Museums
IconicSmithsonian National Air and Space Museum
FreeTouch a moon rock and stand under the Spirit of St. Louis at the world's most-visited aviation museum, always free.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
MuseumsHistory BuffRainy-Day PickFree
National Museum of the American Indian
Fourth St and Independence Ave SW · Washington, DC
Why you should go…
This Smithsonian museum on the National Mall presents the cultures and histories of Indigenous peoples across the Western Hemisphere. The five-story curvilinear building is clad in golden Kasota limestone meant to evoke rock shaped by wind and water, and you enter facing east into a 120-foot-high atrium. Exhibitions include Americans and Nation to Nation, about treaties with the United States. The Mitsitam cafe serves regional Native foods, and the National Native American Veterans Memorial stands on the grounds.
- #smithsonian
- #native american history
- #museum
- #national mall
Good to know
General museums guidance
Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.
Check the special exhibition separately
Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.
Look for the free window
Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.
Travel light through the door
Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.
Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons
School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.
What's around here?
The closest stops to National Museum of the American Indian, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
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- Sport & OutdoorFamily Favorite
United States Botanic Garden
FreeWander a glass conservatory of tropical, desert and orchid rooms beside the U.S. Capitol, then the outdoor gardens.
Steps awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
- MuseumsRainy-Day Pick
National Gallery of Art
FreeDa Vinci, Vermeer, and the Impressionists for free, plus a sculpture garden that becomes an ice rink in winter.
0.3 mi awayMore like this
- MuseumsFree
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
FreeSee modern and contemporary art in a drum-shaped Smithsonian museum on the National Mall, with a sunken sculpture garden beside it.
0.3 mi awayMore like this
- Sport & OutdoorIconic
National Mall
FreeWalk the long green lawn from the U.S. Capitol toward the Lincoln Memorial, past monuments, memorials and Smithsonian museums.
0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
- SightseeingHistory Buff
U.S. Capitol & Capitol Visitor Center
FreeFree guided tours under the Rotunda's frescoed dome, the heart of American democracy, up close.
0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
