The city's first art museum, housed in an extravagant Beaux Arts building across from the White House, contains an encyclopedic assortment of American art, from portraits from the 18th century to modern works of the 20th century. It's not exclusively American, though, having benefited from the eclectic bequests of several wealthy collectors.
The Clark Landing wing contains an extensive display of European paintings, sculptures, tapestries, rugs, and an entire Louis XVI salon belonging to Senator William Andrews Clark, who donated his possessions to the museum in the 1920s. A more recent addition is the photography collection belonging to the noted lensman Gordon Parks.

Hillwood was heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post's Washington residence from 1955 until her death in 1973. Today, the 25-acre estate in northwest Washington displays her estimable collection of 18th-century French decorative arts and Russian imperial art, such as 19th-century Fabergé eggs, along with more personal items, such as her designer wardrobe. The botanical attractions, including a formal French landscape and Japanese gardens, are also worth the trip. And since the gift shop sells replicas of many of her priceless objects (brooches, the Fabergé eggs), it's one of the most interesting museum shops around.

At the Hirshhorn we seek to share the transformative power of art with all of our visitors, whether you are completely unfamiliar with the world of contemporary art or you are a devoted art aficionado.

During your visit, be sure to go to all three floors of gallery space, the Plaza, and bi-level Sculpture Garden, taking time to see the diversity of our special exhibitions and collection, which contains everything from painting to conceptual photography to sculpture to digital and video art. The work on view changes continuously, so be sure to come back often. We welcome people of all levels of understanding to spend time with these works of art, and encourage you to connect with the art in your own personal way.

The only facility dedicated to the study of international espionage, this museum has a permanent collection of artifacts and spy gadgets (such as a pistol disguised in a lipstick case that was used by the KGB). There also are rooms devoted to spy work during World War II, the spy-versus-spy world of the Cold War, and the dangers that we face today. Fittingly, the museum is near the FBI headquarters, just north of the National Mall.

The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also 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 has two display facilities. The National Mall building in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays many more artifacts including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Enterprise.
The museum is divided into 22 thematic exhibition galleries with names such as 'Milestones of Flight', 'Early Flight', 'Aviation in WWII' and 'Space Race'. Besides displaying the planes and space modules, the museum also includes interactive exhibits as well as the 230-seat Albert Einstein planetarium and the Langley IMAX theater where you can watch breathtaking movies on a five storey high screen.

he National Archives and Records Administration collects millions of documents, but you're probably familiar with at least two of them already: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Between 2001 and 2003, these founding documents were painstakingly cleaned, repaired, and vacuum-sealed in state-of-the-art encasements to preserve them for posterity and make them easier to read. During the day, they're displayed in a neoclassical rotunda, and at night, they're locked in an underground vault for safekeeping. In the public vaults, visitors can research their genealogy, view original patent drawings (like the pencil), and listen to recordings of White House conversations during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Touring the exhibits takes approximately 90 minutes. Reservations are recommended (202-357-5450); otherwise, expect to wait an hour or more outside of the building.

On one side, the West Building is a splendid example of neoclassical architecture, complete with a rotunda; on the other, the East Building is a cool, modern, geometric structure with glass walls, designed by I.M. Pei. (The styles reflect the type of art contained within.) Together, they display a wealth of significant paintings, statues, and graphic arts from the Middle Ages to the present (over 100,000 works in all), including Rodin sculptures; masterpieces acquired from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; three French and Italian period rooms; and a selection of drawings from da Vinci and Picasso contributed by Armand Hammer.

The museum is located on the eastern end of the National Mall (closest to the Capitol). Visit on a weekday morning to avoid the densest crowds.

The two buildings of the National Gallery of Art - the East and West Buildings - sit adjacent to each other and are joined by a spacious tunnel that runs under 4th Street. The two structures are very diverse in style.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art fosters the discovery and appreciation of the visual arts of Africa, the cradle of humanity.

The National Museum of the American Indian is the sixteenth museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Established by an act of Congress in 1989 (amendment in 1996), the museum works in collaboration with the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere to protect and foster their cultures by reaffirming traditions and beliefs, encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the Indian voice.

When the National Portrait Gallery, located in the former Patent Office Building in Penn Quarter, emerged from a six-year, $283-million renovation in July 2006, it gained 57,000 square feet of additional space for its extensive collections.

There are portraits of every American president (including Gilbert Stuart's Lansdowne portrait of George Washington and Pat Oliphant's caricatures of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon). But the gallery also displays photos, portraits, and videos of notables who have made contributions to American culture, from Charlie Chaplin to Shaquille O'Neal.

