Museums in Washington D.C.

The National Gallery of Art comprises two interconnected buildings—the neoclassical West Building and the modern East Building designed by I.M. Pei—housing one of the finest art collections in the world. Admission is always free.

The National Museum of Natural History is the most visited natural history museum in the world, welcoming over 7 million visitors annually. Part of the Smithsonian Institution, it houses more than 148 million specimens and artifacts spanning 4.5 billion years of Earth's history.

The National Air and Space Museum holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. Reopened in 2022 after a major renovation, it chronicles humanity's quest to fly from the Wright Brothers to the International Space Station.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum serves as America's national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history. Its permanent exhibition spans three floors and follows a narrative from the rise of Nazism to liberation.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. Opened in 2016, it is the newest Smithsonian museum on the National Mall.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the United States, spread across 163 acres in Rock Creek Park. Admission is always free. It is home to approximately 2,100 animals representing 390 species.

The National Museum of American History preserves and interprets American heritage through more than 1.8 million objects. It covers everything from the original Star-Spangled Banner to Julia Child's kitchen, documenting the social, cultural, and technological history of the nation.

The National Museum of the American Indian is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Its curvilinear limestone building was designed to evoke natural rock formations shaped by wind and water.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the Smithsonian's museum of modern and contemporary art. Its distinctive cylindrical building, elevated on four massive piers, was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The Phillips Collection is America's first museum of modern art, founded in 1921 by Duncan Phillips in his family's Georgian Revival mansion in Dupont Circle. The intimate setting offers a residential-scale experience unlike any other art museum in D.C.

The International Spy Museum is the only public museum in the United States dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage. It moved to a purpose-built facility at L'Enfant Plaza in 2019, tripling its exhibition space.

The National Law Enforcement Museum tells the story of American law enforcement through interactive exhibits and a collection of over 20,000 artifacts. Located adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Judiciary Square.