Last Updated: January 27, 2022
Best Museums In Washington D.C
There are so many museums in Washington D.C that on a visit to the nation’s capital you could spend all day, every day, for a few days, hopping from one of the top museums to the next.
Washington DC truly is a city of museums and there is quite a range too with museums showcasing everything from natural history to modern art and lots more. Most of the famous and well-known museums are in the city center making a museum tour very easy but some are also off the beaten track and we’d hate for you to miss them.
Join us as we run through the best museums in Washington DC so that you can enjoy your favorites while visiting.
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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One of the Washington D.C museums you have to visit while you’re there is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This is a three-story museum dedicated to the Holocaust tragedy and is home to close to 1000 artifacts as well as interactive exhibits that teach you about the history of this event.
You’ll be able to watch old footage and testimonies from survivors at one of the four theaters. Walk through chronological exhibitions such as Nazi eugenics and resistance, murder of the disabled, and more that really communicate how tragic this event was.
The main exhibits are suitable for kids over 11 years old and for any kids 8 years old and over can go to the special Children’s exhibit that tells the story through the eyes of a young child.
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
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The Renwick is a Smithsonian institution and a museum in Washington DC you kind of have to see. The original of all the Smithsonian museums, the Renwick is housed in the Smithsonian institution-building right across from the White House and was the first building in America built specifically to be an art museum.
The building isn’t quite the same since its 30 million dollar redo which was completed in 2005 but the history still very much seeps through. Housing many pieces of American Art, with a focus on modern and contemporary art and design, the museum is known for its huge exhibits.
You’ll find the “Wonder” exhibit where the museum showcases design in digital times and the famous “Murder Is Her Hobby,” exhibition which houses a collection of gory dollhouses that detectives use to work out crimes.
National Museum of African American History & Culture
The National Museum of African American History & Culture is the newest addition to the Smithsonian museums and is immensely popular. You’ll find it at the National Mall.
It’s free to gain entry but due to its popularity, you do need to reserve a time to enter so the museum can handle capacity as it’s one of the most visited museums in the city.
This museum is huge and covers eight floors over 400,000 square feet. You can really take your time walking around this Washington DC museum and learn an incredible amount about African American History & Culture through an amazing African American Experience that is showcased so well.
The bottom floors exhibit a chronological history of the history of African Americans and the top 4 floors cover everything from the slave trade to today including artifacts like Harriet Tubman’s Hymnal and Michael Jackson’s fedora.
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall is one of the most visited in Washington DC and it has been since its opening in 1976. If you love to learn about space travel, flight, and the mysteries of the universe then this is the museum for you, and a great one for children too.
It’s home to more than 9,000 space artifacts and around 30,000 aviation artifacts. You’ll find the 1903 Flyer the first piloted aircraft to maintain controlled, sustained flight which was made by the Wright Brothers. There are also exhibits with space suits, rockets, moon rocks, and lots more.
Inside you’ll also find the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater where you can watch a tour of the galaxies and learn about the universe.
National Gallery of Art
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The National Gallery of Art is by far one of the top art museums in the city and is home to art from around the world. It’s formed of two buildings that are connected by a tunnel, and the tunnel is a moving walkway, an exhibit in itself.
In the West Building, you’ll find are from both America and Europe ranging from the 1200s to the 1900s as well as a ton of other works from the 1600s from Spain, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. One iconic piece that you shouldn’t miss is Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Ginevra de Benci.
In the East Building, you’ll find more modern art pieces including a sculpture garden, Alexander Calder’s 32-foot long still mobile housed in a skylit atrium, a Louise Bourgeois 10-foot bronze spider, and a Sol LeWitt pyramid in a six-acre square near 7th Street.
International Spy Museum
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If you’re looking for a fun museum to head to in Washington DC then the International Spy Museum should be at the top of your list. You will learn everything about the history of spies to pretty much pretending to be one yourself, it’s infotainment at its best!
The museum used to be near the Portrait Gallery but was moved to a new home in L’Enfant Plaza. This gave it room to breathe and while walking around the museum you’ll be able to wander through a history of espionage dating back to Moses using spies in the bible.
There is a special focus on James Bond with over 100 artifacts from the movies including the silver Aston Martin from 1964’s Goldfinger. You can also see tons of spy gadgets including real KGB umbrellas that shoot poison, the Steineck ABC wristwatch camera from Germany, and lots more.
