Best & Cool Science and Space Museums in Bull Run

"The most popular are the Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, and American History Museum. Choose the museum that interests you most and spend a few hours exploring. At the National Air and Space Museum, see the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the "Spirit of St. Louis," and the Apollo 11 command module. At the National Museum of Natural History, take a look at the Hope Diamond and other gems and minerals, examine the massive fossil collection, visit the 23,000-square-foot Ocean Hall, see a life-size replica of a North Atlantic whale and a 1,800-gallon-tank display of coral reef."

"Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is one of the best Smithsonian museums for children in D.C. This is a delight for all kids and grown-ups who love reading and knowing everything about space. The first thing that grabs the attention entering the museum is the huge aircraft hanging from the ceiling."

"If you’re interested in learning about aviation history, then this is your spot. The National Air and Space Museum boasts the world’s most extensive collection of historic air and spacecraft. You can expect to find actual astronaut suits and moon rocks."

"The most visited natural history museum in the world, the National Museum of Natural History boasts an incredible rotating collection of 127 million items including dinosaur bones, the Hope Diamond, ancient Egyptian mummies and so much more. Prepare to be amazed, engaged, dazzled and more when you experience the museum's 31,000-square-foot Deep Time exhibit, where you can journey back millions of years and see dinosaur fossils, learn about past mass extinctions and their resounding effects and witness the evolution of life from the oceans to ashore. The museum reopens on June 18, so make sure to check its website for info regarding timed passes, health precautions and more."

"The National Museum of Natural History is another museum that belongs to the Smithsonian family in Washington DC, but it deserves a spot in this list all of its own.The museum is free to enter and is open 364 days of the year (closed on Christmas Day), so no matter when you visit DC, you can rest assured that you can visit!. The National Museum of Natural History is a place that you’ll want to take the whole family as..."

"Featuring the Hope Diamond and the Hall of Mammals, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is an educational stop for kids curious about the world around them."

"The National Children’s Museum is located in downtown Washington, D.C. near the famous National Mall. The museum moved to a brand-new building in late 2019 and expanded the space for many exhibits, and hands-on learning experiences help kids learn sciences, technology, engineering, arts, and math in a fun way."

"The name may be obvious, but this new museum joining the ranks of top kid-friendly museums is the National Children’s Museum. A massive three-level jungle gym is just the start of this newly built facility. In a virtual field trip, kids can become Climate Action Heroes."

"The National Children’s Museum in Washington, DC, is strictly for families of young children. The museum is set up so that the exhibits are just the right height for those little bodies. The museum is all about movement and interaction, learning by doing."

"The National Air and Space Museum in the Mall is so awesome they made an attic for it: the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. It’s three times the size of the DC museum and sprawls through massive hangars near Washington Dulles International Airport. Highlights include the SR-71 Blackbird (the fastest jet in the world), space shuttle Discovery (fresh from the clouds after its 2011 retirement) and the Enola Gay (the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima)."

"You can be forgiven for assuming that the Heurich House Museum is some grand palace built for long-forgotten aristocracy. Its Victorian-style architecture includes stone archways, wide windows, spire-topped towers and all of the stairs and alcoves that you’d expect from a gothic building. The truth, however, is that the Heurich House Museum was built by a European immigrant in the 1890s."

"Heurich House Museum is a Gilded Age mansion in Washington DC's Dupont Circle neighborhood. The house museum preserves the legacy of historic brewer Christian Heurich. The museum offers one-hour-long tours every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 11:30am, 1:00pm, and 2:30pm."

"Built from 1892 to 1894, this uniquely intact Victorian mansion was the home of German-American philanthropist and beer magnate Christian Heurich. Considered the world's oldest brewmaster, he ran the Christian Heurich Brewery on the site where the..."

"This underutilized patch of grass, complete with flowers, fountains, and benches, sits next to the Smithsonian Castle, one of the more memorable looking buildings on the National Mall. While the hordes of tourists are huddled, drenched in sweat, on the steps of the various museums, in-the-know Mall-goers can escape to this oasis of green for some shade, a moment of peace, and the free Wi-Fi.Best for: checking your e-mail while smelling flowers.Photo by Flickr user cliff1066™"

"A must-stop for doughnut lovers, Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe boasts an extensive rotating menu of yeast and cake doughnuts that in specialty flavors such as blueberry buttercream, Nutella toffee, and cherry vanilla bomb, as well as staples like cinnamon sugar and chocolate cake. In addition to doughnuts, Good Company has an all-day menu with other breakfast options, sandwiches, and booze. Online ordering and outdoor seating are available."

"Locations: Arlington, VAPrice: $15 for a half dozenFavorite Flavors: Nutella & Toffee, anything Blueberry flavored, mini doughnuts. Good Company is only located in Arlington, VA, but I’m including it on my list since there are delivery options and the doughnuts are just that good. The thing that sets them apart is that they have a full menu as well as doughnuts and coffee."

"There's hardly a better pair than doughnuts and coffee, score both at the new Good Company Doughnuts and Cafe. This fast-casual cafe specializes in gourmet doughnuts (in all sorts of delicious varieties), rustic pastries, coffee and light fare."

"There are as many places to grab a donut in the morning in D.C. as there are staffers on the Hill, but the only 100% vegan specialty donut shop is Donut Run in Takoma. In the short few months that Donut Run has been open in 2021, they have already attracted a dedicated customer base for their flavorful, craveworthy, and nostalgic flavor combinations, including French Toast, Cookies & Cream, Boston Cream, Cinnamon Sugar, Blueberry Pancake, and Mango Coconut."

"Location: TakomaPrice: $3-4 per donutFavorite Flavors: Strawberry, Cookies and Cream. The newest donut shop in D.C., Donut Run easily makes my top 5 list, despite all the donuts being vegan!. I am not vegan, but I honestly could not tell the difference."

"I lived in the area back in (2016)-(2019) is when I did move. I really love “Donut Run”, is exactly what I do on Thursday morning I run ?"

"For your next fried dough fix, visit Elizabeth’s Counter in Old Town’s Braddock/Parker-Gray neighborhood. Its plant-based, vegan-friendly designer donut options range from the caramel apple popover to the Boston creme éclair, will leave you in a glaze daze of happiness, while its hidden speakeasy Captain Gregory’s lets you enjoy a handcrafted cocktail alongside donut-inspired bites."

"We have only visited late at night when their menu is limited and I look forward to an early morning coffee and doughnut experience. Salted Caramel, Peppermint, Chocolate Chocolate. I wish my stomach/appetite was bigger for the ongoing list of new places I’m eager to try."

"I’m not normally in the market for vegan food but this place is amazing vegan or no. The coffee is great, donut selection is amazing and everything taste..."

"Green Spring Gardens, spanning about 31 acres, is a historic garden featuring a plantation house constructed between 1777 to 1784."

"For a park so close to downtown DC, this 50-acre expanse roughly between the Lincoln and World War II memorials is surprisingly little-visited. Sit and read, people-watch, daydream, or simply gaze at the ducks and geese gliding in the pond in the shadow of the Washington Monument. (If you’re lucky, you might spot a great blue heron on the bank.) Don’t miss the memorial to the Declaration of Independence’s 56 signers."

"This park area is another unit of the national park service sites in Washington DC. It is located within the area of the National Mall and measures at 50 acres in land area. The main feature of the garden is a small pond with an island that is accessible to the public. Before the Constitution Gardens was developed, this same land was submerged by the Potomac River."

"Make a picnic for you and your significant other for a trip to the Constitution Gardens. Maybe even grab yourself a few slices of bread to feed the ducks at the pond."