Washington, DC, is the nation’s capital and absolutely the pinnacle of American historical past. If it has occurred, you’ll be able to wager that there’s an ode to it in Washington, DC, and this fixation and centrality inside American historical past is what provides town its improbable museums. Washington, DC, has a few of the most visited museums in the USA.
Together with your cultural cravings prepared and ready, choices just like the Spy Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Smithsonian’s Pure Historical past Museum assure you a improbable museum itinerary.
High Museums in Washington DC
This information has compiled all the perfect of Washington DC’s museums into one extra-convenient record. Get a style of Washington’s infamous museum scene with these high 10 museums in Washington, DC.
1. Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past
The Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past is likely one of the most visited museums in Washington, DC. It’s the solely nationwide museum devoted to documenting the African American expertise in the USA, and in case you are prepared for highly effective reveals and greater than 40,000 artifacts, that is the museum to spend a morning at. The museum founder is Lonnie G. Bunch III – an esteemed historian and the primary ever African American to function head of the Smithsonian Establishment.
Lonnie has pioneered an absolute icon within the Washington museum scene. Guests can study every little thing from the civil rights motion to the proficient artists all through the ages on the museum’s separate African artwork museum. There are even short-term reveals like Afrofuturism – a creative envisioning of ‘liberated futures for Black life’ – to flick thru.
The Museum of African American Historical past is true in the course of Washington, DC, the right addition to a busy day of sightseeing. Logistically it is sensible to squeeze this museum onto your itinerary. Since it’s free to enter, it’s gentle on the funds, too – win-win.
2. Nationwide Constructing Museum
- Opening occasions: 10 am till 4 pm Thursday till Monday
- Value: $10 per grownup
The Nationwide Constructing Museum would possibly sound like a randomly themed museum. Nonetheless, it is likely one of the most fascinating choices in Washington, DC. Draw your thoughts away from Bob the Builder-style scenes and as an alternative envision a Corinthian-columned constructing with an enormous grand corridor.
Would you actually count on something much less from a museum devoted to structure, engineering, and design? The Constructing Museum is beautiful. Guests wander by rooms upon rooms of distinctive scenes – from the Harry Potter-style grand corridor to a room of (barely bizarre-looking) blue spikes.
The museum apparently shows that we spend ‘near 90% of our lives inside’, presenting the concept we should always pay extra consideration to inside design and its impression on our well-being. Situated only a quick stroll from the nation’s capital, the museum is essentially the most enjoyable place to query and discover the human relationship with design.
3. Worldwide Spy Museum
- Opening occasions: 9 am till 7 pm Monday to Thursday, 9 am till 8 pm Friday to Sunday
- Value: $26
Okay, it doesn’t get a lot cooler than an Worldwide Spy Museum. The spy museum is a fascinating haven for all issues spy-related, be its interactive reveals, artifacts like outdated spy gadgets, and a few fascinating tales. Whereas it’s family-friendly, the Worldwide Spy Museum caters to folks throughout the board.
And regardless of its barely steeper entrance costs, it stays among the best museums to go to in Washington, DC. Its interactive promise is fulfilled with codes and challenges to crack all through your expertise. When you additionally get insights into previous spies, with American historical past, worldwide tales, and spy figures.
The Spy Museum is situated close to the Smithsonian Establishment’s assortment of museums, together with the Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past and the Nationwide Air and House Museum of the Smithsonian Establishment. It’s a improbable attraction to mix with one in every of these museums, and it’s also scenically situated close by the Washington Channel – good for river views.
4. Smithsonian Nationwide Air and House Museum
Smithsonian Nationwide Air and House Museum is dreamy. The whole venue is flight-themed, and also you stroll beneath suspended planes and early flight contraptions. The completely different reveals create an pleasing feeling of sensory overload, with one thing on show in any respect ranges and areas.
There are round 8 rooms, and the entire expertise at Smithsonian Nationwide Air and House Museum takes no less than a couple of hours. The museum paperwork every little thing from the Apollo missions to the early planes and even a solitary tardis to enterprise into fictional flight historical past. This spot is likely one of the high museums in Washington, DC – a private suggestion and sensible attraction in your pockets. It is usually one of many iconic Smithsonian museums.
