Washington DC Museums

Where to go?  View map of the National Mall and Smithsonian Museums

All Smithsonian Museums offer public restrooms, water fountains, gift stores, and are handicap and stroller accessible.  Be aware that there are security guards at all museums that will search any bags or purses that are brought into the museums.  Some of the larger museums also offer a coat or bag check-in room.

National Air and Space Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport, VA

Udvar-Hazy Center
Washington DC has countless wonderful museums to visit and enjoy.  One of the newest and most popular museums in the area is the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (official website), located in a massive facility near Dulles International Airport. 

This is the companion facility to the Air and Space Museum located on the Mall in DC.  What makes this place unique is its massive size, allowing many aircraft to be displayed that could not fit on the National Mall.  Here, visitors can walk among aircraft parked on the hangar floor as well as view aircraft suspended above at three different levels.  Famous aircraft such as the Space Shuttle Enterprise, B-29 Enola Gay, the fastest plane in the world SR-71, and the Concorde.

The building uses a lot of natural lighting through overhead windows at the top of the hangar supplemented by directional lighting.  As we walked through the main hangar floor, we passed by the large and impressive SR-71 Blackbird and continued down the hall into an extension of the hangar.  At the end of the hallway was the dramatically displayed Space Shuttle Enterprise - much more massive than it looks in the photos or on TV!  In addition to the many aircraft on display, there is an IMAX Theater as well as tours of a simulated control tower and observation deck with sweeping views of Dulles airport and the aircraft on final approach to landing.  Visitors of all ages will enjoy this museum and will truly be impressed by the spectacular aircraft and spacecraft.

National Museum of Natural History (official website) - The wonders of the natural world await you beneath the golden dome of this museum.  As you enter the central rotunda you will encounter a towering elephant high on a platform.  The various galleries branch out from this central room.  Exhibits include animals, insects, reptiles, dinosaurs, oceans, cultures, and many more.  The hall of mammals offers a diverse exhibit of mammals in a variety of environments.  This dramatic, interactive display was designed for families with kids.  View map.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art (official website) - You may not be much of an art buff, but you should take the time to visit these two galleries.  Connected to each other by an underground tunnel, housed in a Zen-like underground building, the unique design of these galleries is almost as captivating as the art itself.  Together, these galleries form the national museum of Asian art for the United States.

National Museum of American History (official website).  This museum is closed for renovation, to be reopened Summer 2008.  View map

National Gallery of Art (official website).  The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of Congress, accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon.  There are spectacular art displays, vibrant portraits, intricate busts, ornate fountain areas, and quiet antechambers adorned with figurines.  Take the time to pause at the serene display underneath the Gallery's rotunda.  View map.

International Spy Museum (official website) - This was probably the most unique museum that we have ever visited.  This museum is interactive and covers the history of espionage in great detail.  Completely hands-on, you can spy on other visitor's conversations, climb through the air ducts, and see countless presentations, displays, and short documentaries.  Historic anecdotes and one-of-a-kind spy paraphernalia is on display.  Admission fee required.  View map.

United States Holocaust Museum
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (official website) stimulates leaders and citizens to confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy. A public-private partnership, federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanence, and donors nationwide make possible its educational activities and global outreach.  View map.

The National Building Museum
This is America's premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning.  The National Building Museum (official website) welcomes visitors from around the world to its exhibitions which offer insight into the history and future of the world we create for ourselves.  This museum is a great place to take your kids - it offers a huge, open interior with plenty of room for kids to run around.  Additionally, there are several kid-friendly interactive displays including the Building Zone - a separate room for kids to enjoy building and playing with games and educational toys; they even offer kid building kits to play with.  View map.

National Postal Museum
This museum offers a colorful and engaging collection of airmail planes, mail trucks, stagecoaches, and other postal vehicles of the ages along with rare stamps and letters.  There is also an exhibit on the historic Pony Express.  Located next to Union Station, DC (view map).  (202) 633-1000. 

View of the National Mall next to the Smithsonian Castle

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