A sprawling collection of museums where someone serious about American history, natural science, or art can spend weeks and barely scratch the surface. Anyone who wants to understand what this country thinks about itself should come here.
Museum · 950 Independence Ave SW
No upcoming events listed here yet. Run this venue? Claim it and publish your own
Make a day of it
Also in DC
More like this
museum
800 F St NW
Someone who watched every spy thriller in lockdown and actually wants to understand tradecraft walks in here and loses an afternoon to the gadgets, the history, the scenarios that ask what you'd actually do. It's interactive enough to feel like something beyond looking at displays behind glass.
museum
1600 M St NW
Serious explorers and curious kids study maps and artifacts inside a century-old headquarters where the obsession with discovery never stopped being the point.
museum
750 9th St NW
The sprawling collection across multiple locations gives you permission to pick one wing and linger—there's too much to rush through, and that's exactly the point. Come when you want to spend an afternoon with a single obsession, whether that's American history, natural specimens, or contemporary art.
museum
People who want to understand what artists are actually thinking about right now come here instead of scrolling through Instagram. The sculpture garden alone makes the trip worth it.
Own Smithsonian Institution?
Claim it to publish your own events and become the source of truth.