Museums, Memorials and Monuments in DC  

• For answers to questions commonly asked by visitors to Washington (like "How do I get a flag flown over the Capitol?") see our "what's the deal with..." page.  
• A map of the Mall is available in Adobe pdf from the National Park Service.  This is a large file. 
• To see how to get around to see the sites, see How to Get Into, Around and Out of Washington, DC.
• Visit the web sites or call the numbers listed for the most up-to-date information.

• From the Washingtonian- what's happening this month 
  • Museums 
  • Insiders Guide to Museums
     

• Supreme Court

  The Supreme Court building is open from 9 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.  First Street and Maryland Avenue, NE. 202-647-3241 Metro: Union Station or Capitol South.
   

• United States Capitol 

  See the Capitol Visitor Center web site for information about tours of the Capitol and the Capitol Visitor Center.

  You can also contact the Office of Visitor Services at 202-266-8000.

  Metro: Union Station or Capitol South.  (Click here for a map of the Capitol complex.)

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Special Congressional tours given by your Representative's staff can be arranged by calling your Representative's office: 202-225-3121.

• U.S. House Of Representatives Visitor Information

• White House

  1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Open to school and youth groups and organized military and veterans groups Tuesday through Saturday from 7:45 am to 10:30 am. Guided Tours (reserved through Congressional offices) -- Reserved tickets to the White House may be obtained through Congressional offices. However, tickets are limited and demand is heavy. Requests should be made to your Representative at least 30 days in advance. All White House visitors are encouraged to call the 24-hour tour line at 202-456-7041. Metro: McPherson Square.  The White House Visitor Center is located on E Street NW, just east of 15th Street.
   

• A White House History

  A virtual historical tour of the White House where you can view the rooms and furnishings, past and present.

• District of Columbia City Government
   

• Alexandria, VA - visit

  Alexandria, "the fun side of the Potomac," is a short Metro ride from DC.  The link above takes you to the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce visit Alexandria's historic sites page, with information on places to visit such as Mt. Vernon and several places in Old Town, including Gadsby's Tavern (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison all ate here) and the Torpedo Factory Art Center.  Alexandria was established as a town in 1749 and has numerous antique shops, art galleries and restored colonial homes.  The City of Alexandria also has a site with information. Metro: Braddock Road or King Street

   

• Alexandria (VA) Archeology Museum

  Open Tuesday to Friday: 10 am to 3 pm; Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday: 1 pm to 5 pm, Closed Mondays.  Closed: New Year's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Located in the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union Street, #327, Alexandria, Virginia. Phone: 703-838-4399.
  

• Arlington National Cemetery

  Open daily, October through March from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm and April through September from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm. Tour sites include the Arlington National Cemetery Visitors Center, Kennedy Grave sites, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington House (Lee's Home), and the Robert E. Lee Memorial. Highly Recommended: Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - every hour on the hour; every half hour during the summer months.   Metro: Arlington Cemetery. 703-692-0931
   

• Botanic Garden

  The USBG Conservatory is a special place in the evenings. During the summer, the Conservatory is open every other Tuesday until 8:00 p.m. Spend a few hours expanding your gardening knowledge and exploring the Conservatory at night. Activities at the Garden could include a lecture, guided tour, musical performance, or workshop. Some evening programs require pre-registration.  Maryland Avenue and First Street, SW. Open daily, 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. 202-225-8333. Metro: Federal Center, SW or Capitol South. 
   

• Bureau of Engraving and Printing

  202-622-2000, 14th and C Streets, SW. See how U.S. currency - at a rate of $30 million daily-  postage and revenue stamps are printed. Real and counterfeit paper money and coins are on display. Public tours are conducted - see web site for current information.  Tours last approximately 35 minutes. Admission is free. Tickets required. For 24 hour information 202-874-2330. Metro: Smithsonian.
   

• Capital Children's Museum (renamed National Children's Museum)

  Admission Fee charged. Closed until 2012. The new museum will be located at L'Enfant Plaza.  Metro: L'Enfant Plaza

• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

  Follows the Potomac.  Hiking, biking and more. The Billy Goat Trail is a 4-mile loop off the C&O Canal, and canal boat rides operate between April and November.

