Virginia Living Museum

The Virginia Living Museum was a few blocks down the street from our hotel. While we mainly went to see their Laser iPop show in the planetarium, my family also enjoys zoos and aquariums. (As a side note, I would totally love to have a laser show on the ceiling in my house with the booming 5.1 home theatre system for the soundtrack. Ah, dreams.)

The VLM is basically a little bit of everything thrown into one place. There is an outdoor zoo-type area with beavers, raccoons, red wolves, bobcats, and other animals. Along the outdoor path, there are a variety of plants and trees nicely pointed out with orange circles accompanying their information blurbs. Through September 5, a butterfly house compliments the outdoor attractions. Inside, you'll find the other half of the butterfly exhibit, which features activities for the kids. Also inside is the aquarium/aviary section of the museum. The various fish and birds of Virginia can be found in habitats similar to where they would be found in nature. Each section has two stories. The first floor features the fish, while the second floor highlights the birds.

While the VLM was nice, it was rather small. We were able to visit every section of the museum, including spending time in the butterfly play area, in a couple of hours. Luckily, we were allowed to leave the museum and return for the laser show. I must admit that the laser show was excellent. The music selection kept us quietly singing along while the lasers entertained our eyes. I thought it was much better than the Laser Floyd shows I've seen.

If you are in the Newport News area and need to fill a few hours, the VLM is worth checking out. Just don't expect to spend an entire day there.

Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is the last museum I have to talk about. Even though most people are familiar with the monument, it's difficult to truly realize how huge it is until you are standing next to it. It stands approximately 555 feet tall. The building was finished on December 6, 1884. Think about how awesome that is. Way back in the late 1800s, they were able to erect this humongous pillar in honor of the first president of the United States. It almost makes today's buildings look lame.

Admission to the monument is free, but you do need a ticket since they can only let so many people in at one time. It's very tiny at the top. As a note, if you order your tickets online, there is a $1.50 service charge.

At the top of the tower, there are two windows on each of the four sides. While it is a little difficult to fit into the space near the window (unless you are a child), it is possible. You can see about 30 miles in each direction. That means you'll be able to see both Maryland and Virginia. I'm not particularly fond of heights but I did find the view impressive. (I stood in the back by the elevators instead of going right up to the window.)

The longest part of the museum is the elevator ride up and down. If you have a half hour or so to spare during your trip, you should check out the monument. It's just plain neat.

National Zoo

We're almost to the end of the places I visited in Washington, D.C. One of the last places we saw was the National Zoo. Since it is a part of the Smithsonian group of museums, admission to the zoo is free. Of course, I think that makes it the best zoo ever.

Unfortunately, we happened to go while the elephant enclosures were being upgraded so they was closed. No elephants for us. (Phase One of the exhibit opened September 3.) It was also rather hot out. As a result, most of the animals were just hanging out in the shade. We must be the kings of bad timing. On the other hand, the red pandas were extraordinarily active. I've never seen red pandas wandering around their enclosure. This time, one of them actually walked right next to the glass. It was awesome. We also had a ball in both the bird house and the small mammal house.

Overall, the zoo was well-kept and fairly easy to navigate. The parking can get a bit expensive but I'm willing to forgive that since there is no admission fee. Also, if you become a member, you get free parking. We are definitely planning on going back the next time we are in the area.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

I'm not usually a science person. However, the National Museum of Natural History is an amazing museum. I really think this is a museum that has something for everyone. Not only are there fossils and insects, this is also where the Hope Diamond is on display. (By the way, the Hope Diamond is the centerpiece of the gemstone collection so there are rubies, emeralds, and other gems as well.)

My favorite display was the deep sea creatures. There's a giant squid, which I found pretty interesting. I also highly enjoyed the film about a group of scientists that get to explore the sea floor. As a matter of fact, my daughter even sat still to watch this one! That is a feat in itself.

Usually, I have a difficult time recommending museums to people who aren't the nerdy type. However, I truly feel this is a museum that everyone can enjoy. Between the butterfly enclosure, the gemstone collection, the live insects, and the history of the creatures of the earth...I'm sure everyone can find at least one thing they'll love. I know it was true in our group!

