Smithsonian Information

African American History and Culture Museum

  • Free timed-entry passes required.
  • This is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture.
  • Located on Constitution Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets, NW
  • Closest metro stop: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian
  • For more information and how to obtain timed-entry passes, visit nmaahc.si.edu/visit.


African Art Museum

  • On view are outstanding examples of African creativity from the 11th century to contemporary works commissioned by the museum.
  • Located at 950 Independence Avenue, SW
  • Closest metro stop: Smithsonian


Air and Space Museum

  • Free timed-entry passes required.
  • Eight new galleries house hundreds of aircraft, spacecraft, and other flight-related artifacts.
  • Located on Independence Avenue and 6th Street, SW
  • Closest metro stop: L'Enfant Plaza
  • For more information and how to obtain timed-entry passes, visit airandspace.si.edu/visit.

American Art Museum

  • The nation’s flagship museum of American art and craft is recognized internationally as home to one of the most significant and inclusive collections of American art in the world.
  • Located on 8th and G Streets, NW (shares a building with the Portrait Gallery)
  • Closest metro stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown

American History Museum

  • This museum is devoted to exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of our past through the cultural, social, political, technological, medical, and scientific development of America.
  • Located on Constitution Avenue between 12th and 14th Streets, NW
  • Closest metro stop: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian

American Indian Museum

  • Home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of Indigenous art and historical objects, the museum offers exhibitions designed in collaboration with Native communities from throughout the Western Hemisphere.
  • Located on 3rd Street and Maryland Avenue, SW
  • Closest metro stop: L'Enfant Plaza

Anacostia Community Museum

  • Located in the Anacostia neighborhood, this museum examines, documents, and interprets the impact of historical and contemporary social issues on urban communities.
  • Located at 1901 Fort Place, SE
  • Closest metro stop: Anacostia Transfer to the W-2 or W-3 bus. Call 202-633-4820 for driving directions.

Asian Art Museum

  • The first national museum of art is home to one of North America’s largest and most comprehensive collections of Asian art, plus James McNeill Whistler's masterpiece, the Peacock Room. Two separate buildings are connected by an underground passageway.
  • Located on Jefferson Drive and 12th Street, SW
  • Closest metro stop: Smithsonian

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

  • On display is international modern and contemporary art in a celebrated Gordon Bunshaft-designed cylindrical building and adjoining Plaza. The Sculpture Garden across Jefferson Drive is closed for revitalization; see hirshhorn.si.edu for details.
  • Located on Independence Avenue and 7th Street, SW
  • Closest metro stop: L'Enfant Plaza

Natural History Museum

  • The world’s most popular natural history museum is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it.
  • Located on Constitution Avenue and 10th Street, NW
  • Closest metro stop: Federal Triangle, Archives, or Smithsonian

Portrait Gallery

  • The Portrait Gallery tells the story of the nation through the individuals who have shaped its culture, from poets and presidents to actors and activists.
  • Located on 8th and G Streets, NW (shares a building with the American Art Museum)
  • Closest metro stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown


Postal Museum

  • Often called a hidden gem, this museum shares the story of America as seen through the lens of its mail and reveals how objects as small as stamps can tell a big story.
  • Located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
  • Closest metro stop: Union Station

Renwick Gallery

  • This branch of the American Art Museum is dedicated to contemporary craft and maker culture, featuring works by artists exploring traditional and innovative approaches to their materials.
  • Located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street, NW
  • Closest metro stop: Farragut West or Farragut North

Smithsonian Gardens

  • The 13 gardens surrounding Smithsonian museums are a “museum without walls.” All are designed to complement the museums they border and to enhance learning, appreciation, and enjoyment.

Smithsonian's National Zoo

  • Free timed-entry passes required.
  • The Zoo is home to more than 1,800 animals, including some of the planet's most critically endangered species. Zoo staff work to save species by engaging in cutting-edge science, sharing knowledge, and providing inspirational experiences for guests.
  • Located at 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
  • Closest metro stop: Cleveland Park (on arrival) or Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan (on departure)
  • For more information and how to obtain timed-entry passes, visit nationalzoo.si.edu/visit.

Udvar-Hazy Center

  • This branch of the Air and Space Museum features hundreds of historically significant aircraft and spacecraft, along with thousands of small artifacts in an open, hangar-like setting.
  • Located at 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport
  • Closest metro stop: Innovation Center - Transfer to Fairfax Connector bus 983

Currently Closed Locations:

Arts and Industries Building

  • Temporarily Closed for Renovation
  • Located at 900 Jefferson Drive, SW
  • Closest metro stop: Smithsonian

Smithsonian Castle

  • Temporarily Closed for Renovation. Check out our Virtual Visitor Center at si.edu/visit.
  • Located at 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW
  • Closest metro stop: Smithsonian