Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center

The National Air & Space Museum is so awesome they made an attic for it: the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center. Highlights include the SR-71 Blackbird (the fastest jet in the world), space shuttle Enterprise and the Enola Gay (the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima). Visitors can hang out in the observation tower and watch the planes take off and land at Dulles airport, or catch shows at the on-site Airbus IMAX Theater. As of writing, a new wing called Phase 2, meant to showcase restoration efforts and archival material was under construction. To get out here, you’ll need to either drive (take I-66 West to VA 267 West, then VA 28 South, then follow the signs) or take Metro bus 5A to Dulles. From there, it’s an $8 to $12 taxi ride, or you can take a 50¢ Virginia Regional Transit (www.vatransit.org) bus to the museum.