Washington D.C. – The Smithsonian Museums

The Washington National Mall is characterized by an enormous amount of iconic sites and national institutions. So in addition to the well-known monuments and government authorities at the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court, the national values also include a huge number of museums clustered together on the Mall. Most of the museums are under the umbrella of the Smithsonian, the national research institute that holds all the most important treasures of the American empire.

How much time do you need to visit the museums at the National Mall in Washington?

A visit to the Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery in Washington requires at least a day. It's a good idea to decide in advance which museums to visit each day and skip others based on your level of interest, as it's not possible to see them all in one day.

The most popular museums are the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, and the Museum of American History, each requiring a good few hours to visit.

6 Must-See Things in the National Mall Museums of Washington D.C.

1. Aircraft and spacecraft at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
2. The dinosaurs of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
3. American culture at its peak in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
4. The pinnacle of European (and also American) art at the National Gallery in Washington
5. The founding documents of the USA at the National Archives Museum
6. The ethnic museums of the Smithsonian Institute near the stunning Smithsonian Castle

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What Are the Smithsonian and the Museums of the Mall?

• The Smithsonian or the Smithsonian Institution is a national establishment with about 19 museums and galleries (and additional research institutes and cultural centers)
• About 11 of the museums and research institutes of the Smithsonian operate on the National Mall in Washington D.C. (if you get lost, just alight at the Smithsonian Metro stop)
• The institution was founded in the early 19th century by James Smithson, a British chemist, after whom the mineral smithsonite is named
• In his will, Smithson bequeathed his entire fortune to the U.S. government to establish a comprehensive museum institution under the state
• President James K. Polk initiated the Smithsonian Act in 1846, establishing the governmental foundation that funds the institute.

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Map of Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall

Museums of the National Mall in Washington – Constitution Avenue

Smithsonian National Museum of American History

The most modest of the three grand museums on Madison Drive or Constitution Avenue, in the northern part of the National Mall, opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. It is one of the 11 Smithsonian museum institutions in Washington D.C. In 1980, it was renamed to focus solely on American history, but the technological aspect remains present in the exhibits.

The first floor of the museum is dedicated to the development of the American automotive industry, featuring iconic car models and other means of transport such as carriages and streetcars. Nearby is the permanent television world exhibition, displaying familiar items from popular TV shows (as of the 1960s).

On the top floor of the museum, there is an exhibition of the dresses of US First Ladies. The exhibition focuses on the outfits worn by the First Ladies during significant historical events.

Another national treasure housed on the floor is the “Star Spangled Banner Flag,” a nickname for the Great Garrison Flag, which flew over Fort McHenry at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor during a British invasion attempt in the War of 1812. This flag inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem of the USA in 1814. The flag itself was donated to the Smithsonian and has since been regarded as a national treasure.

Address: Constitution Ave. 1400, NW, Washington

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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

One of the largest and most famous institutions of the Smithsonian is the Museum of Natural History. This museum is considered one of the most important natural history museums in the entire USA and across the world. It opened in 1910 and displays over one hundred million different exhibits including plant species, fossils, minerals, meteorites, unique natural items, and prehistoric archaeology. In the entrance hall, there's a giant taxidermy of an elephant that has become a symbol of the museum. Additionally, there are large taxidermies of a whale and a shark hanging.

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The most popular section by far is the dinosaur gallery, where you'll find a staggering array of reconstructed prehistoric giants based on fossils, many of which are life-sized. The museum's most famous piece is the life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex, affectionately nicknamed Stan, displayed in the main hall. Nearby, you'll also find Hatcher, a full-sized Triceratops.

On the museum's second floor, there's an incredible collection of rare minerals. The star of the mineral exhibit is the unique Hope Diamond, an enormous blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats (almost 10 grams). It was discovered in India in the 17th century and is known for being ‘cursed' due to its spectacular appearance and the glowing effect it has under ultraviolet light, caused by the rare chemical element boron it contains.