National Air and Space Museum

Another Smithsonian museum we hit while we were in DC was the National Air and Space Museum. There are actually two of these now. We went to the 'original' one and not the one outside the city.

This place is pretty much designed for geeks. Almost every exhibit has some sort of 'behind the scenes' aspect to it. In the airplane section, there's a cockpit (glassed off so you can't touch it) that shows how the controls work while the plane is landing or taking off. A video plays where the front window should be so you can fully understand what is happening. Of course, tons of people gather here but it was neat to see nonetheless.

There's also a lot of space exhibitions right now. One entire area consists of various pictures of the planets. Since the planets were covered in my daughter's science class in school, she thought this display was awesome. There's also an area where you can play ground control and launch a shuttle. In the same area, there is a trivia game that the three of us played. It was fun.

But the most popular area is the How Things Fly exhibit. Here kids of all ages can play games to see how things like lift work. There's even a scale so you can see your weight difference between a couple of the planets. Needless to say, when we returned to the museum for a second look around, this was where we spent most of our time.

Obviously, if you aren't into airplanes or space travel, this isn't the museum for you. However, if you have even a little bit of interest, you will have a great time. There's even a planetarium and an IMAX theater and a couple of simulator rides, just in case you find yourself getting bored. Air and Space isn't my favorite museum but it is in the top 10.

National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is, most likely, one of the most popular museums in Washington, DC. Not only does the museum address the political history of the United States, it also shows the cultural history. What other building would house both Abraham Lincoln's top hat and Kermit the Frog?

I was really looking forward to this part of our trip. This was my favorite museum as a child and I couldn't wait to share it with my daughter. Unfortunately, the museum has changed a great deal since my childhood. The pop culture exhibit has been reduced to an extraordinarily small room, which makes it difficult to see most of the pieces thanks to the tons of people that need to have their pictures taken with them. I appreciate the fact that people want something to help them remember Brian Boitano's skates but, seriously, there are thousands of people trying to get through this small room. MOVE.

Another problem area is the First Ladies' dresses. The room is large enough to handle a decent sized crowd, yet too many people insist on taking pictures. (NOTE: Flash + Glass = A picture of a bright light.) Thankfully, the inauguration dresses are kept in a separate exhibit, which is much larger and easier to navigate. This was my daughter's favorite exhibit.

While we were there, a large exhibit dedicated to Abraham Lincoln took up a lot of the space. This segued into a rather morbid display on presidential assasinations. Eventually, you end up in a collection of memorabilia from the presidents' children. My daughter liked that area as well.

Overall, I found the museum lacking. We all still had a decent time there but I think it would have been better with the larger pop culture exhibit and less about the deaths of past presidents. (I don't know that we really needed a funeral carriage in the center of the room by itself. Many more displays could have fit in there.) I suppose my biggest complaint is the bad use of the space. Exhibits that could be in a small area are put in huge rooms while popular pieces are stuck in small corners for people to try to wedge their way in to see. Still, this museum is a must see if you are in DC.

Newseum

The Newseum. Not only is it a weird word, it's a weird museum too. Located on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the Newseum is right down the street from the Capitol building. As a matter of fact, if you go up to the sixth floor, there is an amazing view of the Capitol from the balcony. (Beware though, tons of people stop to take pictures.) Unfortunately, this is pretty much the best part of the museum unless you are a media junkie.

Befitting its name, the Newseum is, well, a museum for news. On the bottom floor (where you first start out), there are some interesting exhibit. There are chunks of the Berlin Wall, as well as one of the watch towers. (Unfortunately, you can't go up it...though I imagine that would be a logistical nightmare since the inside is so small.) There is also a Sports Illustrated athletic photographic exhibit and a G-Men exhibit. I think I would have liked these better if I enjoyed sports and if we hadn't just finished with the Spy Museum earlier in the day.

