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The 10 Best Specialty Museums in Washington DC, District of Columbia (DC)
Washington DC is a hub for American politics and history. Attracting as many school field trips as it does travelers the district offers a peek into the country’s democratic origin. There are plenty of free museums to take advantage of but the real draw here is the memorials and monuments dedicated to great American leaders. Spend some contemplative time at the Reflecting Pool within the National Mall, among the most patriotic places in the country.
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1. Black Fashion Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Appointment-only museum displaying the evolving saga of black fashion through costumed mannequins, display cases, picture frames and photo albums.
2. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By davidgross12 - Pinckneyville, United States
Wife, daughter, and I were all blown away by this unbelievable collection of bonsai, as we were with all of the Natural Arboretum. Place this at the top of your D.C. travel list.
3. The National Archives Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,488 reviews
Repository where the most important historical documents of the United States are held, such as the original Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution and the 1297 version of the Magna Carta.
Reviewed By Noraatc - Sudbury, United States
Luckily, we were at the North Entrance early enough to beat school kids on their field trips and had a perfect chance to see all four pages of the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights as well as one of the best preserved copies of the Magna Carta donated to the Archives by David Rubenstein, the co-founder of the Carlyle Group. That’s one generous gift! We had been very fortunate to see another copy of the Magna Carta in Salisbury Cathedral in England. There are so many other fascinating documents reflecting various pages of our history, so depending on your personal interests, it might not be a short visit. TIP 1 (for all): do arrive early - when we were leaving, there was a really long line at the entrance. TIP 2 (for kids): Not sure if two military helicopters on both sides of the facade are still there. At the time of our visit shortly after Veterans Day, the veterans were welcoming both kids and adults to get inside the helicopters and explore. Children were very excited to sit in the real helicopters, play with controls and chat with the veterans.
4. National Museum of Women in the Arts
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 369 reviews
Founded in 1981 and opened in 1987, the National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing and literary arts. The museum's collection features 4,500 works from the 16th century to the present created by more than 1,000 artists, including Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, Alma Thomas, Lee Krasner, Louise Bourgeois, Chakaia Booker and Nan Goldin, along with special collections of 18th-century silver tableware and botanical prints. NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., In a landmark building near the White House.
Reviewed By jaseaton - Silver Spring, United States
We love this museum. They have a small but sensational gift shop which celebrates a mix of beautiful art objects and tstotchkes with liberal feminist attitude and humor (two things that don’t always go together). They had a special exhibit of Judy Chicago’s work on meditations about her own (and the planet’s) death. Not my favorite show of hers, but always worth seeing. The staff are friendly and helpful. The displays are easy to take in in an afternoon. And they have special events such as Sunday brunches once a month and weddings many weekends.
5. National Museum of African Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 243 reviews
Part of the Smithsonian Institution that concentrates on crafts and objects from the sub-Saharan region of Africa.
Reviewed By BobN06 - Avondale, United States
First visit to this museum despite being in DC numerous times. Found the museum content to be of excellent quality and well laid out. Could have spent more time here.
6. National Air and Space Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23,307 reviews
Note to visitors: Starting Oct 7, 2019, please enter through the Jefferson Drive entrance (National Mall side). The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world.
Reviewed By 834samp - Lexington, United States
This museum was awesome as was our tour guide Glennyce who was very knowledgeable of all aspects of our country's aviation history from the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk to our ongoing space exploration of today. Early aviation by the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, and Charles Lindbergh was covered thoroughly as was the race to space with the Soviets. Don't miss this museum if you go to D.C.
7. The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 60 reviews
Please note that the museum is temporarily closed due to the evolving COVID-19 situation. Check the museum's website for the latest information. Focused on art, history, and culture, the museum showcases The Textile Museum’s textile collections from around the globe and the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection of artifacts that trace the founding and evolution of Washington, D.C.
Reviewed By lapaz97 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
A continuation of the old Textile Museum near Dupont Circle, this version offers greater facilities and galleries for textile display. Well worth a visit.
8. Rock Creek Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 281 reviews
Not just a park in the city, but a kind of leisurely museum, with a scattering of Civil War forts, a cemetery and a 19th-century mill within its bounds.
Reviewed By michaeljE3760TZ - Washington DC, United States
I have lived in DC for 23 years and 21 of those in Mt. Pleasant which is just 5 minutes away from access to Rock Creek Park where Peirce Mill is located. On weekends and holidays, portions of the main road through the park, Beach Drive is closed off to motor vehicle and on warm summer days is filled with bikers, joggers, walkers, skaters/bladers, and puncuating by picnickers at park sites scattered in between the closed off roads. There is the mill, the creek itself, which is beautiful in winter snow, many miles of trails through the woods, a horse stable that offers riding lessons, a golf course that meanders through the trees in a rustic oasis with few others around, and the National Zoo is in the park as well. I like to drive down to the mill and go sit beside the low dam wall with a sandwich on a sunny Saturday afternoon and just breathe the fresh air, looking across the mowed meadow of green grass and daffodils in dapples sunlight through the trees, with a cool breeze blowing along the creek (it can be 10 degrees cooler down here on hot summer days), and gaze at the craftmanship of the old stone mill and its waterwheel. One of the very best things about Washington DC and a true gift for me to live practically in it!
9. Anacostia Community Museum
10. United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 194 reviews
A statue of The Lone Sailor peers over this memorial, which consists of a plaza bearing a granite world map flanked by waterfalls and fountains. The heritage center contains exhibits on naval history.
Reviewed By daff0dil74 - Saint Louis, United States
This Navy Memorial honors everyone who served in a US naval capacity. I entered my submariner husband in the Navy Log there so that his grandchildren, great grandchildren and those who come after will be able to connect with him and who he was, in years ahead. Registration was easy to do: just need a photo, with time and location noted, and basic information ( name, rank, serial number, etc). . Once entered in this archive the information can be brought up on computer’s there, and on your computer devices at home, anytime, anywhere. If you’ve been a Navy family the two statues there will be an emotional tug. The Lone Sailor and his Seabag stands outside on the Seven Seas plaza; and the “ Homecomig” statue of sailor, wife and child is inside in the archives area. Have a tissue in your pocket if they are a poingnant reminder of ‘ been there, done that’.
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