Washington, DC, is the nation’s capital and absolutely the pinnacle of American historical past. If it has occurred, you possibly can guess 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 america.
Along 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.
Prime Museums in Washington DC
This information has compiled all the very best of Washington DC’s museums into one extra-convenient listing. Get a style of Washington’s infamous museum scene with these prime 10 museums in Washington, DC.
1. Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past
The Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past is among the most visited museums in Washington, DC. It’s the solely nationwide museum devoted to documenting the African American expertise in america, and if you’re prepared for highly effective displays 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 the whole lot from the civil rights motion to the proficient artists all through the ages on the museum’s separate African artwork museum. There are even non permanent displays like Afrofuturism – an inventive envisioning of ‘liberated futures for Black life’ – to flick thru.
The Museum of African American Historical past is correct in the midst of Washington, DC, the proper 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 price range, too – win-win.
2. Nationwide Constructing Museum
- Opening occasions: 10 am till 4 pm Thursday till Monday
- Price: $10 per grownup
The Nationwide Constructing Museum may sound like a randomly themed museum. Nonetheless, it is among the most fascinating choices in Washington, DC. Draw your thoughts away from Bob the Builder-style scenes and as a substitute envision a Corinthian-columned constructing with a large grand corridor.
Would you actually anticipate 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 that we should always pay extra consideration to inside design and its influence 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
- Price: $26
Okay, it doesn’t get a lot cooler than an Worldwide Spy Museum. The spy museum is an interesting haven for all issues spy-related, be its interactive displays, artifacts like previous spy units, 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 positioned 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 among these museums, and additionally it is scenically positioned 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 complete venue is flight-themed, and also you stroll beneath suspended planes and early flight contraptions. The completely different displays 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 a minimum of a number of hours. The museum paperwork the whole lot from the Apollo missions to the early planes and even a solitary tardis to enterprise into fictional flight historical past. This spot is among the prime museums in Washington, DC – a private suggestion and sensible attraction to your pockets. Additionally it is one of many iconic Smithsonian museums.
This museum is positioned inside the neighborhood of most different Smithsonian museums. It’s accessible through public transport and simply slotted into your Washington, DC, itinerary. Hold this as one among your greatest choices for anybody wanting an perception into house and flight historical past.
5. Nationwide Mall
- Opening occasions: 24/7
- Price: Free
This free museum is among the most unusual choices on this information. Moderately than being a standard constructing with drab banners and measly displays 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 propose you cease by Nationwide Mall to sightsee. In actual fact, 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 america. You may 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 digicam.
And in case you like historical past and aesthetic locations, you’ll be in for an actual deal with with this mix. The Nationwide Mall additionally allows you to see rather a lot in a short while, as it’s house 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 properly. In case you fancy looking up to date artwork displays, then the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork is your alternative by default. The Nationwide Gallery of Artwork is house to fashionable and up to date artwork in varied codecs – from a stupendous sculpture backyard to elegant wood-paneled corridors of gold-framed portrait after portrait. In case you are an artwork fanatic, that is the form of place the place desires are made from. The Nationwide Gallery of Artwork is elegant to its core, with columns, atriums, domed ceilings, and elongated hall after hall. You can simply spend hours right here. The entire place is a chunk 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, traditional museum. Hold this in thoughts when selecting between Washington DC’s artwork galleries.
7. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Holocaust is among the saddest historic occasions of our time, and to pay your respects whereas studying extra, america Holocaust Memorial Museum is a sobering place to go to. America Holocaust Museum opens 7 days every week and provides 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 people who skilled it.
The primary exhibition spreads over three flooring and incorporates 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 the whole lot from the rise of the Nazi social gathering 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 another perception into genocide with an exhibition on ‘Burma’s Path to Genocide’. Most hauntingly, there are two exhibitions, one devoted to the kids of the Holocaust and one known as ‘One Thousand and Seventy-eight Blue Skies’ – a photographic exhibition with particular person photos of the skies above each focus camp in Europe.
America Holocaust Museum is a robust and essential museum to go to. It’s positioned 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
- Price: Free
Hirshhorn Museum is an absolute testomony to the fascinating phenomenon of contemporary artwork. The museum is ready in a reasonably bizarre-looking doughnut-shaped constructing – a direct nod to its outlandish, quirky persona if we ever did see one. Hirshhorn Museum has a continuing conveyor belt of nonstop exhibitions. In just some months in 2023, displays are devoted to up to date Chinese language pictures and Baseera Khan. The identical goes for occasions, too, and you may all the time take a look at the rammed exercise schedule after the exercise. These non permanent occasions are nice for households wanting low-cost children’ leisure. Whereas completely, Hirshhorn Museum has over 12,000 items of art work to gawp at and analyze.
Hirshhorn Museum is ready inside the little bubble of Smithsonian Establishment museums. It’s straightforward 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 greatest guess.
9. Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past
If you consider pure historical past, what do you consider? Most likely David Attenborough and dinosaur fossils. Properly, any more, you possibly can add the Smithsonian’s Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past to that listing. Each metropolis wants a pure historical past museum, and the Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past is among the greatest museums in Washington, DC. It takes a selected caliber to be the capital’s pure historical past museum, so that you greatest imagine that this museum is the highest.
