As the nation’s capital, Washington DC is the home to many important and prestigious museums chronicling the nation’s history, but it also features museums of world-class caliber in arts and science, such as the National Gallery of Art and the many museums that are part of the Smithsonian Institution. While not exactly a museum, among the listings in this section is the fabulous Library of Congress, where visitors can see first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Washington DC | Museums
- Corcoran Gallery of Art
- The Corcoran Gallery of Art has maintained its position as a major center for American art since its founding in 1874 to house the private art collection of William Wilson Corcoran (1798-1888).
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- Freer Gallery of Art
- The Freer Gallery of Art is part of the Smithsonian Institution and one of two Smithsonian galleries (the other is the Sackler Gallery) that feature East Asian art.
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- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- The Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden had its beginnings in 1966 when Latvian-born Joseph H. Hirshhorn donated his huge collection of contemporary and modern art.
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- International Spy Museum
- Launched in 2002, International Spy Museum is the only public museum in the United States dedicated to espionage, and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on an all-but-invisible...
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- Library of Congress
- Established in 1800 through an act of Congress, the Library of Congress originally held 3,000 volumes, and today it is the largest library in the world with more than 138 million items, and increasing by 10,000 more daily.
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- Museum of Natural History
- The Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History opened in 1910 on the National Mall and was among the first Smithsonian buildings constructed exclusively to house the national collections and research facilities.
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- National Air and Space Museum
- The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum is a goldmine for aviation enthusiasts, maintaining the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, including some of the most famous artifacts of all time: the Wright Brothers' Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St.
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- National Archives
- Democracy starts here. That is the motto of the National Archives, created in 1934 to house the country’s most important historic documents and to centralize federal record keeping.
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- National Gallery of Art
- The National Gallery of Art is comprised of two structures connected by an underground concourse: the marble neoclassical West Building, completed in 1941 and designed by John Russell Pope...
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- National Museum of African Art
- The National Museum of African Art was established in 1964 and became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979.
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- National Museum of American History
- Originally opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology, the National Museum of American History has become an important chronicler of the history of science and technology and its effects...
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- National Museum of the American Indian
- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s founding in 2004 completes the National Mall’s collection of museums and graces the mall with its warm sand-colored limestone, soft...
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- National Museum of the Marine Corps
- The National Museum of the Marine Corps, a new museum that opened in 2006, maintains a broad collection of poignant and fascinating artifacts and interactive displays on the Marine Corps and its members’ contribution to the nation.
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- National Portrait Gallery
- The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the only museum of its kind, features a unique portrait collection showcasing American history, personal biographies and dynamic forms of post-modern art.
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- National Zoological Park
- Created by Congress in 1889, the Smithsonian's National Zoo is a standout zoo, well-known as the home to more than 400 species -- including its most famous occupants, the giant pandas from China -- ...
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- Smithsonian Institution Building
- The world-renowned Smithsonian Institution is truly the largest museum complex and research organization in the world.
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- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's purpose is to ensure that we never forget, and never repeat, the atrocities of the Holocaust, stimulating people to “confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy,” according to the museum’s literature.
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