From there, you take a great glass elevator up to the sixth floor to experience the museum from the top down. This is where things begin to fall apart. After gazing at the Capitol, you are shuffled down a walkway filled with nothing but the day's front pages of newspapers from around not only the country but also the world. Some of them were vaguely interesting but newspapers, in this day and age, just aren't interesting any more. Luckily, a little bit farther down the museum (I forget which floor, they all kinda blended together after awhile), there are decades-old newspapers. These, to me, are way more interesting than what is currently going on in Backwoods, Iowa. On the bad side, there were tons of them so I didn't get a chance to read too many. This part of the exhibit stands in the center of the floor while video rooms line the walls. Various short films about the media were shown in these. For example, there was a 'Bias' film and a 'Sources' film nearby. Since I was walking around with my husband and my 8-year old daughter, we didn't check out any of these films. (They didn't look particularly appeasing from the outside.)

The next big exhibit was a 9/11 Memorial, which contained a piece of one of the towers. This also featured the front pages of newspapers from around the world. Though what I found most interesting was the tribute to William Biggart, a photojournalist who lost his life running toward the Towers to capture everything on film. His items, as well as the interview with his widow, were much more jarring than the piece of crumpled metal in the middle of the room.

I'd like to note here that the one exhibit that my daughter was looking forward to was the Presidential Dogs exhibit. Unfortunately, all it consisted of was a long line of photos of the presidents with their animals and a small description of them. It was along the lines of "This is 41st President George H. W. Bush with his dog, Millie." On the positive side, this did lead us to a small interactive exhibit on the Bill of Rights so I did get a chance to discuss that with her.

We ended our journey in the Interactive News Room. This gives people (mostly kids, I think) a chance to 'be a reporter.' There are various terminals with games where you question witnesses to get the story on a crime or matching the pairs of photographs of media personalities. However, the big draw is the "Be A Reporter" feature where you can actually pick up a microphone and step before the camera to report a story.

Overall, my husband, my daughter, and I found the museum to be rather boring. On the other hand, my mother, my sister, and my sister's boyfriend enjoyed it so much that they went back the next day to see all the stuff they missed. I guess it's a good thing that the tickets are good for two consecutive days, not just one. At least I don't have to go back again.

International Spy Museum

I spent last week in Washington, D.C. with my family. Over the next few days, I'll be talking about the various museums we visited. First up is the International Spy Museum.

I was a bit torn on this one. We didn't do any of the extra "spy operations" so my opinions are solely based on the regular trip though the museum. After a short elevator ride, you are told that you must memorize a new cover identity. You pick one of the identities written on the pillars in the middle of the room and try your best to remember all of the information. (Your new name, age, country of origin, etc.) Then you sit through a briefing video. Then the museum begins. Depending on how many other people are in your 'group' (it may not necessarily just be the people you came with), this part is either really fun or really annoying. There are a bunch of little games teaching you how to be a spy. From trying to figure out if someone is spying on you to learning how to read aerial maps, there is a lot to learn here. However, each area has two terminals. If there are a ton of people around, chances are you won't really get to use them. My husband and I walked all around the area and played a few of the games before we could get anywhere near the terminals for the secret identity game. (You get more clues that you are supposed to memorize to use later.) I think the museum either needs more terminals or to figure out a way to lower the number of people in each group.

From this point, the museum is pretty much like any other museum. There are a lot of exhibits featuring decades old spy memorabilia from the around the world. While some of it is interesting, a lot of it is a bit dull unless you are really into the whole spy thing. Also, the museum itself is badly laid out. Exhibits line the walkways, which make it difficult to walk though an area without bumping into the people reading the placards. My husband and I were stuck in one area because there was a man reading a placard on the left side of the walkway while a woman was translating a placard for a young boy on the right side. There was no room for us to squeeze in between them to get to the next section.

At the end, you were supposed to be able to use the clues you got from the secret identity terminals in the beginning to finish your mission. Either I (and my sister and her boyfriend) missed a terminal in the middle somewhere or the museum changed the information on one terminal without updating the second because the information that we had wasn't even available as an option on the second terminal. As a result, we failed our "missions." I was very disappointed since this game was one of the big things I was looking forward to.

In all, if you are a big spy nerd, you'll probably love this place. If you don't like crowds or are only vaguely interested in spy stuff, skip this altogether. There is much more interesting stuff in town.