5 Out-Of-This-World Attractions in the U.S.

PHOTO: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (courtesy TripAdvisor)

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

As we approach the 45^th anniversary of the historic trip, TripAdvisor announced the top space-themed attractions in the U.S., as voted on by more than 2,200 U.S. residents.

Commercial space flight, headlined by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, is obviously on the mind of everyone interested in space these days. Nearly half of respondents (49 percent) said they were interested in space tourism, while 70 percent said historical events such as the Apollo 11 moon landing boosted their interest in taking a ride through space.

Of course, it’s a bit hard for the average American to afford such commercial space flights right now. A Virgin Galactic flight will initially cost $250,000 per person. Less than one percent of respondents said they would cough up such a large sum for the space adventure. And 46 percent said they wouldn’t spend more than $5,000. 

So, given that a small percentage of Americans have the means to afford commercial space flight right now, it’s not a surprise why commercial space flight wasn’t included in the list.

But for those who can’t fork over $250,000, here are five top-rated space-themed attractions in the U.S. that will get you as close to space as possible, from space museums to planetariums to space centers.

1. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia

Point your personal telescope 25 miles west of Washington, D.C. and you will find the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

The museum features two hangars, the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. Inside these hangars you’ll find thousands of aviation and space artifacts, including the retired Discovery space shuttle, a Lockhead SR-71 Blackbird and a Concorde.

There’s also an Airbus IMAX theater on site, as well as an observation tower that offers 360-degree views of the Washington Dulles International Airport and the surrounding area.

Exhibits feature: ultralight aircraft, World War II planes (German and American), satellites, space technology, rockets and missiles, space science, helicopters, aerobatic planes, business aircraft, Cold War planes, aircraft from Korea and Vietnam and more. Heck, there are even planes from before the 1920s.

2. Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona

The Pima Air & Space Museum is one of the world’s largest aerospace museums, and it’s the largest aerospace museum that is privately funded and non-governmental.

The 80-acre expanse includes more than 300 commercial, private/civil and military aircraft. Its main hangar alone includes two World War II hangars, a space gallery, two walking tours, informative exhibits and behind-the-scenes look at planes being restored. Just outside of the Main Hangar await more than 150 aircraft.

The Pima Air & Space Museum is also famous for housing the 390^th Memorial Museum (a standalone World War II military museum) and the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, as well as providing family events such as Night Flights, the Halloween-based Night of Fright (complete with ghoulish lighting in the hangars) and Santa’s Landing, where Santa touches ground on his private helicopter (yes, of course Santa has a private helicopter). 

3. Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon

Head 40 miles southwest of Portland, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum exhibits feature general aviation, space flights, military aircraft, helicopters and “The Spruce Goose,” the largest aircraft ever constructed made entirely of wood (The Spruce Goose, designed and built by Howard Hughes and his team, flew just once in 1947).

You’ll also find the B-17 bomber (otherwise known as “The Flying Fortress”), the Titan II missile (a large booster rocket), the Lockhead SR-71 Blackbird, early historical rockets and robotic spacecraft.

And don’t forget to check out the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor, which honors the historic men and women in Oregon aviation.

Looks like you can be “far out” in a number of ways in Oregon (just kidding Portland, I love you and "Portlandia"). 

4. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. includes 21 exhibits. Within these 21 exhibits, you’ll find nearly 60,000 objects, including Saturn V rockets, jetliners, gliders, space helmets and microchips.

You can also get a first-hand look at the historic 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis and the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia. There’s even a moon rock you can touch just inside the door facing the mall.

On top of that, there are more than 1.7 million air and space photos, as well as 14,000 film and video titles.

It’s a wide-ranging and colossal collection that is sure to cater to anyone interested in flight on Planet Earth and beyond.

 

5. Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California

Located on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood and soaring 1,134 feet above sea level, Griffith Observatory not only offers iconic views of surrounding Los Angeles, it also features telescopes, a 300-seat planetarium and a 200-seat multimedia theater.

The world-famous Zeiss telescope highlights surrounding moons, planets, stars and bright wonders across the night sky. The Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon multimedia theater offers educational programs about the observatory, live transmissions of space events and scientific training for teachers. And the Samuel Oschin Planetarium is perhaps the most immersive planetarium in the world, boasting live planetarium programs, the incredibly advanced Zeiss Universarium Mark IX star projector (which uses fiber-optics and computer technology), one of the largest domes in the world and theatrical lighting and sound fit for Hollywood.

The Griffith Observatory even sets up telescopes so visitors can simply look through them and see pinpointed stars and planets.

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