DK Travel : Washington, D.C.

A symbol of democracy the world over and the seat of American government, Washington, D.C. confronts visitors with stirring icons and monuments at every turn. This sparkling self-styled city on the Potomac River is full of marble and light, with beautiful landscaping touches and centuries-old architecture. Built on top of former swampland, Washington was deliberately designed into quadrants, with the US Capitol at its hub. Its many unmissable sights provide unparalleled access to the workings of government, internationally famed museums with priceless exhibits, and the cultural and spiritual foundations of the city and the nation.

National Museum of American History

The story of the United States of America, from its often troubled beginnings to the present day, is told here, both through public icons and through examinations of the daily lives of ordinary people. The much-acclaimed “The American Presidency” exhibit displays engaging personal belongings of the presidents in a patriotic setting. “America on the Move” draws on the museum’s unparalleled collections and looks at all the modes of transportation from 1876 to the present. There are also interactive experiences.

National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History

Cleverly combining the “America’s attic” approach with contemporary interpretive displays, this museum exhibits artifacts ranging from political campaign buttons to early locomotives.
National Museum of American History

This fascinating museum enshrines 10,000 years of Native American life and culture, and acknowledges the contributions native peoples have made to the history of the Americas. The collection includes over 800,000 items, 7,000 of which are on display. Exhibits include pre-Columbian gold figurines, beadwork, textiles, and pottery from the Arctic to Patagonia. The building itself has been designed in harmony with Native American cultural beliefs. The entrance faces east to meet the morning sun, and light spills in reflecting the importance of the sun within Amerindian culture.
National Museum of Natural History

There is plenty here for young visitors, in particular the Insect Zoo featuring live specimens of giant hissing cockroaches and large leaf-cutter ants, and the Dinosaur Hall which contains a cast of a nest of dinosaur eggs and reconstructions of dinosaur skeletons. The new, interactive Hall of Mammals features 274 taxidermied exhibits from a variety of environments. For another hands-on experience, the Discovery Room allows children (and adults!) to hold objects like crocodile heads and elephant tusks.
National Museum of Natural History

Must-see exhibits abound here: the Dinosaur Hall with its 87-ft (27-m) Diplodocus longus ; skeletal remains; the Hope diamond; the Insect Zoo; O. Orkin IMAX® theater; and a stunning mammal exhibit.
National Museum of Natural History

A favorite with children, yet filled with fascinating displays and artifacts that appeal to everyone, the vast halls of this Smithsonian museum have everything from the tiny bones of a snake to a giant ritual statue from Easter Island. Other exhibits include vast Mammal Hall, Pacific island canoes, fabulous gemstones, a giant squid, a scene from a Chinese opera, and an Egyptian mummy case (see National Museum of Natural History& National Museum of Natural History).
National Museum of the American Indian

This museum is a national center for Native American culture.
National Museum of the American Indian

The Smithsonian’s huge collection of material and artifacts related to Native American art, history, culture, and language moved into its first permanent home in Washington in 2004. Items displayed include North American carvings, quilled hides, feathered bonnets, pottery, and contemporary prints and paintings, as well as objects from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
National Museum of Women in the Arts

The collection of works by female artists here is among the world’s best, ranging from Lavinia Fontana’s Portrait of a Noblewoman (c. 1580) to Brazilian artist Frida Baranek’s bristling 1991 Untitled
National Museum of Women in the Arts

This is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to displaying the work of women artists, from the Renaissance to the present day. Fascinating and provocative exhibitions explore the work and social role of female artists over the centuries, as well as that of women in general.