• City Museum (of Washington, DC)

  Exhibits closed , no fee for building and library admission.  801 K Street, NW.  Sponsored by the Historical Society of Washington, DC.  202-383-1800.  Metro: Mt. Vernon Square 7th St. - Convention Center
   

• Constitution Gardens

On the Mall just east of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, north of the Reflecting pool, south of Constitution Avenue.

• Corcoran Gallery of Art Museum

  17th Street and New York Avenue. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm and on Thursday, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm. 202-447-9709. Metro: Farragut West or Farragut North.
   

• DEA Museum

  700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA. Open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Metro: Pentagon City

   
• Decatur House

  One of the oldest houses in DC, built in 1818 for Stephen Decatur. 1610 H Street NW, across the street from the White House. Open Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, Sunday: Noon - 4:00 pm. Metro: McPherson Square

   

• Department of State

  2201 C Street, NW. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, & 3:00 pm. Tours are by reservation only. A virtual tour of the Diplomatic Reception rooms is available  202-647-3241.  Metro: Foggy Bottom/GWU
   

• Department of the Treasury

  This building was built in 1836 and since then has served as the headquarters for the Treasury Department. A tour (offered only on Saturdays) includes the history of the Treasury Department, the building's architecture history, the Andrew Johnson suite, where, in 1865, President Johnson conducted official business for 6 weeks after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the beautiful Salmon P. Chase suite, the Cash room (the site for Grant's inaugural reception), and the 1864 burglar proof vault. Entrance through Appointment Center doors located next to the White House on 15th street between F and G streets, NW. Metro: Metro Center or Federal Triangle or McPherson Square. Tours must be arranged through your Congressional office.
   

• Dumbarton Oaks

  The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection is housed in a nineteenth-century Federal-style mansion. Former owners Mildred and Robert Woods conveyed the house, gardens, and their collections to Harvard University. It is now a museum with collections of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art, as well as a research institution. The gardens were designed by the noted landscape gardener Beatrix Jones Farrand and are also open to the public.
  1703 32nd Street, NW. Gardens open daily from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Museum open Tuesday through Sunday from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Both are closed on Federal Holidays and December 24, 25, and January 1. $ Admission fee to garden. 202-338-8278.
   

• FDR Memorial

  South bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. Open 24 hours daily. At the Swan Boathouse you can rent a paddle boat to cruise on the Basin.
   

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

  No public tours.  Metro: Metro Center or Gallery Place/Chinatown.
   

• Folger Shakespeare Library

  201 East Capitol Street, SE (Behind the Library of Congress). This library has one of the world's finest collections of rare English Renaissance books and a large collection of Shakespeare's works. Plus, there are many programs and concerts at the Folger theatre. The building and gift shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm Tours are available Monday through Friday at 11:00 am, and Saturday at 11:00 am and 1:00 am Call for tour information and event times: 202-544-7077. Metro: Capitol South.
   

• Ford's Theatre (NPS)  (Ford's Theatre Society)

  10th Street Between E and F Streets, NW. Building is open every day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with the exception of Christmas. 202-426-6924. Metro: Metro Center or Gallery Place/Chinatown.
   

• Gunston Hall

  Gunston Hall was the plantation home of George Mason (1725-1792), a senior statesman and well-known public figure in Colonial/Revolutionary War America. Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, Mason was the first to call for such basic American liberties, freedom of the press, religious tolerance and the right to a trial by jury. Thomas Jefferson was influenced by his words when composing The Declaration of Independence, and Mason's ideas were also used as the model for many state constitutions, France's Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the United Nations Charter of the Rights of Man.

  Today, Gunston Hall is a National Historic Landmark, located about 12 miles from Mount Vernon.   Hours are 9:30 am - 5 pm everyday with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. $ Admission fee charged to Gunston Hall Plantation, children in kindergarten and younger-free.  703-550-9220
  
• International Spy Museum

  Next to FBI Headquarters at 800 F Street NW, Washington, DC.  Hours: see web site. $ Admission Fee charged.  202-654-0960, toll-free: 1-866-779-6873.  Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial or Gallery Place/Chinatown.
   

• Jefferson Memorial

  South bank of the Tidal Basin. Open 24 hours daily. At the Swan Boathouse you can rent a paddle boat to cruise on the Basin. A separate visit after 10:00 pm is highly recommended
   

• John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

  Free tours of the Kennedy Center are given by the Friends of the Kennedy Center from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday and 10 am to 1 pm, Saturday and Sunday. They depart from the parking plaza on Level A, and feature the Hall of States and Hall of Nations, the Center's main theaters, and dozens of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks given to the Center by foreign countries. For more information, call 202-416-8340. Metro: Foggy Bottom/GWU.
   

