Photo: Boucher, Jack E. (as "creator" of the work), National Park Service, US Department of the Interior., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsHistory BuffDate NightFree

Dumbarton Oaks

Dumbarton Oaks is a museum in Washington, DC, part of the Washington DC guide. Cost: free. Gardens open with daily tickets March through October; closed January and February starting in 2027.

1703 32nd St NW · Washington, DC

Why you should go…

Dumbarton Oaks is a Georgetown estate that Robert and Mildred Bliss bought in 1920 and gave to Harvard University in 1940. The museum shows specialized collections of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art and needs no ticket. The terraced gardens, designed by landscape architect Beatrix Farrand with Mildred Bliss, are entered separately at 31st and R Streets with a garden ticket. In 1944 diplomats met here for the talks that led to the United Nations Charter.

#art museum
#historic garden
#byzantine art
#pre-columbian art
#georgetown

What's around here?

The closest stops to Dumbarton Oaks, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
Free
Georgetown
Free
Stroll cobblestone side streets, shop and eat along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, and follow the C&O Canal down to the Potomac waterfront.
0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sightseeing
History Buff
Embassy Row
Free
Stroll Massachusetts Avenue past Gilded Age mansions turned embassies, with flags and statues of world figures on the way.
0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Key Bridge Boathouse
Under $25
A Georgetown boathouse on the Potomac renting kayaks, canoes and paddleboards with guided tours available.
0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
Museums
Date Night
The Phillips Collection
Under $25
See Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party and the Rothko Room in a Dupont Circle house museum.
0.9 mi awayMore like this
Museums
Rainy-Day Pick
Renwick Gallery
Free
See American craft and decorative art in a National Historic Landmark building steps from the White House.
1.7 mi awayMore like this
Museums
History Buff
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Free
A powerful journey through African American history and culture, from the slave trade galleries to Motown and beyond.
2.3 mi awayMore like this