Tour of All 17 of Washington DC's Smithsonian Museums

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The Anacostia Community Museum is a museum of African American History sponsored by the Smithsonian. It was founded in 1967 as the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum. S. Dillon Ripley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was the mastermind behind this museum. The appointed founding director of the museum was activist John Kinard. The Anacostia Community Museum serves as a rich resource of knowledge of African American history (Anacostia Community Museum).

2. Smithsonian's National Zoological Park

The National Zoological Park, more commonly referred to as the National Zoo, is one of the oldest zoos in the country. Originally conceived as the National Museum’s Department of Living Animals in 1886, the National Zoo was formally established in 1889 by an Act of Congress that sought to provide scientific knowledge to the public and a place for recreation in the city. The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institution and thus admission is free. Visitors can enjoy and learn about wildlife from around the world.

3. Renwick Gallery

The Renwick Gallery is a Branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum dedicated to exhibiting American contemporary craft. The Renwick Gallery is just on the other side of the White House in the heart of historic federal Washington. This National Historic Landmark was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. in 1858. This was the first building that specifically made to be an art museum in the United States.

4. Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has one of the world's largest and most inclusive collections of art. It features the work of American artists from the colonial period to the present. The museum houses the largest collection of New Deal art in the world and features a number of exhibitions that highlight the contributions of African American and Latino artists. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has consistently maintained a traveling exhibition program since 1951. More than 2.5 million patrons have viewed the exhibitions to date.

5. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery tells the story of America through individuals who have shaped its history and culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts, and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists, and more. Established in 1962, the National Portrait Gallery is located in downtown Washington, D.C. and shares the Old Patent Office Building with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The building is a fine example of neoclassical architecture built between 1836 and 1867. Today, the Smithsonian Institution gives it new life as a gallery exhibiting, preserving, and studying the lives of historical figures.

6. The National Postal Museum

Established in 1993, the National Post Museum serves as part of the Smithsonian Institute dedicated to educating its visitors about the history and worldwide influence of the postal service, as well as the inner workings of it. The Museum holds one of the world’s largest stamp collections, as well as historic postal artifacts that date to before the advent of stamps, all of which can be seen in the Museum’s many displays and exhibits. In addition to postal history exhibits, the National Post Museum also offers research opportunities for those interested in researching postal history.

7. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History is the most-visited natural history museum in the United States. Dedicated to inspiring curiosity and discovery of the natural world, the National Museum of Natural History preserves and interprets natural science, geology, and anthropology collections. The current building on the National Mall opened in 1910. Among the most popular exhibits are the Hall of Dinosaurs, Egyptian and Roman artifacts, the Hope Diamond, and the sarcophagus of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen.

8. Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

The National Museum of American History is dedicated to the "infinite richness and complexity" of American history. Located on the National Mall, it is one of the most-visited museums in the country. The Smithsonian collections of American history date back to the 17th century and efforts to preserve artifacts date back to the 1840s, while the current museum building opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. Its name was changed to the National Museum of American History in 1980. The museum's renovation from 2006 to 2008 included the construction of the new Star-Spangled Banner gallery, which holds the original flag that inspired the national anthem. The Museum includes exhibits dedicated to a plethora of topics, including politics and government, civil rights, gender and sexuality, military and war, business and innovation, indigenous Americans, ethnicity and immigration, disability history, religion, and food history.

9. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

The National Museum of African American History & Culture was authorized by Congress and President George W. Bush in 2003. After 13 years of planning and construction, the museum opened on September 24th, 2016. The museum holds over 40,000 artifacts within its vaults, most of which were donated by institutions and individuals. Several thousand of artifacts are included in the museum's twelve galleries. The museum's three-tiered form is meant to symbolize hands held in prayer and was modeled from the shape of a traditional Yoruban crown. As of November, 2016, this museum uses a timed pass system to accommodate large crowds.

10. Freer Gallery of Art

Opened in 1923, the Freer Gallery of Art was the first art museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is named for Charles Lang Freer, who donated his collection of Asian and American art to the United States government in 1906. With the adjoining Sackler Gallery, the Freer and Sackler Galleries comprise the nation’s premier collections and exhibits of Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Islamic art, as well as the largest research library in the United States related to these forms of art.

