Top 10 Specialty Museums in District of Columbia, District of Columbia

January 29, 2022 Christa Meece

Discover the best top things to do in District of Columbia, District of Columbia including Black Fashion Museum, National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, The National Archives Museum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, National Museum of African Art, National Air and Space Museum, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Community Museum, United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center.
Restaurants in District of Columbia

1. Black Fashion Museum

2007 Vermont Ave NW, Washington DC, DC 20001-4029 +1 202-667-0744
Excellent
100%
Good
0%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
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

3501 New York Ave NE U.S. National Arboretum, Washington DC, DC 20002-1958 +1 202-396-3510 [email protected] http://www.bonsai-nbf.org
Excellent
83%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 18 reviews

National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

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

700 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC, DC 20408-0001 +1 202-357-5000 http://www.archives.gov/museum/
Excellent
65%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 3,488 reviews

The National Archives Museum

Repository where the most important historical documents of the United States are held, such as the original Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution and the 1297 version of the Magna Carta.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

1250 New York Ave NW, Washington DC, DC 20005-3970 +1 202-783-5000 http://nmwa.org/
Excellent
63%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
3%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 369 reviews

National Museum of Women in the Arts

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

1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC, DC 20560-0007 +1 202-633-4600 [email protected] http://africa.si.edu/
Excellent
48%
Good
38%
Satisfactory
9%
Poor
3%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 243 reviews

National Museum of African Art

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

Independence Ave SW 600 Independence Ave SW, Washington DC, DC 20560 +1 202-633-2214 [email protected] http://airandspace.si.edu
Excellent
68%
Good
23%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 23,307 reviews

National Air and Space Museum

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

701 21st Street, NW The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, Washington DC, DC 20052 +1 202-994-5200 [email protected] http://museum.gwu.edu/
Excellent
47%
Good
37%
Satisfactory
17%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 60 reviews

The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

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

3545 Williamsburg Ln NW, Washington, DC 20008, Washington DC, DC 20015 +1 202-282-1063 http://www.nps.gov/rocr/index.htm
Excellent
59%
Good
35%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 281 reviews

Rock Creek Park

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

1901 Fort Pl SE, Washington DC, DC 20020-3230 +1 202-357-2700 http://anacostia.si.edu/About
Excellent
53%
Good
32%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
5%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 19 reviews

Anacostia Community Museum

A unique museum that develops its exhibits through a community outreach program.

10. United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center

701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC, DC 20004-2608 +1 202-737-2300 http://www.navymemorial.org/
Excellent
43%
Good
41%
Satisfactory
14%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 194 reviews

United States Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center

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’.

ThingsTodoPost © 2018 - 2024 All rights reserved.