Aarbee From India, joined Aug 2005, 249 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 years 1 month 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 2442 times:
Greetings.
Approximately how much time will be required to visit the this museum? I know it closes at around 5:30 PM. So is the entry closed at 5:30 or the center itself.
Also if the objective is to just check out Concorde and Enterprise is 2 hrs. enough?
PILOTALLEN From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 656 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (6 years 1 month 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 2434 times:
I went there a few years ago when it first opened and it took me around 2 and half hours to walk through everything, I spent some time reading things and just taking photos. I'de say giv eyourself 3 hours and be there right when the open. The tower is fun to go up into as well but I enjoyed just chilling outside on the benches watching the heaving land. -Josh
Aarbee From India, joined Aug 2005, 249 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (6 years 1 month 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 2433 times:
PILOTALLEN
Thanks for your response. So If I go at 2:30PM, it will be enough till the close of museum?
Also, sorry but what tower. After U mentioned I checked it's website and there's a pic of a tower. Is this an observation tower? Any idea on how long are the lines to go up?
CV990A From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 1391 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (6 years 1 month 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 2428 times:
Aarbee-
It is an observation tower, but the lines can be terrible if you aren't there early in the morning. I've blown through the entire museum in 90 min, and I've also spent half a day there. Getting there at 2:30 will give you plenty of time to see Concorde and the Space Shuttle though.
PILOTALLEN From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 656 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (6 years 1 month 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 2412 times:
yeah the tower is cool but you must be there early to have a prayer if going in it, I ended up going early am and then went again in the middle of the day and what a difference it made, but if you dont care about the tower you'll do ok going at 230
Sinlock From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 1532 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (6 years 1 month 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2402 times:
3 hours is pretty good if it's your first time there.....unless your like me and have to read EVERY word on every display. (Drives the wife crazy)
Keep one thing in mind if you plan to take photos. The museum in many spots can be very dark even if it's a sunny day and requires a steady hand and a long exposure. (NO tri/monopods allowed)
Aarbee From India, joined Aug 2005, 249 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (6 years 1 month 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2395 times:
Quoting PILOTALLEN (Reply 4): yeah the tower is cool but you must be there early to have a prayer if going in it, I ended up going early am and then went again in the middle of the day and what a difference it made, but if you dont care about the tower you'll do ok going at 230
Oh! Well. will have to skip then. (the tower). Time constraint is bad.
Quoting Sinlock (Reply 5): Keep one thing in mind if you plan to take photos. The museum in many spots can be very dark even if it's a sunny day and requires a steady hand and a long exposure. (NO tri/monopods allowed)
CcrlR From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 2204 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (6 years 1 month 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 2376 times:
You can try going early for the tower since sometimes it can get crowded. Once I went there in the morning and there was no line. Now the elevator was not working when they opened up, and was working an hour later (that was when we got there about an hour after opening), but it is nice. There is a nice advantage point from there but there is a tint over the glass which makes picture taking a little different (you can tell from the outside that the tint is there). If it was not for the tint, then it would be a good place to take photos. Now you can see the airport and most of the area, it is a nice viewing tower and they have some nice exhibits on how ATC works and the other floors have exhibits too. It's a nice hangout and if you don't want to see the exhibits, just go outside and see the planes land on 1R.
"He was right, it is a screaming metal deathtrap!"-Cosmo (from the Fairly Oddparents)
Boeinglover24 From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 304 posts, RR: 5 Reply 9, posted (6 years 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 2313 times:
i think 2-3 hours is enough if you just glance at stuff and not really go into detail.....
I live 20 minutes south and I can say that sadly it's mostly empty when I go over there, [all my visits were weekdays], just a lot of kids on field trips[don't know about the weekends] you can even moon the air france concorde they got there that's how empty it was..: (
The tower is pretty far out the approach path, you're better off parking near the trees and watch the heavies land there..
No luck spotting when they're using the 19's pretty high out when they reach the museum parknig lot, i recommend taking the airport shuttle to the parking garages at dulles if that's the case....
And lots of nifty stuff at the store museum, way way way way way overpriced though : (
KaiGywer From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 12028 posts, RR: 43 Reply 10, posted (6 years 2 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 2250 times:
Quoting Sinlock (Reply 5): The museum in many spots can be very dark even if it's a sunny day and requires a steady hand and a long exposure
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From India, joined Aug 2005, 249 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 656 posts, 
(the tower). Time constraint is bad.
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