11. Smithsonian Institution Building, the Castle

Completed in 1855, the Smithsonian Institution Building, commonly known as the Castle, was the first building of the Smithsonian Institution and also the first building on the National Mall. Its beautiful Norman, Romanesque, and Gothic architectural styles earned it the nickname “the Castle.” It was the first building to house Smithsonian exhibits and collections of natural history, history, anthropology, and art. Today, the Castle houses administrative offices, an information center, exhibits, and the crypt of James Smithson, the benefactor and namesake of the Smithsonian Institution.

12. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Opened in 1987, the Sackler Gallery, along with the adjoining Freer Gallery, are the nation’s premier museums of Asian art. It is named for physician and pharmacologist Arthur M. Sackler, who donated his collection of Asian art to the Smithsonian Institution.

13. Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

Established in 1963 as a freestanding museum near Capitol Hill in a townhouse, this museum grew to become part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979. After an act of Congress in 1981, the museum was renamed the National Museum of African Art. The museum was created thanks to the leadership and advocacy of Warren M. Robbins, a prominent art collector, and former U.S. Foreign Service Officer who saw this museum as a way to foster an appreciation of this heritage and an understanding of the African continent generally. When the museum opened to the public in May 1964, it was the first museum in the United States dedicated to African art exclusively. Today it is the only national museum in the United States dedicated to the collection, exhibition, conservation, and study of the arts of Africa.

14. Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building

Completed in 1881, the Arts and Industries building was the second structure on the National Mall and the first building dedicated solely to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum. It housed early collections of natural history, American history, anthropology, and art. As the Smithsonian Institution grew, these collections were given their own museums on the National Mall. Currently undergoing renovations, the Arts and Industries Building is open for special events and pop-up exhibitions. The grounds are home to the beautifully landscaped Mary Livingston Ripley Garden. The Arts and Industries Building, one of the finest examples of architecture inspired by the world's fairs, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

15. Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is a modern art museum that opened in 1974 and was established by an Act of Congress in 1966. With an indoor space of 60,000 square feet to house exhibitions and almost four acres making up its two-level sculpture garden, it is one of the nation’s largest modern art museums. The site where it was built was originally the Army Medical Museum and Library. The idea for an art museum on the National Mall began as early as the thirties, but the project was postponed due to the Second World War. It is named for entrepreneur and financier Joseph H. Hirshhorn, who donated his priceless art collections to the Smithsonian.

16. Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum houses the largest collection of artifacts related to space and aviation. With both the location in Washington, D.C. and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, the National Air and Space Museum is the most popular museum in the country, drawing in more than eight million visitors per year. Dating back to its founding in 1876, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum holds true to its mission to educate, inspire, and celebrate the history and progress of both air and space flight.

17. Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is a recent addition to the historical museums of the Smithsonian. Unlike almost any other museum in the country, the NMAI displays exhibits that center upon the life, history, and culture of Western Hemisphere Native Americans. The museum opened to the public on September 21st, 2004. Prior to that time, the creation of the museum was a collective venture between the Smithsonian and various Native communities that began in the early 1990s. Through this cooperation, the museum creates and maintains exhibits on Native peoples and their history. The architecture of the building also incorporates many thematic elements central to the lives and culture of Native peoples.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Tour of All 17 of Washington DC's Smithsonian Museums

Created by Pamela Curtin on December 18th 2017, 9:56:41 am.

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Description

The Smithsonian Institution encompasses some of the world's the best-known and most-visited museums. This tour takes visitors through Smithsonian museums, most of which are centrally located around or near the National Mall. These museums preserve and interpret collections of historical and anthropological artifacts, art, and natural history. This tour includes the Smithsonian institutions on the National Mall as well as some that require the Metro such as the Anacostia Community Museum and the National Zoological Park in Woodley Park. Although this tour cannot be completed in a single day, we did our best to arrange the tour in a way that minimizes travel and utilizes the Metro for the museums beyond the National Mall.

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Tour of All 17 of Washington DC's Smithsonian Museums

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