This museum is situated throughout the neighborhood of most different Smithsonian museums. It’s accessible by way of public transport and simply slotted into your Washington, DC, itinerary. Hold this as one in every of your finest choices for anybody wanting an perception into house and flight historical past.
5. Nationwide Mall
- Opening occasions: 24/7
- Value: Free
This free museum is likely one of the most original choices on this information. Moderately than being a conventional constructing with drab banners and measly reveals right here and there, the Nationwide Mall covers over 300 acres of monuments and American historical past. The completely different monuments and landmarks are related by a community of mountain climbing trails. If you are able to do one factor in Washington DC, we recommend you cease by Nationwide Mall to sightsee. In truth, the Nationwide Mall has a few of the better of Washington DC’s monuments and landmarks.
The park has over 100 monuments and memorials. It’s a image of not solely the guts of Washington, DC but additionally the USA. You’ll be able to go to the Washington Monument, Martin Luther King JR Memorial, and the dramatic waterfront Lincoln Memorial. It’s a complete dream to go to with a digital camera.
And when you like historical past and aesthetic locations, you’ll be in for an actual deal with with this mixture. The Nationwide Mall additionally helps you to see lots in a short while, as it’s dwelling to lots of the main landmark points of interest in Washington, DC.
6. Nationwide Gallery of Artwork
Washington, DC, does artwork galleries, and it does them nicely. For those who fancy looking modern artwork reveals, then the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork is your selection by default. The Nationwide Gallery of Artwork is dwelling to fashionable and modern artwork in varied codecs – from a good looking sculpture backyard to elegant wood-paneled corridors of gold-framed portrait after portrait. In case you are an artwork fanatic, that is the type of place the place goals are fabricated from. The Nationwide Gallery of Artwork is elegant to its core, with columns, atriums, domed ceilings, and elongated hall after hall. You could possibly simply spend hours right here. The entire place is a bit of artwork in itself.
Moderately than that eclectic fashionable artwork museum inside, the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork is tremendous luxurious and extra of a timeless, basic museum. Hold this in thoughts when selecting between Washington DC’s artwork galleries.
7. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Holocaust is likely one of the saddest historic occasions of our time, and to pay your respects whereas studying extra, the USA Holocaust Memorial Museum is a sobering place to go to. The USA Holocaust Museum opens 7 days every week and presents free timed entry slots staggered from 10 am till 5:30 pm. The museum is a not-for-profit and dwelling memorial to the occasions of the Holocaust and those that skilled it.
The primary exhibition spreads over three flooring and comprises eyewitness testimonies, historic artifacts, movie, and pictures. If you wish to know extra about Holocaust, plan to spend a few hours on this part, because it particulars every little thing from the rise of the Nazi celebration to the liberation of the camps in 1945.
There are then additional exhibitions on completely different flooring – together with one devoted to the ‘People and the Holocaust’ and an alternate perception into genocide with an exhibition on ‘Burma’s Path to Genocide’. Most hauntingly, there are two exhibitions, one devoted to the youngsters of the Holocaust and one referred to as ‘One Thousand and Seventy-eight Blue Skies’ – a photographic exhibition with particular person photos of the skies above each focus camp in Europe.
The USA Holocaust Museum is a strong and vital museum to go to. It’s situated only a quick stroll from the Washington Monument and ideally mixed with a go to to the Nationwide Mall.
8. Hirshhorn Museum
- Opening occasions: 10 am till 5:30 pm
- Value: Free
Hirshhorn Museum is an absolute testomony to the fascinating phenomenon of contemporary artwork. The museum is about in a slightly bizarre-looking doughnut-shaped constructing – a direct nod to its outlandish, quirky character if we ever did see one. Hirshhorn Museum has a relentless conveyor belt of nonstop exhibitions. In just some months in 2023, reveals are devoted to modern Chinese language pictures and Baseera Khan. The identical goes for occasions, too, and you may at all times try the rammed exercise schedule after the exercise. These short-term occasions are nice for households wanting low-cost children’ leisure. Whereas completely, Hirshhorn Museum has over 12,000 items of paintings to gawp at and analyze.