Guests can glimpse a few of the world’s rarest gems and rise up near not one however dozens of dinosaur skeletons and fossils. And in addition to all that, there are additionally stuffed animal species and different organic examples all through the museum. Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past is among the most complete examples of pure historical past preservation in america. We advocate paying a go to.
10. Nationwide Museum of Asian Artwork
- Opening occasions: 10 am till 5:30 pm
- Price: Free
This beautiful Asian artwork museum is well one among Washington DC’s prime galleries, which, as you now know, is saying one thing. The museum is a improbable ode to Asian art work from quite a few completely different international locations. You’ll discover Center Jap, Korean, Indian, and Japanese artwork, to call a number of. There may be stunning Arabic calligraphy to admire, Indian sculptures and pottery work, and chic Japanese silk works. There are over 46,000 works to admire and flooring and flooring of displays to absorb. 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 concerned 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 straightforward to squeeze into your sightseeing.
11. Smithsonian American Artwork Museum
The Smithsonian American Artwork Museum is among the prime museums in Washington, DC. So far as Smithsonian museums go, American artwork is among the most particular however least uncommon museum classes. For any artwork fanatic, having such an intensive assortment of 1 sort of artwork in a single place is helpful.
And the Smithsonian American Artwork Museum prides itself on being one among its largest, most inclusive collections worldwide. The art work dates again to the colonial interval, however you’ll additionally see a number of items from right this moment. You may tour independently or profit from a complimentary strolling tour that’s run day by 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 performed, you possibly can simply mix it with a visit subsequent door to the Nationwide Portrait Gallery.
12. Museum of the Bible
The Museum of the Bible is among the most spiritual Washington DC museums, if not essentially the most spiritual Washington DC museum. It has an entire assortment of extremely prized sacred relics and displays, together with historic scrolls and ‘uncommon Bibles’. The constructing is fantastically designed with stained glass home windows and church-like decor all through, and since it’s cut up throughout six flooring, you will have a great deal of sights to get by. It isn’t simply traditionally helpful with its displays; there are immersive alternatives within the Museum of the Bible. You can catch an Previous 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 energetic level of analysis. It’s price checking in to see what talks and occasions can be found, because the museum attracts some actual trade 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.
- Price: Instructed donation of $10-15
Planet Phrase is a complete museum dedicated to the spoken phrase. The museum circles across the ideas of language and phrases, with the whole lot from karaoke to Scrabble. As guests, you bask in visiting exhibit corridor after corridor of word-themed points of interest – from phrase bushes outdoor to elegant libraries inside.
There are interactive actions, like a recording studio and a room instructing you how you can create advert copy. Planet Phrase is unbelievable for anybody with youngsters or younger adults concerned 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 Faculty. The Franklin Faculty has Nationwide Historic Landmark standing as a result of it was the primary public schooling college in america as an impartial 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
- Price: Free
Do you know that the White Home is definitely a completely functioning museum? With capped numbers and restricted hours, after all. This iconic museum boasts a few of American historical past’s most well-known scenes. And in case you submit your tour requests with loads of warning- which is a minimum of 21 days and as much as three months prematurely – then you possibly can spend a number of hours treading the identical carpets because the Obamas and Trumps. You may as well cease by the White Home Customer Heart, which has over 90 completely different White Home artifacts and a 14-minute movie. There are a lot of interactive displays, 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 listing attraction for a lot of. Nonetheless, touring the within and having the White Home museum expertise takes the cookie. We’d advocate 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
- Price: Free
Smithsonian’s Nationwide Postal Museum is among the most uncommon museums in Washington D.C. Imagine it or not, the postal story in america 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 incredible story. Then after that, the primary transcontinental telegraph system halted the service in 1861, and customary mail service started as we all know it.
The Nationwide Postal Museum is one other Smithsonian museum to your listing – located in that acquainted bubble of Smithsonian Establishment museums. The museum paperwork the whole lot 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 provides a superb assortment of memorabilia. There’s even a Nineteen Twenties-style submit workplace the place you possibly can decide up free stamps to begin your stamp-collecting pastime.
The Smithsonian’s Nationwide Postal Museum is positioned within the East Finish, comparatively centrally in Washington, DC. It’s properly mixed with a go to to america Capitol and DC Fireplace and EMS Museum (which is our ‘honorable point out’ since we couldn’t squeeze it onto this listing).
16. Nationwide Archives Museum
Let’s end with a bang; Nationwide Archives Museum has a few of the most traditionally important artifacts in america. 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 accustomed to 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 rise up shut and private with early American historical past.
Other than the founding paperwork of america (how cool is that to say?), the Nationwide Archives Museum additionally has a sequence of smaller displays. These embrace an space devoted to the Suffrage Motion and stuffed with civil rights letters and petitioning. The Nationwide Archives Museum is a wonderful 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 greatest 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 limitless. In any case, who’d have thought you can go to the Nationwide Constructing Museum, Museum of the Bible, Worldwide Spy Museum, and the White Home multi functional metropolis?
Try presidential portraits, European and American artwork, dinosaur fossils, and extra. Have an exquisite time museum purchasing in among the best locations for displays on the planet.
