I live near the National Air Force Museum. It's something to do. Admission is free.
I go for the artsier stuff, like the art on planes and wartime posters, and the creative stuff like the various contraptions POWs have MacGyvered out of tin cans and soap. There's also a new holocaust exhibit there I plan on going back to.
The one thing that consistently pisses me off is how dark it is in there...makes things very hard to photograph, although I'm sure they have to preserve delicate materials.
De planes!
12-way mousetrap made of wire and tin cans in a POW camp.
Japanese-made "surrender now" leaflets...
A lifesize diorama of a guy failing flight school:
Either their American Neutrality exhibit wasn't finished yet, or they were trying to make some sort of statement, still not sure.
Concentration camp map drawn by a prisoner.
Student holocaust art.
Open bomb bay doors of Bockscar, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. :america
It was a little uncomfortable because a lot of Japanese tourists were standing around taking pictures of it.
Freaky ass bass drum from the French military. Why it had this face on it was never explained. I'm assuming it's a caricature of someone. (EDIT: Yes, I realize it's probably the kaiser who gets whacked in the face, but I didn't know if it was him specifically or just a general germanic caricature)
Ballistic Missiles. These things were fucking ENORMOUS. If you don't believe me, squint at the bottom center to see the tiny people and tiny railing on the second floor.
Well yeah, I guess it is:
"40 Men or 8 Horses" freight car used to transport men to the front, among other things.
There was also an Air Force One that you could take a bus to go see, but you had to have government-issued ID and the wait was about 2 hours, so we decided we didn't need to see it that badly.
Foy's, the nifty halloween place, is very nearby but we found out they're closed on Sundays
YOU'RE WELCOME.