- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- The National Museum of American History
- The National Zoo
- National Air and Space Museum
- American Art Museum
- National Museum of Natural History
- National Portrait Gallery
- Freer-Sackler Galleries
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- National Museum of the American Indian
- National Postal Museum
- The National Museum of African Art
- Anacostia Community Museum
- Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle)
- National Gallery of Art
- US Botanical Gardens
- US Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
- Newseum
Even if you take a week, you couldn’t see them all. However, one big upside is that there’s no admission cost to any of the museums.So, you need my favorite thing in the world, a plan. Make a list of all the ones you HAVE to see- keep in mind you’ll get distracted by other things along the way, like exhibits on the National Mall.
Once you’ve got a plan, map out your route. If your favorites are at opposite ends of the National Mall, you don’t want to be running back and forth, especially if it’s summer. Summer in DC is brutal, and apart from the obvious downsides of getting sunburnt and overheated, you might duck into another museum to get out of the heat, and then spend the day in that museum, and then your plan is ruined! There are few things worse than a ruined plan to me- global warming and lukewarm tea are both up there.
Go prepared. Bring (very, very, very) comfy shoes. Dress in layers, the museums can be freezing at times! You should ake sure to bring a bag with sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, a change of shoes (if yours get worn out, or if you step in mud at the botanical gardens), and a bottle of water. Stop often for snack breaks at the museum cafes. The National Gallery of Art has some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten!
P.S: Don’t forget to stop at the gift shop!