Museums
National Air and Space Museum
595 Independence Avenue SW
Washington D.C.
(202) 633-4629
Daily 10am-5:30pm
Closed Dec 25
Metrostop: Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum opened in 1976. It contains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world including the Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, the Columbia Space Shuttle model and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The museum is so immense and interesting that it's easy to spend an entire day here – be sure to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy it.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 15th Street SW
Washington D.C.
(202) 488-0400
Daily 10am-5:30pm
Closed Yom Kippur, Dec 25
Metrostop: Smithsonian
This museum opened in 1993 as a living memorial to the Holocaust and the persecution and murder of 6 million Jews and others deemed “undesirable” by the Third Reich, including homosexuals and the disabled. The museum contains thousands of photographs and artifacts, forcing the visitor to confront the horror of the Holocaust. Particularly important exhibits within the museum include Daniel’s Story, the Hall of Remembrance and the Hall of Witness. This museum is griping, raw and serves such an important purpose: inspiring citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, promote human dignity and prevent genocide. Because of the graphic nature of the museum, some of the exhibits are not recommended for children under the age of 12.
National Museum of Natural History
1000 Constitution Ave NW
Washington D.C.
(202) 633-1000
Daily 10am-5:30pm
Closed Dec 25
Metro stop: Smithsonian
The size of 18 football fields, the National Museum of Natural History contains a vast array of unique treasures including dinosaurs, rare gemstones and living creatures from land and sea. The museum is so immense that visitors may want to sample the best exhibits and leave the rest to future visits. Some of the most intriguing exhibits include Dinosaur Hall, the Insect Zoo and the Hope Diamond.
Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery
8th and F Streets, NW
Washington D.C.
(202) 633-7970
Daily 11:30am-7pm
Closed Dec 25
Metrostop: Smithsonian
This museum is home to one of the largest and most inclusive assemblies of American art in the world, containing more than 7,000 artists’ work. It boasts the largest collection of New Deal art and the most superb collections of contemporary craft, American impressionist paintings, and masterpieces from the Gilded Age. The museum is free.
National Museum of the American Indian
Fourth Street & Independence Ave SW
Washington D.C.
(202) 633-1000
Daily 10am-5:30pm
Closed Dec 25
Metrostop: L’Enfant Plaza
The first national museum dedicated to the Native peoples of the Americas, this museum holds more than 800,000 artifacts that showcase the spiritual and daily lives represented by nearly all tribes in the U.S. and Candada, as well as Central and South America and the Caribbean. Some especially important exhibitions include Our Universe, Our Peoples and Our Lives. The museum is free.
National Museum of American History
1400 Constitution Ave NW
Washington D.C.
(202) 633-1000
Daily 10am-5:30pm
Closed Dec 25
Metrostop: Smithsonian-Federal Triangle
The National Museum of American History contains more than 3 million artifacts from America's past. Some particularly extraordinary exhibits include: America on the Move, which highlights an original Ford Model T; The Price of Freedom: Americans at War; The First Ladies at the Smithsonian, which includes inaugural gowns worn by Americas first ladies; and the Star-Spangled Banner. The museum is free.
International Spy Museum
800 F Street NW
Washington D.C.
(202) 393-7798
Apr-Oct daily 10am-8pm; Nov-Mar daily 10am-6pm
Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 25
Hours may vary
Metrostop: Gallery Place-Chinatown
Opened in 2002, the International Spy Museum is the first museum in the world dedicated to international espionage. The museum features a vast collection of artifacts including a German Enigma cipher machine, a Soviet shoe transmitter, a wristwatch camera and a lipstick pistol. Tickets may be bought online or at the museum.