The National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum, is located in the old Post Office building next to Union Station in Washington, D.C. The Museum was created by an agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Postal Service in 1990 and opened to the public in 1993.

Dedicated to the history and future of journalism, provides visitors with an in-depth look at how news is gathered and made. Start by scanning the day's front pages of newspapers from around the country and the world, or by looking at every photograph that's ever won a Pulitzer Prize—a terrific visual history of the 20th and 21st centuries. There are displays of antique microphones and other broadcast equipment, a real TV studio where you can see how a news program gets put together, and exhibits on the First Amendment and international reporting. The museum also houses a portion of the Berlin Wall, and part of the broadcast tower that once graced the top of the World Trade Center. After you've explored the museum, grab a bite to eat at The Source, Wolfgang Puck's on-site restaurant. Two caveats: Skip the "be a reporter" activity in which you can be filmed reading sample stories from a teleprompter, and the 4-D movie, which shows historical re-creations of journalists from the past in 3-D with 4-D special effects. The idea is great but the execution is cheesy, and both will add to the already expensive-for-D.C. entry fee. Still, the museum is very much worth a visit. Those who want to experience more about the news than sound bites and bickering pundits will come away enlightened.

The nation's first contemporary-art museum, the personal collection of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips is housed in a Georgian Revival mansion near Dupont Circle, giving it more of a residential than gallery setting. The Phillipses had good taste: The paintings are major works by Cézanne, Renoir, Rothko, Matisse, van Gogh, Kandinsky, and Klee, among others.
After a 2006 expansion, the museum has more space to display its permanent collection, including Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party. Between October and May, the museum hosts classical-music concerts (free with museum admission) on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. in the museum's Music Room.

The Renwick Gallery, a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, features one of the finest collections of American craft in the United States. Its collections, exhibition program and publications highlight the best craft objects and decorative arts from the 19th century to the present. One-of-a-kind pieces created from clay, fiber, glass, metal, and wood from American Art's permanent collection of contemporary craft are displayed on a rotating basis in the second-floor galleries. Popular works include Larry Fuente's Game Fish, Wendell Castle's Ghost Clock, and Beth Lipman's Bancketje (Banquet).

The mission of the Anacostia Community Museum is to challenge perceptions, broaden perspectives, generate new knowledge, and deepen understanding about the ever-changing concepts and realities of �community� while maintaining its strong ties to Anacostia and the D.C. Metropolitan region. Founded on September 15, 1967, ACM has been a leader in providing a myriad of formal programs including exhibitions, research, tours, lectures, performances, and demonstrations, the Museum has afforded unique learning opportunities through its Museum Academy Program, which offers after-school and summer cultural enrichment programs, career awareness days, and internship components for children in the District of Columbia.

The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery contain some of the most important holdings of Asian art in the world. In addition, the Freer Gallery boasts exemplary examples of late-nineteenth-century works of American landscape and portraiture by James McNeill Whistler and his contemporaries. The Sackler Gallery is host to contemporary art from Asia as well as international loan exhibitions. Together, both galleries form the national museums of Asian art at the Smithsonian Institution, and are dedicated to the acquisition, care, study, and exhibition of works in their collections.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History dedicates its collections and scholarship to inspiring a broader understanding of our nation and its many peoples. We create opportunities for learning, stimulate imaginations, and present challenging ideas about our country�s past.

The Museum collects and preserves more than 3 million artifacts�all true national treasures. We take care of everything from the original Star-Spangled Banner and Abraham Lincoln�s top hat to Dizzy Gillespie�s angled trumpet and Dorothy�s ruby slippers from �The Wizard of Oz.� Our collections form a fascinating mosaic of American life and comprise the greatest single collection of American history.

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world�s preeminent museum and research complex. The Museum is dedicated to inspiring curiosity, discovery, and learning about the natural world through its unparalleled research, collections, exhibitions, and education outreach programs. Opened in 1910, the green-domed museum on the National Mall was among the first Smithsonian building constructed exclusively to house the national collections and research facilities.

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, promote human dignity, and prevent genocide. A public-private partnership, federal support guarantees the Museum�s permanence, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by donors nationwide.

Located among our national monuments to freedom on the National Mall, the Museum provides a powerful lesson in the fragility of freedom, the myth of progress, the need for vigilance in preserving democratic values. With unique power and authenticity, the Museum teaches millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide.