Explore Art, History, and One of the Busiest Airports in America

Most people experience Reagan National Airport in a hurry — rushing to a gate, hauling luggage, checking departure boards. But for those who slow down and look, DCA is genuinely one of the most interesting airports in America to explore. Terminal A — the historic original 1941 terminal — contains a permanent Exhibit Hall in the restored former dining room featuring two displays: an archaeological collection of artifacts unearthed on the site of Abingdon, the Colonial plantation that once occupied the land where the airport now stands, and a display on the design, development, and early airline history of the airport itself. Together they tell a layered story: from 17th-century plantation life to the dawn of commercial aviation in Washington, all within one quietly remarkable room.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Arts Program brings rotating visual art exhibits, live musical performances, dance, and other performing arts to DCA’s terminals throughout the year, alongside permanent commissioned artworks integrated into Terminal B/C’s architecture by thirty local and national artists — what architect Cesar Pelli called “a rich sequence of visual experiences.” A Curiosity Runway children’s play space created with the National Children’s Museum fosters interest in STEM and the arts for young travelers, and the Mount Vernon Trail is accessible directly from the Parking 2 garage for those with time to explore. DCA also offers student group tours of the airport — a genuinely unusual educational experience for school groups in the Arlington area. The airport is directly on the Blue and Yellow Metro lines with its own stop. Current exhibits and arts programming at flyreagan.com.