Visiting the Smithsonian? Bring a Child!

I think it should be mandatory to have a child with you when you visit any of the museums in The Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. not because museums are for children, but because of the added benefit one gets from learning from them and from seeing things from their perspective!

I took four children with me the first time I saw the Museum of Flight and the experience was so much enhanced by their presence that now whenever I visit any of the museums I take at least one child along.

When the doors open the experience begins. In almost every museum, a display that explains what will be found inside is immediately visible at the vistors center. Volunteers and employees are available that can answer any questions you might have. The children can answer the rest, they learn so much in their schools and can't wait to share it!

Also at the entrance is a donation box. Donations are requested but are not mandatory. Our taxes pay to preserve all the delights in the Smithsonian and additional funding from donations helps keep it wonderful. Some parts of some museums are an extra expense. Some movies and special exhibits such as plays and dance performances charge an entrance fee but as a rule The Smithsonian is free to visitors.

The entrance of The Museum of Flight opens up to the sky with high glass walls as your mind begins to take flight. Suspended airplanes, spacecraft, and a balloon catch your eye and draw it up (along with the excited forefingers of each child that enters) to see the open layout and feeling that the rest of the museum captures. One can walk in to a space capsule. (It's the only part of the museum that feels constricted, by necessity. To us it feels small but it's the perfect size for a child who dreams of seeing the earth from a distance) You can sit in the cockpit of a plane, see a display that explains an airplane's controls, and experience flying a plane in a real a flight simulator. (Bring along a pair of earplugs if you have sensitive ears; this is squealworthy!)

Any child or adult that is interested in the phenomenon of flight will be delighted by the Museum of Flight which was my first experience with a Smithsonian Museum and should be given at least three hours of exploration time.

Each museum is different and explores a different part of history, art, or science. It would take months, even years to fully explore each so unless you have unlimited time, it's best to plan your Smithsonian trip around the parts that suit your interests...and take along at least one child!