.

This museum captures beautifully the American spirit to explore and to invent even in the face of near impossibility and various difficulties along the way.  It is filled with air and space artifacts – a greater collection of them than any other in the world.  Students will love to see the Apollo 11 command module, actual moon rocks, and an entire exhibit devoted to the jet age.  Students today may not even realize the profound change on international travel and commerce since the invention of the jet engine.  Imagine what their own minds can create to change the future to that same degree.  The inspiration they’ll receive from this amazing museum is a brilliant place to start. 

Everyone loves a great success story – like that of the human invention of flight – and everyone appreciates the mysterious – like the limitless boundaries of space.  The Air and Space Museum celebrates them both, educating and inspiring as they go, and will therefore thrill each and every visitor who steps aboard.

Related posts:

1. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
2. American Museum of Natural History in New York
3. The Field Museum in Chicago
4. Metropolitan Museum of Art
5. EPCOT