Updated November 1, 2024
Washington, D.C., is home to one of the world's most remarkable collections of museums: the Smithsonian Institution. The "Nation's Attic" preserves and displays a vast number of historical and cultural objects—and, best of all, admission is free. But the Smithsonian isn't even the whole story—there are a bunch more top-notch museums in D.C. dedicated to everything from espionage to women in art.
With so much to see, it can be hard to know where to start. That's why we've compiled this roll call of the very best museums that Washington, D.C., has to offer—Smithsonian and beyond.
And for more help planning a trip to the nation's capital, check out Frommer's Washington, D.C. Day by Day and Frommer's Washington, D.C.
Do you fantasize about soaring high above the clouds or visiting galaxies far, far away while traveling in spaceships? The National Air and Space Museum has been feeding those dreams for countless hopefuls since opening in 1976.
One of the most visited museums on the National Mall, it’s also one of the largest, holding some 60,000 aviation artifacts and 9,000 space artifacts ranging from the Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer to passenger jetliners, rockets, lunar rocks, and spacesuits. The museum also houses the Planetarium, where you can tour the galaxies from the safety of your seat.
Having reopened eight reimagined and expanded galleries in 2023, the facility is still undergoing renovations that are expected to be completed in 2026. Consequently, some exhibits might be periodically closed.
10 must-sees:
• Wrights Brothers' Flyer (1903), the first powered airplane with a propulsion system (Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age, first floor)
• Northrop T-38 Talon (1959), the world’s first supersonic trainer plane (West End, first floor)
• Boeing 247-D (1934), a major innovation in passenger air travel (America by Air, first floor)
• Mars Curiosity (2012), a model of the small robot that explored the red planet (Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery, first floor)
• Apollo 11 Command Module (1969), where astronauts lived during most of the first manned lunar landing mission (Destination Moon, second floor)
• Blériot Type XI (1914), the type of plane used for the first crossing of the English Channel (Early Flight, first floor)
• Star Trek Enterprise (1965), a model of the fictional starship Enterprise used in the iconic sci-fi TV show (Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, first floor)
• Cirrus SR22 (2003), an innovative aircraft with pioneering safety features (Thomas W. Haas We All Fly, first floor)
• Brawner-Ford “Hawk” (1965), the first rear-engine racing car, driven by racing legend Mario Andretti (Nation of Speed, second floor)
• Douglas DC-7 (1956), a record-setting passenger airliner from air travel's golden age (America by Air, first floor)
“Dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it,” the National Museum of Natural History is a vast repository housing thousands of natural relics, some dating back millions of years. If you are interested in learning about global warming, the social habits of insects, the big bang, or fossilized bones, you might end up wishing you’d devoted your entire trip to the largest of the Smithsonian Institution’s 21 museums. An astonishing 148 million artifacts—more than 90% of all items in the Smithsonian's collection—belong to this museum.
Must-sees:
• In Ocean Hall: ice age animals, a model of a 45-foot North Atlantic right whale, and the remains of a giant squid measuring 36 feet (first floor)
• In the Hall of Mammals: more than 270 stuffed mammals, including a polar bear and a lion (first floor)
• In the Hall of Fossils: larger-than-life fossilized skeletons of Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex, as well as an Irish elk and saber-toothed cat (first floor)
• In the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals: the famous, reputedly cursed Hope Diamond and one of the largest rubies ever found (second floor)
• In the Insect Zoo: live tarantulaas and a model of an African termite mound (second floor)
• In the Live Butterfly Pavilion: more than 80 butterfly species from around the world (second floor)
Calling all pop culture fans and American history buffs! This seriously entertaining Smithsonian museum is home to more than 3 million national treasures. Check out Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet, Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Julia Child's kitchen, and Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves. The original flag that inspired the national anthem is here, too, housed in a new high-tech gallery dedicated to its preservation.
Must-sees:
• Political artifacts such as the top hat Abraham Lincoln wore the night he was shot and a piece of the World Trade Center recovered after 9/11
• Gunboat Philadelphia, the only surviving ship of its kind from the Revolutionary War
• Music, sports, and entertainment memorabilia, including Bruce Willis's T-shirts from Die Hard, Archie Bunker’s armchair from All in the Family, the original Muppets, and both R2-D2 and C-3PO from Return of the Jedi
• The flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write what would become "The Star-Spangled Banner"
• U.S. transportation souvenirs: covered wagons, a 1903 Winton car, and even 40 feet of Route 66
The building that houses the Phillips Collection—widely considered America’s first museum of modern art—was once the home of Duncan Phillips, grandson of the cofounder of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company. The modern-looking newer wing generally shows fresh exhibitions; the museum also hosts special lectures and tours.
Must-sees: Some of the 2,472 works here include Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880–81), Vincent van Gogh’s The Road Menders (1889; pictured above), Edgar Degas’s Dancers at the Barre (1900), and Georges Rouault’s Christ & the High Priest (1937).
One of the newer museums on the National Mall, this institution spotlights the African American experience through history and culture. The collection spans the era of slavery, the period of Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement, and contemporary history as well.