• Korean War Veterans Memorial

  (Lists of Casualties from the Vietnam and Korean Wars)
  Near the Lincoln Memorial in West Potomac Park at the foot of 23rd Street, NW. Open 24 hours daily.
   

• Library of Congress

  Jefferson Building, First Street and Independence Avenue, SE. Public Tours are offered Monday through Saturday at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm (no 3:30 pm tour on Saturdays). These free tours are open to individuals and small groups with no more than 10 participants. No reservations or tickets are required. Madison Building. Groups of 10 people or more need reservations. 202-287-5458. Metro: Union Station or Capitol South.
   

• Lincoln Memorial

  West Potomac Park at the southern foot of 23rd Street, NW. Open 24 hours daily. 202-426-6895. A separate visit after 10:00 pm is highly recommended.

• Marine Corps War Memorial

  The statue depicts Marines raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima.  Just off the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington.

• Mount Vernon

  Home of George Washington. Open to the public daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from March through October & at 4:00 pm from November through February. $ Admission Fee charged. 703-780-2000.
   

• National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall

  Open 10:00 am - 5:30 pm every day except Dec. 25. The most popular, i.e., crowded, museum in Washington.  Independence Avenue & 7th Street, SW  Metro: L'Enfant Plaza (across the street) or Smithsonian.

Steven F. Udva-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport

Open 10:00 am - 5:30 pm every day except Dec. 25. A round-trip shuttle bus ($ fee charged) has been established between the museum's flagship building in Washington DC and the Udvar-Hazy Center. 14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA. 

• National Aquarium

  14th Street between Constitution Avenue and D Street, NW. Tanks filled with fish, frogs, alligators, sharks etc. Open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm except Thanksgiving and Christmas. $ Admission Fee charged. 202-377-2825. Metro: Federal Triangle.
   

• National Arboretum

  3501 New York Avenue, NE. 444 acres of trees, shrubs and assorted plants in the northeast section of the District of Columbia. Hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm every day except Christmas. Guide services for organized groups are available. Please make reservations for groups. Entrance: New York Avenue, NE. Metro: Stadium Armory on the blue or orange lines, then Bus number B-2, B-4, or B-5 to the intersection of Bladensburg Road and R Street, Walk east of R street 300 yards to the R street gate. 202-637-7000.
   

• National Archives

  7th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. Research Room is open Mon-Fri 9-5, Rotunda and Exhibit Hall are open in the Spring and Summer from 10-7 and Fall and Winter from 10-5:30. 202-523-3183.  Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial
   

• National Building Museum

  401 F Street, NW, between 4th and 5th streets. Wheelchair access at 4th and G streets. Museum Hours: Monday through Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-5. Tours last 45 minutes and are offered Monday through Wednesday at 12:30 pm, and Thursday through Sunday at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm. Reservations are not required for groups fewer than 10. Metro: Judiciary Square. 202-272-2448.
   

• National Capital Trolley Museum

  1313 Bonifant Road, Silver Spring. Open Saturdays and Sundays 10-5, varying hours on Thursdays and Fridays, closed Monday through Wednesday. 301-384-6088.  Metro: Silver Spring
   

• National Cryptologic Museum

  Maryland Route 32 and the Baltimore/Washington Parkway. Open M-F from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, 1st and 3rd Saturdays 10-2.  301-688-5849
   

• National Gallery of Art

  6th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. Open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.  202-737-4215. Highly Recommended. Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial or Smithsonian.
   

• National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall

  17th and M Streets, NW. Exhibits of famous scientific expeditions. M-Sat 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 to 5. 202-857-7588. Metro: Farragut North.
   

• National Mall

  The memorials and monuments on the National Mall are open daily from 8:00 am until 11:45 pm, every day except Christmas Day. Metro: Smithsonian.
   

• National Museum of African Art

  950 Independence Ave, SW 202-357-4600 Metro: Smithsonian 
   

• National Museum of The American Indian

  4th Street and Independence Ave, SW 202-633-1000 Metro: L'Enfant Plaza
  
   

• National Postal Museum

  2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE in the Washington City Post Office Building on Capitol Hill (next to Union Station). Hours: 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. Closed on Christmas. General number is 202-357-2700, hearing impaired call 202-357-1729.  Metro: Union Station.
   

