Smithsonian Institution Museums

The Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex and research organization, is composed of 18 museums and art galleries and the National Zoo in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and New York City. The Smithsonian's 19th museum–the National Museum of African American History and Culture – tells the African American story and the role it has played in our nation's history. Visit the Smithsonian Museums and experience the treasured icons of our past, the vibrant art of the present, and the scientific promise of the future.
Visit the Smithsonian Institution Museums in Washington D.C.

The Anacostia Community Museum. The Smithsonian Institution's museum of African American history and culture, the Anacostia Community Museum in Washington D.C. explores American history, society, and creative expression from an African American perspective. The Museum encourages the collection, protection, and preservation of materials that reflect the history and traditions of families, organizations, individuals, and communities.

Arts and Industries Building. The Arts and Industries Building in Washington D.C. has a special role among Smithsonian buildings–as the original home of the National Museum. Designed in a High Victorian style, the building opened in 1881 in time for the inaugural ball of President James A. Garfield. The building's exhibition halls are currently closed in preparation for renovation.

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M Sackler Gallery. Together the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C. form the national museum of Asian art for the United States, featuring an exquisite collection of Asian, Ancient Egyptian, and Islamic art, as well as a specialized collection of American art and biblical manuscripts.  [Top]
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the Smithsonian's museum of international modern and contemporary art in Washington, D.C. The Museum is a leading voice for contemporary art and culture and provides a national platform for the art and artists of our time. Explore the transformative power of modern and contemporary art through meaningful, personal experiences with artists, exciting exhibitions, education and public programs, conservation and research.

National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics. The Museum’s National Mall building in Washington, D.C. displays hundreds of artifacts, including the Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, and a lunar rock that you can touch. The Steven F. Udvar–Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia displays many rare artifacts including the Lockheed SR–71 Blackbird, Boeing B–29 Superfortress Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Enterprise.  [Top]
National Museum of African Art. The National Museum of African Art in Washington D.C. embraces the diverse artistic expressions found throughout Africa, from ancient to contemporary times. The Museum’s collection ranges from ceramics, textiles, furniture and tools to masks, figures and musical instruments. The arts of painting, printmaking, sculpture and other media are represented by living artists whose works highlight individual creativity, address global and local art trends and innovatively transform artistic traditions into modern idiom. African art embodies one of humanity's greatest achievements – fusing visual imagery with spiritual beliefs and social purpose.

National Museum of American History. From President Lincoln's top hat to Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, the nation's history, science, technology and culture come alive at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. See the enormous Star–Spangled Banner that inspired the national anthem almost 200 years ago. Stop at the Woolworth counter from segregation–era Greensboro, N.C., where four courageous African American students sat down to be served in 1960. Visit The American Presidency exhibition and see the desk on which Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Museum presents three million objects that preserve the experiences of the American people. Exhibits illustrate the American Dream – freedom, democracy, opportunity, and progress – that shaped our nation.  [Top]
National Museum of Natural History. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is the world’s preeminent museum and research complex. The Museum inspires curiosity, discovery, and learning about the natural world through its unparalleled research, collections, exhibitions, and outreach programs. Opened in 1910, the green–domed museum on the National Mall in D.C. presents the history and cultures of Africa, our earliest Mammalian ancestors and primate diversity around the world, and ancient life forms including dinosaurs, and explores the beauty of rare gemstones such as uniquely colored diamonds. The Museum’s exhibitions educate, enlighten and entertain millions of visitors each year.

National Museum of the American Indian. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian preserves and exhibits the cultures and history of the native peoples of the Americas. The collection of thousands of masterworks includes: intricate wood and stone carvings and masks from the Northwest Coast; elegantly painted hides, clothing, and feather bonnets from the Plains; pottery and basketry from the southwestern US; 18th–century materials from the Great Lakes; and early Navajo weavings. Works include Plains ledger drawings and contemporary prints and paintings. The museum's collections also include objects from the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Mayans, Andean cultures, and Amazonia. NMAI's collections are of cultural, historical, aesthetic and spiritual significance.  [Top]
National Portrait Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery presents generations of remarkable Americans and individuals who have influenced our country and culture. Through visual and performing arts, leaders such as George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr., artists such as George Gershwin, activists such as Rosa Parks, and pop icons such as Marilyn Monroe are celebrated. The nation's only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House, the America's Presidents exhibition lies at the heart of the Gallery's mission to tell the country's history through individuals who shaped it

National Postal Museum. Located in the historic Post Office building in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum presents a collection of US postal history, philately and postal operations. It contains prestigious U. S. and international postal issues and specialized collections, archival postal documents and three–dimensional objects that trace the evolution of the postal services. The Museum houses a 6,000–square–foot research library, a stamp store and a museum shop.  [Top]
National Zoological Park. The Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park is home to 2,000 animals of 400 different species in a 163–acre zoological park set amid Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. The Zoo’s best known residents are giant pandas, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and their cub, Tai Shan. One of Washington's most popular tourist destinations, the Zoo welcomes millions of visitors free of charge. Marvel at wonderful animals, learn about wildlife, and enjoy the beautiful, peaceful gardens. The 3,200–acre rural campus in Front Royal, Virginia, at the edge of Shenandoah National Park, breeds and studies endangered species.

Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery. The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington D.C. is America's first federal art collection, dedicated to the enjoyment and understanding of American art. The museum’s paintings, sculptures, graphics, folk art, crafts and photography – from the 18th century to the present – celebrate the extraordinary creativity of our country's artists, whose works are windows on the American experience.  [Top]
Smithsonian Institution Building. Known as the Castle, the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington D.C. houses the Institution’s administrative offices and Smithsonian Information Center. Highlights include an 18–minute video orientation, two interactive touch–screen stations with information on the Smithsonian in six languages, and a scale model of the federal city.

Smithsonian Museum Area Hotel. Walking distance from the Smithsonian Institution Museums, the newly–renovated Best Western Capitol Skyline offers a unique hotel experience in downtown Washington, DC. The impressive 7–story hotel features beautifully–renovated rooms and one–bed–room suites, the Skyline Diner and Skyline Lounge, a business center, meeting and event facilities, an outdoor pool and poolside bar, wireless high–speed internet, sightseeing tours and an array of travel–enhancing amenities, services and packages.   [Top]

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