Guide to The Smithsonian in Washington DC for dummies
When I first started telling people that we were going to visit Washington DC, I would be asked one of two questions: Are you going to visit The Whitehouse? and Are you going to The Smithsonian?
Now, the answer to the first question is a bit complicated (*see the explanation at the bottom of the post).
And the answer to the second? Well…call me a dummy…but I would naively say, “Yes, of course, we’ll go to The Smithsonian.”
Before I did any pre-trip research, I imagined that ‘The Smithsonian’ was a single huge museum in Washington DC. I vaguely thought it had some significant items, such as Dororthy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the Hope Diamond and Apollo 11. I was pretty sure it also had artworks. I’m not sure how I thought it was all organised, but I imagined that it could be polished off in a day.
Oh, how wrong I was.
‘The Smithsonian’ is in fact the world’s largest museum and research complex made up of 19 (yes….NINETEEN) museums and galleries, and one zoo. Seventeen of those museums/galleries are in Washington DC and two are in New York City.
The Smithsonian was established in 1846 by an Act of Congress with funds that were bequeathed to the US state by a British scientist (James Smithson) in order to found “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge”.
So in order to bring you totally up to speed on all the basic facts that you really should know before blithely telling people, “Yes, of course we’ll go to The Smithsonian,” I present:
The guide to The Smithsonian for dummies
1. There are 18 Smithsonian museums and galleries and one zoo in Washington DC. (Although a couple are currently closed for renovations.)
2. The total number of items in The Smithsonian collection is 137 million (try polishing that off in a day…). Obviously, only a small proportion of them are on view at any one time.
3. Entry is free to all of the Smithsonian museums, galleries and zoo in Washington DC.
4. Ten of the Smithsonian museums and galleries are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 14th streets, which makes it easy to walk between them.
5. The Visitor Centre (The Castle) is located at 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW and it opens an hour and half before the other locations, so you can go there first to ask any questions and collect brochures.
6. Most of the museums, galleries and zoo are open from 10am to 5.30pm, 7 days a week (except Christmas Day). A few extend the closing time during summer months, The American Art and Portrait Galleries don’t open until 11.30am, and the Zoo closes at 4.30pm in winter months. But don’t take my word for it..check the official up-to-date opening hours on The Smithsonian website.
7. Some of the museums and galleries have cafes, otherwise, if you’re visiting the ones on The National Mall, there are hotdog vendors parked out on the streets nearby.
8. There is airport-style security to enter each facility. Bags are hand-searched on entry at all locations, and some have walk-through metal detectors and/or x-ray machines. Bring a small bag only, unless you enjoy waiting in a queue while every pocket of your backpack is searched.
9. There is a Smithsonian Mobile app which can be downloaded for either iPhone or Android, which allows you to work out what’s on, discover highlights, and search the collections. You can also add tips and photos from your visit, or share from it to Twitter and Facebook. I wish I’d noticed that link before we went.
10. For first-time visitors to Washington DC staying less than a week, three to five of the museums or galleries is probably a realistic goal – unless you intend to see nothing else but The Smithsonian museums and galleries…in which case, knock yourself out.
11. The four most popular locations are:
- Natural History Museum (dinosaur bones, the Hope Diamond, a big stuffed elephant, butterfly pavilion, IMAX theatre)
- Air and Space Museum (1903 Wright Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, SpaceShipOne, Apollo 11 command module, Hubble Space Telescope test vehicle)
- American History Museum (Dorothy’s ruby slippers, original Muppets, the Greensboro lunch counter, Star-spangled banner and Julia Child’s kitchen)
- National Zoo (approximately 2,000 animals including the famous giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian)
Click here to find out which bits of The Smithsonian we chose to visit.
*Are you non-US and want to visit The Whitehouse? Foreign nationals need to contact their Embassy to arrange a tour. I checked out the Australian Embassy in the US website and it says that, “public tours for foreign nationals would have to be requested via an Embassy AND the U.S. Department of State. This is not currently possible as the U.S. Department of State has NOT facilitated Embassy-sponsored public tours of The White House since 2011.”
So, for us it was a case of checking out The Whitehouse exterior and taking some pics through the fence.
Have you been to The Smithsonian? Any tips to add?
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