• National World War II Memorial

  On the Mall at 18th Street, NW between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Open 24 hours daily. Metro: Smithsonian.

• National Zoological Park

  3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Grounds open 6 am to 8 pm April through October, 6 am to 6pm November through March. Buildings hours 10 am to 6 pm April through October, 10 am to 4:30 pm November through March. 202-673-4717. Hint if taking Metro: it's an easier walk - downhill - from the Cleveland Park station rather than the uphill walk from the Woodley Park/Zoo station.
   

• Newseum

  555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in 2007. $ Admission Fee charged. 888-639-7386.  Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial, Gallery Place/Chinatown, or Smithsonian.
   

• Octagon House

  Now housing the American Architectural Foundation. 18th and New York Avenue, NW. Architectural exhibits. Served as James Madison's White House following the destruction of the real White House by the British in 1814. See web site for tour infromation.  $ Admission Fee charged.  202-638-3105. Metro: Farragut West or Farragut North.
   

• Old Post Office Tower

  1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Open Daily from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm. National Park Service offers a tour of the bell tower with a splendid view of the city. The lines for this tour are normally much shorter than for the Washington Memorial. See web site for hours. Tours begin approximately every five minutes from the glass elevator at the northwest corner of the stage level of the Pavilion. The observation deck is exposed to the weather and the Tower may close in bad weather. 202-289-4224  Metro: Federal Triangle or Archives/Navy Memorial
   

• Pentagon

  Across the 14th Street Bridge in Virginia (I-395). our length is approximately 60 minutes and includes walking about one and a half miles of Pentagon corridors and several staircases. Visitors taking part in a Pentagon tour should wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Tours can be set up through your Congressional office or embassy. Sights to see: the Flag Corridor, the Hall of Heroes. 703-697-1776  Metro: Pentagon.
   

• Phillips Collection

  The nation's first museum of modern art with free Sunday concerts. 1600-1612 21st Street, NW. 202-387-2151.  $ Admission Fee charged. Metro: DuPont Circle.
   

• Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences

Marian Koshland Science Museum. 6th and E Streets, NW.  202-334-1201, 1-888-567-4526 $ Admission Fee charged. Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown or Judiciary Square.

• Smithsonian Institution

  Most museums open daily from 10:00 am until 5:30 pm For specific information, call 202-357-1300. Metro: Smithsonian
  
  Encyclopedia Smithsonian - features answers to frequently asked questions about the Smithsonian and links to Smithsonian resources from A to Z.

  • American Art Museum

    8th and F Streets, NW.  Open every day 11:30 am to 7:00 pm except Christmas. 202-357-3111. Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown.
     

  • The Anacostia Community Museum

    2405 Martin Luther King Avenue, SE  Metro: Anacostia, then take W3 or W3 bus

  • Arts and Industries Building

    900 Jefferson Drive, SW  Metro: Smithsonian

  • Freer Gallery of Art

    Jefferson Drive and 12th Street, SW  Metro: Smithsonian

  • Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

    Independence Avenue and 7th Street, SW  Metro: Smithsonian

  • National Air and Space Museum

    Independence Avenue & 7th Street, SW  Metro: L'Enfant Plaza

  • National Gallery of Art

    4th Street between the Mall and Constitution Avenue, NW Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial

  • National Museum of African Art

    950 Independence Avenue, SW  Metro: Smithsonian

  • National Museum of American History

    14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. Call Smithsonian Visitor Information: 202-633-1000 (voice) or 202-357-1729 (TTY), Regular hours: Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5:30 pm, closed December 25.  Metro: Smithsonian or Federal Triangle.
     

  • National Museum of Natural History

    10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. Call Smithsonian Visitor Information: 202-633-1000 (voice) or 202-357-1729 (TTY), Regular hours: Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5:30 pm, Summer hours 10 am to 7:30 pm, closed December 25.  Metro: Smithsonian or Federal Triangle.
    

  • National Museum of The American Indian

    4th Street and Independence Ave, SW 202-633-1000, Daily 10 am - 5:30 pm, closed December 25. Metro: L'Enfant Plaza
     

  • National Portrait Gallery

    8th and F Streets, NW. Open daily 11:30 am to 7 pm, closed Christmas.  202-633-8300. Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown.