Artworks, photographs, archival documents, electronic data, and audio recordings bring the displays to life. When you enter the museum, you step inside a 400,000-square-foot space, 60% of which lies below ground. And down is where visitors go first, to the History Galleries, or “crypts”—the heart of the experience. (Touring the History Galleries in their entirety will take about 2 hours and require about 1 mile of walking, so be prepared.)
The Renwick houses the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s collection of contemporary craft and decorative arts. Edgy and creative modern artwork abounds here, including Nam June Paik’s Electronic Superhighway (1995) and Mark Bradford’s Amendment #8 (2014), made of paper transformed into a dense, multicolored pulp. Revolving special exhibitions feature modern artists.
Photo: Patrick Dougherty's Shindig, on display at the Renwick Gallery
Visiting this museum dedicated to "never forgetting” the genocide of Europe’s Jews and the murder of all who opposed the rise of Germany’s Nazi party before and during World War II is an emotional journey. Upon entering, you will be given (to keep) a faux passport of an actual Holocaust victim; some survived, but the vast majority did not.
The museum’s centerpiece is a three-floor exhibit, entitled “The Holocaust.” It’s broken up into three subsections: “Nazi Assault,” “Final Solution,” and “Last Chapter.” Through hundreds of artifacts and film footage, the story of one of humankind’s biggest tragedies is laid out in exhaustive detail. In the Wexner Learning Center on the second floor, visitors can explore the survivors’ registry and view materials about topics such as the Nuremberg Trials.
The museum recommends that visitors be 11 years of age or older, due to the intensity of the material.
The Smithsonian Institution has two museums dedicated to Asian art: the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Together, these galleries hold more than 46,000 objects dating from the Neolithic period to today, and range from the arts of China, Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asia to the Islamic world to 19th-century American art.
Must-sees: South Asian sculpture, Chinese jades and bronzes, modern Japanese ceramics, and paintings by American artist James McNeill Whistler
This is one of the most distinctive museums on the National Mall, with organically curved exterior walls that suggest rock worn down by water. Dedicated to uplifting the culture and history of Native Americans, this museum routinely incorporates video and other multimedia into displays, including one entitled “Americans,” which shows how Native American culture has influenced pop culture and the overall identity of the United States.
The only national museum solely dedicated to the acquisition, study, and exhibition of African art, this collection features both traditional and contemporary pieces, including everything from the spiritual (a Koranic writing board from Nigeria, an ivory pendant from the Congo) to the beautiful but practical (a carved wood fly whisk handle from Cote d’Ivoire).
One ongoing exhibit focuses entirely on African textiles—woven tapestries, robes, and clothes with particularly notable decorations and designs. Another exhibit features more than 130 contemporary and traditional artworks from the continent. The museum also features regular music programs and tours.
Nowhere else in the world will you find such a large collection of art by only female artists. The museum finally reopened in 2023 following a multiyear renovation. You’ll find its more than 5,500 works by women, from the 16th century to the present, is now better lit under better displays.
Must-sees: The permanent collection includes works by Mary Cassatt, Barbara Hepworth, Georgia O’Keeffe, and many others. Most popular is Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait, the only work by the beloved Mexican artist on view in Washington.
First opened in 1974, the Hirshhorn Museum—built 14 feet above ground on sculptured supports—is a unique vessel for a singular collection of modern and contemporary art. Amassed around Latvian émigré Joseph Hirshhorn’s original donation of more than 9,500 works to the United States, the collection now includes works by Christo, Joseph Cornell, Arshile Gorky, and others.
Must-sees: Ron Mueck’s Unititled (Big Man), Ann Hamilton’s immersive exhibit at hand, and Alexander Calder’s The Stainless Stealer
Attention all philatelists and those who love them: Nirvana awaits next door to Union Station. One of the world’s largest stamp collections resides at this ode to the U.S. Postal Service, established in 1886.
Listen to tales of the early Pony Express and browse a vast assortment of historical postage dating back to the nation’s infancy, plus international stamps, the first piece of correspondence to be flown across the Atlantic, and some original 24-cent inverted stamps.
The trademarks of this 1978 I. M. Pei–designed building are its adjoining triangles in pink Tennessee marble (from the same quarry as the neoclassical West Wing of the White House) that form sharp, acute angles at the corners. Inside, the centerpiece is the 76-foot-long, 920-pound mobile by Alexander Calder; the piece hangs from the ceiling of the main atrium. The mobile’s construction includes aluminum tubing and aluminum honeycomb panels, allowing the arms to rotate slowly and gracefully.
With 295 paintings and more than 650 sketches, the National Gallery has one of the largest collections of Mark Rothko artwork in the world. The East Building is also home to works by Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe, and Alberto Giacometti.
Portraits of noteworthy Americans, from Rosa Parks to Marilyn Monroe, can be found at this museum, set in one of Washington’s oldest buildings. The museum also has one of the nation's only complete collections of presidential portraits outside the White House. Don’t miss the Kogod Courtyard with its surreal, “floating” glass ceiling.
This private museum is in the former residence of David and Carmen Kreeger, well-known collectors who amassed a sizable holding of 19th- and 20th-century paintings and sculptures. As you tour the museum, take note of its modern architecture. Designed by Philip Johnson, it features a steel and concrete frame with glass walls and a free-form design.
Must-sees: works by Monet, van Gogh, Pissarro, Rodin, Kandinksy, and Cézanne