Address: 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington

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National Archives Museum

The National Archives of the USA, known as Archive 1 (Archive 2 is located in College Park, Maryland, on the northern outskirts of Washington), is the place to come and see local history as the American nation so loves – through bureaucracy. The Archive building was constructed in 1935 in a prominent Washingtonian Neoclassical style. The museum is located on the northern side of Constitution Avenue, and its most important exhibit is the Constitution itself.

• In the main hall of the archive, called the Rotunda due to its circular shape, you can view the three founding documents of the USA – the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights
• The site holds other important historic documents such as The Articles of the Confederation, the founding document of the union of the 13 founding colonies of the United States, and the precursor to the U.S. Constitution
• Other exhibits in the Archive museum include the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln
• Don't miss the Vente de la Louisiane, the official document signed with the French government known as the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

Address: Constitution Ave. 701, NW, Washington

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National Gallery of Art

East of the National Archives and the Museum of Natural History lies one of the grandest museum institutions in the United States. The National Gallery of Art in Washington is one of the physically largest museums in America and holds one of the most important art collections in the world. The museum also includes the Sculpture Garden, which features an ice-skating rink in the winter, and the modern East Building. The main structure of the National Gallery was built in 1937 in the neo-classical style so typical of the National Mall. The museum itself was inaugurated in 1941, inspired by the National Gallery in London.

The museum's collection boasts a large number of masterpieces, some of which are the most renowned and familiar in the world. It houses a tremendous array of paintings from the Italian and Flemish Renaissance, through the great Baroque artists, to a vast modern collection including many significant paintings from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods.

The famous Renaissance and Baroque paintings in the museum's collection are:

• The famous painting “Ginevra de' Benci” by Leonardo da Vinci, the artist's only work on American soil
• “Portrait of a Lady” by Rogier van der Weyden
• “The Annunciation” by Jan van Eyck
• “The Adoration of the Shepherds” by Giorgione, the great Venetian Renaissance master, and his collaborative painting with another Venetian Renaissance giant, Titian, “Portrait of a Venetian Nobleman”
• Titian himself contributed the stunning painting “Venus with a Mirror” to the collection
• The masterpieces “Alba Madonna,” “Small Cowper Madonna,” and “Saint George Fighting the Dragon” by the Florentine Renaissance giant Raphael
• The splendid paintings of the Greek-Spanish giant El Greco “Saint Martin and the Beggar” and “Laocoön”
• Wonderful paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn – “Self-Portrait with Beret and Collar” and “The Windmill” painting
• The stunning painting by Jan Vermeer “A Lady Writing a Letter”
• The classic collection also includes many works by giants such as Peter Paul Rubens, Thomas Gainsborough, the great John Constable, Nicolas Poussin, and more

In the National Gallery's modern collection, one can find an enormous number of masterpieces. From a large collection of Neo-Classical and Romantic painters to a respectable assortment of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces. In 20th-century art, there's an impressive collection of paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Henri Matisse, and others.

The gallery’s modern period masterpieces include:

• The painting “The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries” by Jacques-Louis David, one of the most famous portraits of the French megalomaniac
• “The Old Musician,” “The Railway,” and “Le Pére Lathuille” by Édouard Manet, the father of Impressionism
• “Woman with a Parasol,” one of Claude Monet's most famous works, and the painting “The Western Façade of Rouen Cathedral” by the great French artist
• In the important collection of Van Gogh paintings – “Girl in White” and “Self-Portrait in Blue”
• The famous painting by Paul Gauguin “Self-Portrait with Halo and Snake”

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The American collection at the National Gallery in Washington

The American collection is also quite impressive. The most famous American artwork in the collection, and arguably the most important American piece in art history, is James Abbott McNeill Whistler's renowned painting “Symphony in White, No. 1, The White Girl.”

Although Whistler is mainly recognized for the portrait of his mother, which even inspired a Rowan Atkinson film, his Symphony painting greatly influenced the art world and is considered a pivotal piece of modernism. The painting was exhibited in the Salon des Refusés alongside Édouard Manet's “Luncheon on the Grass,” a key event of the avant-garde salon.