  • Renwick Gallery

    Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street, NW 202-357-2531. Metro: McPherson Square.

  • Sackler Gallery

    1050 Independence Avenue, SW 202-357-2700  Metro: Smithsonian

  • Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle)

  1000 Jefferson Drive, SW  Metro: Smithsonian 

• Textile Museum

  11,000 textiles and 1,000 rugs. 2320 S Street, NW 202-667-0441.  Metro: DuPont Circle.
   

• Union Station

  50 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington, DC 20002 202-371-9441 Metro: Union Station. A beautiful building, well worth a visit.
   

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

  100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW (old 15th street between Maine Avenue and Independence Avenue). There is an entrance also on 14th street, next to the Bureau of Printing & Engraving. Open 7 days a week from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm Closed on Yom Kippur and Christmas. Permanent exhibition is recommended for ages 11 and up. Daniel's Story is recommended for ages 8 and up. The visit will take from an 1 1/2 to 3 hours. 202-488-0400 Metro: Smithsonian on the blue or orange lines, exit at 12th and Independence Avenue.
   

• United States Naval Observatory

  34th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW. See web site for tour information.   Reservations online or by fax.
   

• United States Navy Memorial

  Located at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Hours for Visitors Center are Monday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday, noon to 5:00 pm. 202-737-2300. Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial
   

• Vietnam Veterans Memorial

  (Lists of Casualties from the Vietnam and Korean Wars)
  Henry Bacon Drive and Constitution Avenue, NW, adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial. Always open. Constructed of black granite to honor all Americans who served in the Vietnam War. As a special tribute to those who did not return, the names of more than 58,000 who gave their lives or who remain missing are inscribed in the Memorial's walls. The names are in chronological order.  A separate visit after 10:00 pm is highly recommended.
   

• Washington Monument

  On the Mall at 15th Street, NW. Open daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, closed Christmas.  202-426-6841. Metro: Smithsonian 
   

• Washington Navy Yard

  9th and M Streets, SE, on the banks of the Anacostia River. The original buildings date back to the 1800's and contain the Navy Memorial Museum and Marine Corps Museum. The Navy Museum is free and open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm weekdays. Docked near the Navy Museum is a real Vietnam-era destroyer, the USS Barry. The USS Barry is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm 

  Tour groups and individuals who do not have military or Department of Defense identification and want to visit the Museum should call in advance for an appointment: 202-433-6897. For weekend visits, call before noon on Friday. Metro: Navy Yard
  

• Washington DC museums and exhibits - list from Yahoo
  
  
• Woodlawn

  This grand 1805 house overlooking the Potomac River was a gift from George Washington to Eleanor "Nelly" Custis, granddaughter of Martha Washington (Nelly's brother, George Washington Parke Custis, built Arlington House), and her husband, Maj. Lawrence Lewis, the General's nephew. Dr. William Thornton, first architect of the U.S. Capitol, designed Woodlawn for the young couple. Woodlawn interprets the lives of the Lewis family as well as the numerous African-Americans, both free and enslaved, who lived and worked on this Virginia plantation.

  Also located on the grounds of Woodlawn is the Pope-Leighey House , a “Usonian” house designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was moved to Woodlawn in 1965 in order to remove it from the path of a highway project. 

  Woodlawn is located at 9000 Richmond Hwy (US Rt. 1), at the intersection of Rt. 1 and VA Rt. 235 South, 3 miles from Mount Vernon. Both houses are open daily March-December from 10 am to 5 pm, and are closed during the months of January and February, except for Presidents' Day. 703-780-4000 

  TIP: If you can't make it south to Williamsburg, the Mount Vernon/Woodlawn/Gunston Hall triad is a good substitute. They offer excellent educational and interpretive programs on Colonial and early Federal American life, including children's programs, colonial crafts, family, and slave life. Woodlawn is just three miles from Mount Vernon, and Gunston Hall is approximately another 5 miles south down US Rt. 1 from Woodlawn.
   

• World War II Memorial

  On the Mall at 18th Street, NW between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Open 24 hours daily. Metro: Smithsonian 

Also see our Visiting Washington, DC page

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Last updated: January 13, 2010