Hirshhorn Museum is about throughout the little bubble of Smithsonian Establishment museums. It’s simple to entry by public transport or on foot. As we talked about, it’s the excellent place for household actions. Hirshhorn Museum attracts the extra outgoing, action-loving artwork lover. So if you wish to keep away from the elegant however barely stuffy grandeur of a few of the extra formal galleries in Washington DC, Hirshhorn Museum is your finest wager.
9. Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past
While you consider pure historical past, what do you consider? Most likely David Attenborough and dinosaur fossils. Nicely, any more, you’ll be able to add the Smithsonian’s Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past to that record. Each metropolis wants a pure historical past museum, and the Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past is likely one of the finest museums in Washington, DC. It takes a selected caliber to be the capital’s pure historical past museum, so that you finest imagine that this museum is the highest.
Guests can glimpse a few of the world’s rarest gems and stand up near not one however dozens of dinosaur skeletons and fossils. And moreover all that, there are additionally stuffed animal species and different organic examples all through the museum. Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past is likely one of the most complete examples of pure historical past preservation in the USA. We suggest paying a go to.
10. Nationwide Museum of Asian Artwork
- Opening occasions: 10 am till 5:30 pm
- Value: Free
This beautiful Asian artwork museum is definitely one in every of Washington DC’s high galleries, which, as you now know, is saying one thing. The museum is a improbable ode to Asian paintings from quite a few completely different international locations. You’ll discover Center Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Japanese artwork, to call a couple of. There’s lovely Arabic calligraphy to admire, Indian sculptures and pottery work, and stylish Japanese silk works. There are over 46,000 works to admire and flooring and flooring of reveals to soak up. The agency favourite room is the Peacock Room – so look ahead to that.
The Nationwide Museum offers a extra numerous perception into historic artwork than many fashionable artwork galleries in Washington, DC. In case you are an fanatic serious about Asian artwork or simply need to go to one of many specialist artwork museums, then the Nationwide Museum is a improbable choice. It’s in and amongst all of the Smithsonian museums, so that you’ll discover it simple to squeeze into your sightseeing.
11. Smithsonian American Artwork Museum
The Smithsonian American Artwork Museum is likely one of the high museums in Washington, DC. So far as Smithsonian museums go, American artwork is likely one of the most particular however least uncommon museum classes. For any artwork fanatic, having such an in depth assortment of 1 sort of artwork in a single place is helpful.
And the Smithsonian American Artwork Museum prides itself on being one in every of its largest, most inclusive collections worldwide. The paintings dates again to the colonial interval, however you’ll additionally see a couple of items from at this time. You’ll be able to tour independently or profit from a complimentary strolling tour that’s run every day.
Kogod Courtyard is an architectural characteristic of the museum itself that guests love – a considerable glass-enclosed courtyard with tropical crops and tons of pure lighting. It’s price noting that the Smithsonian American Artwork Museum can be located within the third-oldest federal constructing in Washington, DC. And as soon as you’re accomplished, you’ll be able to simply mix it with a visit subsequent door to the Nationwide Portrait Gallery.
12. Museum of the Bible
The Museum of the Bible is likely one of the most non secular Washington DC museums, if not essentially the most non secular Washington DC museum. It has a whole assortment of extremely prized sacred relics and reveals, together with historical scrolls and ‘uncommon Bibles’. The constructing is superbly designed with stained glass home windows and church-like decor all through, and since it’s break up throughout six flooring, you might have a great deal of sights to get by. It isn’t simply traditionally priceless with its reveals; there are immersive alternatives within the Museum of the Bible. You could possibly catch an Outdated or New Testomony present and take a look at sculpture scenes just like the Jesus Nazareth scene.
The museum pioneers and funds large quantities of analysis. Its museum shows cowl over 4,000 years of historical past, and due to this, it’s a actually lively level of analysis. It’s price checking in to see what talks and occasions can be found, because the museum attracts some actual business consultants.
13. Planet Phrase
- Opening occasions: 10 am till 5 pm Wednesday to Friday, then 10 am till 6 pm Saturday to Monday, and closed Tuesday.
- Value: Prompt donation of $10-15
Planet Phrase is a whole museum dedicated to the spoken phrase. The museum circles across the ideas of language and phrases, with every little thing from karaoke to Scrabble. As guests, you bask in visiting exhibit corridor after corridor of word-themed points of interest – from phrase bushes outside to elegant libraries inside.
