A visit to Washington D.C. can be an amazing experience with so many things to do. But, either due to lack of time or not knowing where to go, people often don’t venture into the suburbs. However, close to Washington D.C. there are many gems that should not be missed. Two of these gems are the Air & Space Museum Annex (Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center) and Luray Caverns in Northern Virginia.
Air & Space Museum Annex – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
When people hear the words “Air & Space Museum”, the one located in downtown Washington D.C., on the mall comes to mind. It is a truly marvellous experience going through the exhibits and looking at the amazing inventions and is a must visit place.
However, not all the gems are located there. For a truly complete experience, you have to check out the Udvar-Hazy Center as well. Plan to spend 3 to 4 hours to thoroughly enjoy all of the exhibits. If you get there early (for example: when it opens), then you can also check out Luray Caverns on the same day.
Some of the mind-boggling exhibits at the Annex include:
* Space Shuttle Discovery
* Concorde
* SR-71 Blackbird
* Enola Gay
and many others
If you love to photograph, the exhibits will leave you completely speechless.
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns are located about 1 1/2 hours, south-west from the Udvar-Hazy Center. This is a paid attraction but well worth it.
As the tour meanders through the caverns you get some amazing opportunities to look at and photograph beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.
Some of the highlights of the caverns include:
- the stalacpipe organ
- Saracen’s tent
- Dream lake
After the visit, you will have plenty of time to head back to Washington D.C. in time for dinner : )
Note: You can switch the order around and it will still work well! Luray caverns conducts tours on a set schedule while you have a little more freedom at the Annex. We spent so much time at the Annex that we almost missed the last tour at Luray!
Wandering Tales Travel Dreams 