National Portrait Gallery
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The National Portrait Gallery is another museum you should stop at while in Washington DC. It sits in a building with the American Art Museum and is home to some of the most famous presidential portraits and houses the only complete collection.
You’ll find the “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart as well as the amazing Marilyn by Andy Warhol.
In the American Art Museum, you’ll find amazing pieces by famous US artists including Georgia O’Keefe and Edward Hopper.
These museums as lovely to walk around as they also have an open courtyard which is a great place to reflect, read, and enjoy a spot of lunch while visiting.
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
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Free to enter, these are two Smithsonian museums that are dedicated exclusively to Asian Art. The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is home to contemporary craft as well as a permanent exhibition and it hosts temporary exhibits to explore too.
You’ll find modern Japanese ceramics, sculptures from South Asia, plus bronzes and jades from China.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
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One of the best museums to visit in Washington DC, which is also at the National Mall is the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. This museum focuses on presenting arts in a range of media and houses and impressive collection for all to see.
You’ll find art showcased through photography, video, sculptures, digital features, paintings, installations, and paper too.
It was meant to hold the stunning collection of 20th-century paintings and sculptures owned by the museum founder, Wall Street millionaire Joseph Hirshhorn. But, things took a different road in the end.
One part of this museum that should not be missed is the sculpture garden where you’ll find amazing pieces from Alexander Calder, Rodin, and Louise Bourgeois.
National Building Museum
If you’re a fan of architecture then one of the best museums to visit in Washington is the National Building Museum. This is a major museum devoted to architects, built environments, and the decorative arts and it hosts very intelligent exhibits that take you on a journey.
The most famous and noteworthy permanent collection is the ‘House & Home’ exhibit which takes a deep look at “home” and what it means from the cultural, physical, and architectural standpoint.
The museum boasts a community exhibit every year when they transform the museum into a new world for all to enjoy which can include turning the great hall into a giant ball pit.
The Phillips Collection
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One of the best museums to visit in the city if you love art is The Phillips Collection. Set in an old Georgian Revival house in Dupont Circle, the home of Duncan Phillips, the founder, this museum couldn’t be in a better setting.
The museum is focused on both modern and impressionist pieces and is home to some very famous works. You’ll be able to explore artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keefe, Pablo Picasso, and Richard Diebenkorn.
One of the most famous pieces on show at this museum is “Luncheon of the Boating Party,” by Renoir. As far as art galleries go, you can’t really beat this one if you’re a fan of the impressionist era.
National Archives Museum
Not really thought of as one of the most kid-friendly museums, since they might find archives a little boring, the National Archives Museum is home to all the famous and important documents pertaining to America.
To sell the kids on a visit to this museum, make sure they watch the movie National Treasure with Nicholas Cage, as this is the museum it was based on.
Inside you’ll find incredible historical documents from American history such as the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution as well as thousands of other records.
This museum is free to visit and one worth popping into but you’ll need to book a time slot to visit.
National Museum of the American Indian
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The National Museum of the American Indian is all about the history of America’s indigenous people. It’s home to stunning Native American artifacts and the building is a part of the exhibits too.
The building features Kasota limestone-clad walls that resemble a wind-carved mesa and the entrance has the star configurations in the date the museum was approved.
Inside you’ll find collections that include pottery, textiles, films, photography, and lots more from many Indigenous American nations.
A highlight of this museum includes the Mitsitam Native Foods Café which serves up amazing food all inspired by Indigenous cuisines.
National Postal Museum
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The National Postal Museum unsurprisingly showcases the postal history of the postal service. Considered one of the odder of the Smithsonian’s museums, a visit to this museum is actually highly informative and entertaining.
There is a whole host of fun exhibits which are inside the old DC City Post Office, exhibits about the history of stamp collecting, and the famous “Mail Marks History,” which shows off amazing letters such as one from the Titanic.
While at the museum you can go to the museum shop to pick out stamps to start a stamp collection, send a postcard from the museum, and take a look into how mail has traveled around the world.
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History, aka the Natural History Museum, is a place you have to go to, especially if you have kids. This museum brings the natural world to life and is incredibly informative and entertaining at the same time.
You’ll find tons of exhibits ranging from the Hall of Fossils where dinosaur fossils interact with each other to the amazing Hall of Mammals and you can even take a look at the hope diamond.
The museum covers lots of other topics including human evolution, global warming, the Big Bang, social habits of insects, and lots more. The museum is actually home to more than 127 million of the 142 million objects the Smithsonian owns.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
