Technology Lover's Guide to Visiting the Smithsonian

Our exhibitions investigate and highlight the vital role of invention and innovation in shaping human history from Stone Age tools to the Apollo 11 moon landing to futures in space.

Curate your own tech tour!

Tap or click the ♥ heart on any museum or exhibition you are interested in, then email yourself a list of your favorites to help you make the most of your time with us.

View My Visit list of favorites

view of the moon command module with a photo of an earthrise in the background

Featured Museums

Featured Exhibitions Across the Smithsonian

Discover exhibitions that highlight American innovation and ingenuity from the past to the present and imagine our shared future.

Futures in Space

Explore the potential near- and long–term futures that may emerge with advances in space exploration technology and enterprise.

July 28, 2025 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

Aerospace and Our Changing Environment

Learn how aerospace innovations contribute to understanding, monitoring, and mitigating climate change.

July 28, 2025 – Ongoing

Air and Space Museum

Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall

Showcases some of the museum’s most iconic objects with artifacts arrayed along walls and suspended from the ceiling.

July 28, 2025 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation

Explore how the new technology of the airplane was adapted to warfare and changed how the world fights and flies.

July 28, 2025 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

Change YOUR Game

A family-friendly, interactive exhibition on the intersection of invention, sports, and technology.

March 15, 2024 – Ongoing

American History Museum

Cellphone: Unseen Connections

Through authentic artifacts, immersive and digital experiences, and data visualization, Unseen Connections illuminates the world of cell phones.

June 23, 2023 Through June 2028

Natural History Museum

Thomas W. Haas We All Fly

This gallery explores the many facets of general aviation, from sport to business to humanitarian, and introduces careers available in aviation.

October 14, 2022 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum

Early Flight

Early Flight explores how in one short decade people in America and around the world were pushing boundaries, setting records, and advancing aircraft technology.

October 14, 2022 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

One World Connected

How flight fostered two momentous changes in everyday life: the ease in making connections across vast distances and a new perspective of Earth.

October 14, 2022 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

The Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age

Explore who Wilbur and Orville Wright were, what they achieved and how they did it, and how the world reacted.

October 14, 2022 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

Nation of Speed

Nation of Speed paints a portrait of human ingenuity and explores how the pursuit of speed has shaped American culture and our national identity.

October 14, 2022 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

Destination Moon

The gallery shows how an extraordinary combination of things made it possible for humans to walk on the Moon—and how we are going back.

October 14, 2022 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum

America's Listening

America's Listening tells the story of recorded sound and innovations that contributed to how we consume music and movies today.

October 19, 2018 – Indefinitely

American History Museum

Art in Industry

Art in Industry looks back at a time when Americans embraced artistic skills as a way to build a consumer-oriented industrial economy.

March 22, 2018 – TBA

American History Museum

Waterloo Boy

The development and use of gasoline-powered tractors in the early 1900s helped change the business of American farming.

February 22, 2018 – Indefinitely

American History Museum

Clouds in a Bag: The Evelyn Way Kendall Ballooning and Early Aviation Collection Added

~~Clouds in a Bag: The Evelyn Way Kendall Ballooning and Early Aviation Collection~~ Removed

Clouds in a Bag: The Evelyn Way Kendall Ballooning and Early Aviation Collection

The treasures in this collection provide a sense of the wonder and excitement experienced by those who witnessed the birth of flight over two centuries ago.

January 28, 2017 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Inventing in America

This exhibition focuses on inventions and innovators of the past and present, including Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison.

July 1, 2015 – Indefinitely

American History Museum

Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Object Project

In Object Project, visitors consider the impact of innovative things on everyday life in the past.

July 1, 2015 – Permanent

American History Museum

Spark!Lab

Open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spark!Lab reveals the real story behind inventors’ work through hands-on activities that help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. Hours are subject to change.

July 1, 2015 – Indefinitely

American History Museum

American Enterprise

Learn how business and innovation helped the United States develop from a small dependent agricultural nation to one of the world's largest economies.

July 1, 2015 – Permanent

American History Museum

The Value of Money

The Value of Money examines global histories of exchange, cultural interaction, political change, and innovation.

July 1, 2015 – Indefinitely

American History Museum

Systems at Work

Learn how mail travels from sender to recipient and how the process has changed over the last 200 years!

December 14, 2011 – Permanent

Airmail in America

This exhibition examines the critical role the postal system played in the creation of America's commercial aviation industry.

February 22, 2006 – Permanent

Human Spaceflight

Learn how the United States, Soviet Union/Russia, and other nations have made human spaceflight a reality.

November 1, 2004 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Applications Satellites

See how applications satellites have become an integral part of contemporary life.

November 1, 2004 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Space Science

The spacecraft on view represent those that perform science in Earth's upper atmosphere or beyond.

November 1, 2004 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Korea and Vietnam Aviation

Learn about America's first swept-wing jet fighter, the F-86 Sabre, and its arch rival, the MiG-15.

December 15, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Interwar Military Aviation

See 1920s and 1930s military aircraft, including many one-of-a-kind and sole-survivor airplanes.

December 15, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Vertical Flight

Learn about the history of helicopters from the first rotary-wing aircraft (autogiro) to the XV-15.

December 15, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Modern Military Aviation

Follow the development of more advanced and precise air power after World War II.

December 15, 2003 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Rockets and Missiles

Learn how rocketry got a boost in the 20th century, altering warfare and taking humans into space.

December 15, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Pre-1920 Aviation

Learn about the era when the airplane was transformed from an exciting new invention to a machine of practical utility.

December 15, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Ultralight Aircraft

Explore the history behind ultralights from their early beginnings to rising popularity in the 1970s.

December 15, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

World War II Aviation

See aircraft that represent some of the major technological advancements during World War II.

December 15, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Business Aviation

Examples of business aircraft ranging from small "prop planes" to well-appointed "bizjets" are on view.

December 5, 2003 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Explore technology and innovation from anywhere!

Discover featured online collections, resources, and stories from across the Smithsonian.

Explore Technology & Innovation

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