Smithsonian Museums

The Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC are world class museums with a variety of exhibits ranging from art to space exploration. Admission to all of the Smithsonian museums is free. Visitors enjoy examining more than 137 million objects, works of art and specimens as well as participating in guided tours, hands-on-activities and special programs. With 19 museums and galleries, there truly is something for everyone. You can not see everything in one visit. So here is a guide to help you plan your visit to the Smithsonian.

See photos of the Smithsonian Institution.

Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as the Castle)
This historic building is a good place to start your tour of the museums. The Smithsonian Information Center is located here and you can find a map and schedule of events. Most of the museums are open daily, except for December 25th, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building
This historic building was the original home of the National Museum. It is currently closed for renovations.

Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
This impressive museum displays the largest collection of air and spacecraft in the world. Visit here and learn about the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight. There are IMAX films and planetarium shows several times a day. In 2003, the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum has opened a second location, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia.

Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Smithsonian's museum of modern and contemporary art includes arts of traditional historical themes and collections addressing emotion, abstraction, politics, process, religion, and economics.

Smithsonian Freer Gallery
The art museum features a world-renowned collection of art from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, and the Near East. Paintings, ceramics, manuscripts, and sculptures are among the favorites of this museum. The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Auditorium provides free programs relating to the collections of the Freer and Sackler galleries, including performances of Asian music and dance, films, lectures, chamber music, and dramatic presentations.

Smithsonian Sackler Gallery
This unique building is connected underground to the Freer Gallery of Art. The Sackler collection includes Chinese bronzes, jades, paintings and lacquerware, ancient Near Eastern ceramics and metalware, and sculpture from Asia.

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
The collection includes ancient as well as contemporary works from Africa. There are special events, storytelling, demonstrations and children’s programs.

Smithsonian Natural History Museum
At this family favorite museum you will see a variety of artifacts including an 80-foot dinosaur skeleton, a life size model of a blue whale, an enormous prehistoric white shark, and a 45-and-a-half carat jewel a known as the Hope Diamond. The Discovery Room is a great hands-on display for young children. Feel the skin of a crocodile, examine the jaws and teeth of different animals or try on clothes from around the globe.

Smithsonian American History Museum
The museum collects and preserves more than 3 million artifacts of American history and culture, from the War of Independence to the present day. At the heart of the museum, the Star-Spangled Banner—one of the most recognized symbols of the nation—has been given a new state-of-the-art gallery. New galleries such as the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention, presenting “Invention at Play,” join old favorites including “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden” and “America on the Move.”

See page 2 for more Smithsonian Museums