Udvar-Hazy Space Museum

For those who might not know, the Udvar-Hazy is the ';annex'; to the Smithsonian Air %26amp; Space Museum. Most people who visit DC, probably don%26#39;t make it out there, because it takes quite a bit of time and effort just to get to the Hazy.

Those who do wish to venture out, will be treated to the Space Shuttle Enterprise, Gemini VII Capsule, Enola Gay Flying Fortress, Concorde SST, SR-71 Blackbird, and a host of other exhibits. Just imagine seeing all of these aircraft in one HUGE hanger--my what a sight that would be!

So I%26#39;m thrilled about it, and I wanna go!

Here%26#39;s the deal--how to get out there via mass transportation:

In a previous post by Peter_Lake, I learned from our DC experts, there is an Express Bus--the 5A, that leaves out of L%26#39;Enfant Plaza to Dulles Airport. If you want to take the MetroRail part of the way, you can catch the 5A at Rosslyn Station.

First and foremost, I would like to go on one of the docent led tours. The Smithsonian website says there are two scheduled tours--10:30am %26amp; 1:30pm, with a possibility of more added if necessary. I can%26#39;t rely on any more being added so I will stick to the two scheduled.

And here is the %26#39;backwards%26#39; logic I used to plan my itinerary:

To get from Dulles to the Udvar-Hazy, you have to use the Virginia Regional Transit Authority (VRTA). The earliest VRTA bus to arrive at the Hazy is 10:45, so the only way to get there for the 10:30 docent tour is by TAXI from Dulles. Personally, I would prefer to avoid the taxi, which according to the Smithsonian website—“Taxi service is available (from Dulles) to the museum with rates averaging $8-$12.” This is a premium price to pay, considering the distance is only 2.5 miles, and the VRTA can get you there in fifteen minutes—I’m assuming the taxi would take 5-10 minutes, so you’re only saving a few minutes.

This leaves the docent tour at 1:30 as the only option.

That means, the latest bus to catch to make it to the docent tour at 1:30pm is the VRTA %26#39;Dulles to Dulles%26#39; bus from Dulles at 12:45pm, which arrives at the Hazy at 1:00pm. In order to catch the VRTA at 12:45pm, you have to catch the 5A bus from Rosslyn Station @ 11:47, which arrives at Dulles at 12:30pm. And in order to arrive before the 5A bus leaves from Rosslyn, you have to catch the Orange Line MetroRail from Smithsonian Station @ 11:31am, to arrive at Rosslyn at 11:41am.

Yes folks, if you followed correctly, that%26#39;s 90 MINUTES EACH WAY!

If I figure on two hours at the Hazy, I can catch the VRTA bus back to Dulles at 3:15pm, arrive at Dulles at 3:30pm, catch the 5A at 3:40pm, and arrive at Rosslyn at 4:18pm. The wmata website would not provide a time schedule from Rosslyn, but states “due to the high frequency of service during peak rush hour, timetables are not available.” So I can only guess there will be a train there almost immediately to take me back to Smithsonian Station.

It%26#39;s worth noting, that if I was to spend three hours at the Hazy instead of two, the bus schedules don%26#39;t coincide as well, so I would have to wait an additional half hour at Dulles for the 5A bus.

In summary, that%26#39;s THREE hours on mass transportation, to spend TWO hours at the Hazy.

All this for a Space Shuttle, Concorde, and an SR-71 blackbird!

You better believe I%26#39;m gonna go for it!

Udvar-Hazy Space Museum

Good for you! The Udvar-Hazy Center is a lot more interesting than the downtown Air and Space Museum, in my opinion, but I%26#39;m sorry for all the steps you have to take to get there! I thought they ran a shuttle bus directly from the National Mall to the Udvar-Hazy, but apparently they discontinued that earlier this month.

But watch out if you decide to rely on the buses! Their schedules tend to be extremely unreliable. If I were you, I would not take the buses that most closely connect with the time you want to arrive--there is a very good chance you will arrive late, especially with the 5A being part of your itinerary. Go earlier to give yourself a better chance of getting there on time. Good luck!

Udvar-Hazy Space Museum

We plan on driving there from the Woodley/Zoo area. Can anyone comment on the approximate drive time?

Thank you.

I%26#39;ve definitely made that drive before--are you planning to go on a weekday or weekend? It could potentially affect the driving times significantly.

On a weekend, I would estimate about an hour to get there. On a weekday (particularly rush hour), all bets are off.

We%26#39;ll be going next Tuesday early afternoon.

It is too bad the discontinued the bus from the mall. I guess that is what happens when people don%26#39;t use public transportation. I would highly suggest avoiding the Taxi. The driver will not be happy that he set in line for 2hrs only to get a $8 fare. I know that is what they are there for, but I could understand the drivers point of view.

You could if you wanted to get there early, take the metro to Vienna and then take a taxi from there to Udvar-Hazy. A taxi from there would cost about $30. I know how it is planning a trip. Sometimes it is worth spending a little extra to get your schedule to work.

We will have a rental car for the trip, is there any problem with this?

Just wondering--where exactly is the taxi stand located at the Vienna Metro station? It%26#39;s rare that I see a taxi around there on the weekends, that%26#39;s why I ask.

You won%26#39;t have a problem driving a rental car to Udvar-Hazy, if that%26#39;s what you mean. The museum is free but there is a charge to park (see--www.si.edu--for more info).

Thank you sunwise, for expressing your concern about the 5A bus arriving on schedule.

The good news is, I will be taking it midday, as opposed to rush hour. There will be 15 minute layover at Dulles, before boarding the bus to the Hazy, so that should be a large enough window, even if the 5A is running late.

As a last resort, if I miss the bus to Hazy, I can always use a cab instead.

The taxi stand on the Vienna side always has cabs waiting. Not sure about the Fairfax side.