Washington's museums are mostly national institutions, and this list leans into that on purpose. The Smithsonian Institution dates from 1846 and is described as a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government, with five more picks here described as its divisions: American history, American art, the American Indian museum, the portrait gallery, and African art. The others widen the frame. The National Gallery of Art is described as the national art museum in Washington, D.C., the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the country's official memorial to the Holocaust, the National Museum of Women in the Arts dates from 1981, and Dumbarton Oaks is a research institution for Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and garden and landscape studies. This list is for the visitor who would rather see three museums properly than eight in a blur. Pick by subject rather than by fame, check the closing times, which vary more than you would expect, and leave time between visits.
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1 Smithsonian Institution
1000 Jefferson Drive Southwest, Washington, DC 20560The parent body of a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government
Think of the Smithsonian Institution, listed at 1000 Jefferson Drive Southwest, Washington, DC 20560, as the parent rather than the outing. It is described as a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government and dates from 1846, which makes this address a place to get your bearings rather than a single collection to work through. Skip the urge to tick off every Smithsonian building in one day. Pick two that match what you care about, give each a proper few hours, and save the rest for another trip. The name opens a great many doors in this city, and the smart visitor is selective about which ones to go through.
Dates from 1846
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2 National Gallery of Art
The national art museum in Washington, D.C., open every day of the week
The National Gallery of Art, the national art museum in Washington, D.C., has been open since 1937 and runs seven days a week from 10:00 to 17:00. Don't try to cover every wing. These rooms reward a slow late afternoon far more than a sprint, so pick a period or a painter and let the rest go. That seven-day schedule makes it easy to fit around everything else on the trip, and we'd encourage you to do exactly that, because tired eyes miss what's here. For questions before you set out, the number is +1 (202) 737-4215.
Dates from 1937
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:00
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3 National Museum of Natural History
10th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560A natural history museum in a building on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
The National Museum of Natural History has stood at 10th St & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560 since 1910, and its place on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites means the building itself earns attention, not merely the backdrop to a natural history museum. The doors are open daily from 10:00 to 17:30. Arrive at 10:00 if you can: families and tour groups tend to converge around midday, and the first hour is the calmest by far. Come with a plan, and don't try to read every label.
Dates from 1910 · District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:30
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4 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126The United States' official memorial to the Holocaust
Give the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum a full morning, not a slot squeezed between lunch and a monument. The United States' official memorial to the Holocaust in Washington, D.C., it dates from 1993 and sits at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126. It opens daily at 10:00 and closes at 17:20, and that closing time is unusual enough to plan around before you set off. This is not a place to squeeze in at the tail end of a museum marathon. Come rested, leave time afterwards to sit with what you have seen, and check https://www.ushmm.org/ before you set out.
Dates from 1993
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:20
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5 National Air and Space Museum
655 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, DC 20560An aerospace museum in Washington, D.C.
The National Air and Space Museum at 655 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, DC 20560, an aerospace museum dating from 1946, opens daily from 10:00 to 17:30. If your schedule allows, skip the weekend late-morning rush; a weekday visit at opening gives you room to stop, look up, and take something in rather than shuffling with the crowd. Bring whoever asks the most questions in your group, child or adult, and let them lead. Check https://airandspace.si.edu/ before you go, or call +1-202-633-2214.
Dates from 1946
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:30
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6 National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20005An art museum in Washington, D.C. whose name states its focus on women in the arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts at 1250 New York Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20005 dates from 1981 and opens Monday to Saturday at 10:00 and Sunday at 12:00, with every day ending at 17:00. The name tells you the focus plainly, and that focus is the reason to make the trip. When locals want to see work they haven't already encountered a hundred times, this is where they come rather than the bigger, more crowded art halls. Come to look carefully, not to check a list. Call +1 (202) 783-5000 or check https://nmwa.org/ before you visit.
Dates from 1981
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00
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7 National Museum of American History
1300 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DCA history museum and a division of the Smithsonian Institution
The National Museum of American History at 1300 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC is a history museum and a division of the Smithsonian Institution, dating from 1964, open daily from 10:00 to 17:30 except Dec 25. Don't try to see it all in one visit. Pick one era or one theme that means something to you and stay with it; you'll remember more and leave less tired. What draws us to this address is the national story told at national scale, the kind of breadth no regional history museum can match. Check http://americanhistory.si.edu/ before you go.
Dates from 1964
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8 Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th and G Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20004A fine arts museum open until 19:00 every day, public holidays included
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, at 8th and G Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20004, is open from 11:30 to 19:00 every day, public holidays included, and that closing time is reason enough to make it your early-evening destination. A fine arts museum and a division of the Smithsonian Institution dating from 1829, it gives you a better option than rushing to fit one more building in before closing. Come here after 17:00, when the day's other plans are done. The late hours are what set this address apart. Call +1 202-633-7970 or check http://americanart.si.edu/.
Dates from 1829
Hours: Mo-Su,PH 11:30-19:00
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9 National Museum of the American Indian
4th Street and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20560A museum in Washington, D.C. and a division of the Smithsonian Institution, dating from 1989
The National Museum of the American Indian is on 4th Street and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20560, a museum in Washington, D.C. and a division of the Smithsonian Institution dating from 1989, with daily hours from 10:00 to 17:30. Don't treat it as a quick stop between bigger names. The subject deserves an unhurried visit, and the visitor who gives it one tends to leave with a different picture of the country than the one they arrived with. Check http://www.nmai.si.edu before you go.
Dates from 1989
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:30
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10 National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20001An art museum and a division of the Smithsonian Institution, open into the evening Wednesday to Sunday
The National Portrait Gallery is at 8th and G Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20001: an art museum and a division of the Smithsonian Institution dating from 1962, with doors open Wednesday to Sunday from 11:30 to 19:00, public holidays included. Don't turn up on a Monday or a Tuesday; plan the visit for later in the week. Then use those evening hours: a portrait collection is best taken slowly, one face at a time, once the sightseeing day has lost its urgency.
Dates from 1962
Hours: We-Su,PH 11:30-19:00
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11 National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20560A museum about African art and a division of the Smithsonian Institution
Street noise fades once you are inside 950 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20560, home of the National Museum of African Art, a division of the Smithsonian Institution devoted to African art that has been open since 1964. It opens daily at 10:00 and closes at 17:30, shutting on public holidays, so check the calendar before you build a holiday-weekend plan around a visit. For an hour of close looking, it beats the crowded headline halls: the subject sets the pace, not the queue. Check https://africa.si.edu/ before you go.
Dates from 1964
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12 Dumbarton Oaks
R Street NorthwestByzantine and Pre-Columbian studies alongside garden and landscape studies
Scholarship comes first at Dumbarton Oaks, a research institution for Byzantine and Pre-Columbian studies and garden and landscape studies founded in 1940 on R Street Northwest. That mix of subjects is the argument for visiting: few other stops on a Washington museum crawl will put Byzantium, the Pre-Columbian Americas and landscape design under one name. Skip it if you want a blockbuster with a gift-shop exit, but come if you are the kind of visitor who reads the wall text and then looks the subject up that evening. Check https://www.doaks.org/ before planning a visit.
Dates from 1940
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