The American collection contains significant works by other local artists such as the impressionist Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam, George Bellows, and more.

Address: Constitution Ave. 20565, NW, Washington

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The Museums of the National Mall in Washington – Independence Avenue

National Museum of Asian Art

The high-quality Asian Art museum is located on the southern part of the National Mall, adjacent to the Smithsonian Castle. The museum site consists of the union of the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. This union falls under the Smithsonian's museum network, and the collection is spread across the two connected gallery buildings.

In the two galleries, about 45,000 artworks and objects are displayed, most of them from the Far East, and others from various other regions of Asia such as the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.

Address: Independence Ave SW, 1050, Washington

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Smithsonian Castle

The Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as the Smithsonian Castle, proudly stands on Washington's National Mall. The distinctive structure, made of reddish-brown bricks, is one of the oldest buildings on the National Mall. It was constructed in 1855 in a massive Romanesque style with unique neo-Gothic finishes. At the entrance of the castle, a prominent hexagonal-shaped bell tower and additional towers with a stunning pointed Gothic roof catch the eye.

The building houses the Smithsonian Institution's research center and mainly serves as the office space for researchers belonging to the National Museum consortium and the administrative staff of the museum ensemble.

Behind the castle stretches the charming Enid A. Haupt Garden. The garden opened in 1987, inspired by Victorian gardens or what we know as English gardens. In the southern part of the garden is the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, which boasts a large collection of items and artifacts from all over Africa.

A little to the east lies the rotunda building hosting the modern collection of the Hirshhorn Museum. The museum boasts a variety of works by late modern period artists and American pop artists. In the nearby sculpture garden, you'll find the famous “Burghers of Calais” statue by Auguste Rodin.

Address: Jefferson Dr SW, 1000, Washington

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian Space Museum is probably the most popular and famous facility of the national museum group. The museum isn't too large but offers a precisely curated collection of the biggest stars in American air and space history. Since the whole aerospace industry is so closely associated with American technology of the 20th century, the museum truly allows you to touch the whole history of aeronautics.

The museum's collection of historic aircraft includes some of the most significant aviation vehicles in history:

• The Wright brothers' plane, the first aircraft in history to take off from the ground
• Charles Lindbergh's famous plane “Spirit of St. Louis”, the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean
• The “Enola Gay” plane, which carried the atomic bomb for the attack on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War II
• The Bell X-1 plane, flown by Chuck Yeager as part of an experiment and was the first to break the sound barrier
• The Explorer 2, an experimental balloon that ascended to an altitude of 22 km, on the edge of space in 1935

The aircraft collection is indeed important, but the popular attraction at the museum is the collection of spacecraft and items belonging to NASA:

• An original model of the V-2 rocket, the first ballistic missile (which, of course, reached space), produced by the Nazis towards the end of World War II. The missiles were developed and produced at the Peenemünde labor camp in northern Germany, and after its conquest, the technology was transferred to the USA (along with the Nazi scientists) and formed the basis of the American space industry.
• The command module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the historic craft on which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin reached the moon.
• The Space Shuttle Discovery
• And for fun: a model of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek.

The museum exhibit also includes important items related to the aviation and space industry, such as moon rocks brought back by astronauts. The museum exhibit displays about forty thousand items to the public. The museum itself is very popular and is considered the flagship museum of the Smithsonian, together with the Museum of Natural History across the street.

Across the road to the east is the new National Museum of the American Indian, where you can learn about the rich culture of the land's original inhabitants before the Europeans arrived.

Address: 600 Independence Ave SW, Washington

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The United States Botanic Garden

The United States Botanic Garden is located on the southwestern part of the Capitol Building and is practically considered part of the Capitol complex. This charming green spot is the oldest continuously operating botanic garden in the USA, having opened in 1842. The garden features open sections and greenhouse segments with an enormous variety of plants and trees from all over the world, carefully arranged and cataloged.