Museums and Galleries in Washington, D.C.

10th and E Streets, NW

The theater where President Lincoln was assassinated while watching a performance of “Our American Cousin,” has been restored as a center for the performing arts.  The president’s box remains as it was on the night of April 14, 1865.  

A Lincoln museum in the basement of the theater contains such historical items as the president’s stovepipe hat, cape, and suit he wore on the night of his assassination.  Relics from Lincoln’s youth and his presidency are also displayed.  

Just across 10th Street is the Petersen House, where the wounded president was taken following the shooting and where he died in a second-story bedroom.

http://www.fordstheater.org

Washington Navy Yard, 9th and M Streets, SE

The United States Marine Corps Museum chronicles significant contributions made by the Marine Corps to the American people and American history.  Located at the Washington Navy Yard, the museum displays a collection of paintings on the history of the U.S. Marine Corps and a Time Tunnel with uniforms, artifacts, and documents from 1775 to the present.  Also housed at the museum is a comprehensive collection  of weaponry, decorations, and heraldry.

http://www.usmcmuseum.org

6th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW

World masterpieces from Medieval times to the present adorn the National Gallery.  Included are major works by Botticelli, Cezanne, da Vinci, Raphael, Renoir, and many other masters.  

The East Wing highlights contemporary art, beginning with the building designed by I.M. Pei.  Since its opening in 1978, the East Wing, a gift to the nation from Paul Mellon, has been recognized as a major exhibition place for Matisse, Calder, and other fine contemporary artists.  Extended summer hours are determined each year.

http://www.nga.gov

9th and M Streets SE - Building #76

From John Paul Jones to “Bull” Halsey to the modern fleet, the Navy’s contribution to America’s national defense is chronicled here.  Visitors can explore old submarines, a ships bridge and a variety of sea-going weapons.  Guided tours available.

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg8.htm

201 East Capitol Street, SE

The library houses the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, as well as an authentic Elizabethan Theater.

http://www.folger.edu

800 3rd Street, NE

Three main exhibits - International Hall, Changing Environments, and Communication - combine arts, sciences, humanities, and new technologies.  “Please Touch” signs are everywhere, increasing a child’s enjoyment and understanding of a rich mixture of exhibits.  Admission is charged.

http://www.ccm.org

2020 K Street, NW

A variety of Jewish ceremonial objects from antiquity to modern day are featured.

Visiting by advanced reservation only.

http://www.bnaibrith.org/museum/index.cfm

17h and M Streets, NW

The centerpiece of the National Geographic Building features a giant rotating earthglobe, Jacque Cousteau’s diving saucer, Admiral Perry’s arctic sled, and a special electronic map depicting many famous world expeditions.

http://www.corcoran.org

1776 D Street, NW

The DAR has collected and preserved a remarkable array of period pieces which vividly recall America’s Revolutionary War era.  A chest from the Boston Tea Party, Daniel Boone’s ladderback chair, and replicas of home life in several states are among the exhibits.  

http://www.dar.org

13th Street and New York Avenue, NW

This is the world’s first museum dedicated to the artistic achievements of women.  It features painting, sculpture, photography, and graphic arts from the Renaissance period to the present.  

http://www.nmwa.org

2320 S Street, NW

The Textile Museum focuses exclusively on the collection, study, preservation, and exhibition of historic, man-made textiles and carpets.  The museum is known for its preeminent collection of pre-Columbian, Peruvian textiles, as well as its fine collections of textiles from the Middle and Far East.

http://www.textilemuseum.org/

1600 21st Street, NW

America’s first museum of modern art, the Phillips is home to one of the finest collections of impressionist and modern American and European art in the world, with nearly 2,500 works by artists including Renoir, Matisse, Degas, van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso, Klee, O’Keeffe, Dove, Diebenkorn, and Rothko. Opened to the public in 1921, the museum comprises founder Duncan Phillips’ 1897 Georgian Revival home and similarly scaled additions that retain the intimacy of a private residence. The Phillips regularly organizes major special exhibitions.

http://www.phillipscollection.org/

4155 Linnean Avenue, NW

Hillwood provides an exceptional opportunity to see in opulent surroundings varied works of 18th and 19th-century Russian and French decorative art.  The unique mansion and gardens were the residence of Mrs. Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973), cereal heiress, collector, and philanthropist.  Tours of the main house must be arranged in advance, but reservations are not needed to tour the gardens and auxiliary buildings.  Admission is charged.

http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org

100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW

The museum tells the story of the holocaust in its three story permanent exhibition; of special note are the Tower of Faces, an actual barracks from Auschwitz, video taped testimony, and the Hall of Remembrance.  Admission is free, but tickets are required.

http://www.ushmm.org/

Newseum is being built in DC.  Virginia location has closed.

Newseum is Washington D.C.'s only interactive museum of news.  Visitors are taken behind the scenes to see and experience how and why news is made.  Visitors can be reporters or television newscasters; relive the great news stories of all time through multimedia exhibits, artifacts, and news memorabilia; and see today’s news as it happens on a block-long video news wall.  

http://www.newseum.org