If you’ve been following along, you know we were just in the capital earlier this year (remember the cherry blossoms? 🌸). But since we’re back in town for the holidays, we absolutely had to make a second pit stop at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.
I know, I know—”Didn’t you just go?” Yes, but if you’re a museum nerd like me, you know the Air and Space is in the middle of a massive makeover. They dropped a huge update back in July with five new galleries, and we missed the opening by just a few months during our last trip. So, naturally, we had to go back to check out the fresh paint.
Specifically, we made a beeline for two of the new installations: Gallery 109 and Gallery 209.
🚀 Gallery 109: Futures in Space
First up was Gallery 109, home to the new “Futures in Space” exhibition.
This place is a total vibe shift from the rest of the museum. While most of the museum looks back at what we’ve already done, this room is all about where we’re going. It explores both the near-future (like, stuff that might happen in our lifetime) and long-term possibilities of space travel.
It asks some pretty wild questions about humanity’s future among the stars. It’s less about “look at this old rocket” and more about “what does a civilization living on Mars actually look like?” It was super thought-provoking and honestly made me want to re-watch The Martian immediately.
✈️ Gallery 209: World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation
After dreaming about the future, we headed upstairs to Gallery 209 to step way, way back into the past. This is the new “World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation” exhibit.
This gallery is intense in the best way. It covers how the airplane went from a novelty to a terrifying weapon of war in just a few years. The star of the show here is definitely the Sopwith F.1 Camel. They brought this beauty into the building specifically for this opening (it wasn’t here before!), and seeing it up close is wild—it looks so fragile compared to the jets we see today.
It’s crazy to think that pilots went up in those canvas-and-wood contraptions with open cockpits. 🥶 The exhibit does a great job of showing not just the tech, but the human stories of the pilots who flew them.
🏛️ A Quick History Lesson (For the Nerds 🤓)
Since we’ve visited twice this year, I actually did a little reading on the museum itself. Did you know the Smithsonian has been collecting kites and balloons since 1876? 🪁
Here’s the spark notes version of the museum’s history:
- 1946: President Harry Truman signed the bill to create the “National Air Museum,” but they didn’t have a building yet! They had to stash planes in sheds and other museums for decades.
- 1966: As the Space Race heated up, they renamed it the “National Air and Space Museum.”
- 1976: The massive building we know today (the one on the Mall with all the pink Tennessee marble) finally opened on July 1, 1976, just in time for America’s Bicentennial.
- Now: The renovation we’re seeing today began in 2018 and is completely redoing all 23 galleries. It’s basically a brand-new museum inside the old shell.
Anyway, we are frozen solid and currently hunting for the thickest hot chocolate DC has to offer. ☕️ If you’re in DC, definitely grab a timed-entry pass and check out the new galleries—totally worth the double dip!