There are interactive actions, like a recording studio and a room instructing you find out how to create advert copy. Planet Phrase is unimaginable for anybody with youngsters or younger adults serious about a writing, journalistic, and musical profession. It’s someplace to enterprise for an hour or two for some thought-provoking leisure.
The museum is located in a Nineteenth-century constructing with Victorian-style structure and is definitely set within the historic Franklin College. The Franklin College has Nationwide Historic Landmark standing as a result of it was the primary public training faculty in the USA as an unbiased nation. So it’s becoming to see that its legacy has continued with Planet Phrase – a museum dedicated to studying and language.
14. White Home
- Opening occasions: 7:30 am till 4 pm
- Value: Free
Do you know that the White Home is definitely a totally functioning museum? With capped numbers and restricted hours, in fact. This iconic museum boasts a few of American historical past’s most well-known scenes. And when you submit your tour requests with loads of warning- which is at least 21 days and as much as three months prematurely – then you’ll be able to spend a couple of hours treading the identical carpets because the Obamas and Trumps. You can even cease by the White Home Customer Middle, which has over 90 completely different White Home artifacts and a 14-minute movie. There are lots of interactive reveals, archives, and even a museum store on the finish so that you can splurge in.
Visiting the White Home from the surface is thrilling sufficient. Simply peering by the gates is a bucket record attraction for a lot of. Nevertheless, touring the within and having the White Home museum expertise takes the cookie. We’d suggest this wholeheartedly to anybody with a die-hard curiosity in American historical past and politics.
15. Smithsonian’s Nationwide Postal Museum
- Opening occasions: 10 am till 5:30 pm
- Value: Free
Smithsonian’s Nationwide Postal Museum is likely one of the most uncommon museums in Washington D.C. Consider it or not, the postal story in the USA is definitely fascinating. The method started with the Pony Specific, a brigade of horseback riders who ran America’s postal system for round 18 months. It’s famed for being a monetary shambles, however the entire thing makes an awesome story. Then after that, the primary transcontinental telegraph system halted the service in 1861, and normal mail service started as we all know it.
The Nationwide Postal Museum is one other Smithsonian museum in your record – located in that acquainted bubble of Smithsonian Establishment museums. The museum paperwork every little thing from the creation of postal stationery to the early automobiles that used to ship mail. The museum tells a improbable story of each side of American postal historical past and presents a high quality assortment of memorabilia. There’s even a Twenties-style put up workplace the place you’ll be able to decide up free stamps to begin your stamp-collecting pastime.
The Smithsonian’s Nationwide Postal Museum is situated within the East Finish, comparatively centrally in Washington, DC. It’s nicely mixed with a go to to the USA Capitol and DC Fireplace and EMS Museum (which is our ‘honorable point out’ since we couldn’t squeeze it onto this record).
16. Nationwide Archives Museum
Let’s end with a bang; Nationwide Archives Museum has a few of the most traditionally important artifacts in the USA. The esteemed museum’s assortment consists of the authentic Declaration of Independence, Structure, and Invoice of Rights. In case you are visiting Washington DC, you’re undoubtedly conversant in and even planning your journey round embracing American historical past, so don’t miss this pivotal spot. The Nationwide Archives Museum is the place to stand up shut and private with early American historical past.
Except for the founding paperwork of the USA (how cool is that to say?), the Nationwide Archives Museum additionally has a collection of smaller reveals. These embody an space devoted to the Suffrage Motion and filled with civil rights letters and petitioning. The Nationwide Archives Museum is a superb place to get a bitesize however intense introduction to American Historical past and Washington DC’s expertise.
Enjoyable Museums in Washington DC
Which of those finest museums in Washington, DC, do you assume most closely fits you and your itinerary? Washington, DC, actually comes into its personal with artwork galleries and historical past museums, however the selection is infinite. In any case, who’d have thought you could possibly go to the Nationwide Constructing Museum, Museum of the Bible, Worldwide Spy Museum, and the White Home multi function metropolis?
Take a look at presidential portraits, European and American artwork, dinosaur fossils, and extra. Have an exquisite time museum purchasing in among the best locations for reveals on the planet.
