Washington Metropolitan Area Activities

NIH Fellows Handbook

CrosstownArts is a group effort by people active in the Washington, DC area music scene. There intent is to bring together the many independent musicians, performers, artists, writers, film makers that live in the area and the nonprofit arts organizations that labor to help these artists succeed. This World Wide Web site includes selections in the performing, visual, literary arts as well as arts organizations and venues such as music venues, piano bars, museums, galleries, comedy clubs and theaters.

The Venue menu describes many of the museums in the DC area:

B'Nai B'rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum
1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-857-6583
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Farragut North
Bethune Museum and Archives
1318 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-332-1233
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon-Fri; Sat. by appointment
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line McPherson Square
Capital Children's Museum
800 3rd Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-543-8600
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed-Sun
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Red Line Union Station
Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-638-3211
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Fri; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thurs
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Blue/Orange Line McPherson Square
DAR Museum (Daughters of the American Revolution)
1776 D Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-879-3241
HOURS: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon-Fri; 1 to 5 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Farragut West
Decatur House Museum
748 Jackson Place NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-842-0920
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon-Fri; noon to 4 p.m. Sat-Sun
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Farragut West
Doll's House and Toy Museum
5236 44th Street NW
Washington, DC 20015
202-244-0024
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tue-Sat; noon to 5 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Red Line Friendship Heights
Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-544-7077
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon-Sat
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Capital South
Fort Ward Museum
4301 West Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22304
703-838-4848
HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tue-Sat.; noon to 5 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Free
Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington
Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum
Office and Archives:
600 I Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-789-0900

Historic synagogue location:
701 3rd Street, NW (Corner of 3rd and G Streets, NW)

HOURS: Sundays-Friday, by appointment only
ADMISSION: $3 per person (suggested donation)
METRO: Red Line Judiciary Square
Library of Congress
1st and Independence Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-707-5000
HOURS: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mon-Fri;
8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat-Sun
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Capital South
Lyceum
201 South Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-838-4994
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-Sat; 1 to 5 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Yellow Line King Street
Manassas Museum
9101 Prince William Street
Manassas, VA 22110
703-368-1873
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tue-Sun
ADMISSION: Free
National Archives
7th and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
202-501-5000
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Green/Yellow Line Archives
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
301-713-6800
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-272-2448
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon-Sat
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Judiciary Square
National Gallery of Art and East Wing
4th and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20565
202-737-4215
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Sat; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Judiciary Square
National Gallery of Caricature and Cartoon Art
1317 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-638-6411
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tue-Sat
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Metro Center
National Geographic Society -- Explorers Hall
17th and M Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-857-7588
HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Sat; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Farragut North
National Museum of American Jewish Military
1811 R Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-265-6280
HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Sat
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Dupont Circle
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Walter Reed Hospital
6825 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20306
202-782-2200
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Takoma Park
National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-783-5000
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Sat; noon to 5 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Metro Center
Octagon Museum
1799 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-638-3221
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tue-Sun
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Red Line Farragut North
Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-2151
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tue-Sat; noon to 7 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Red Line Dupont Circle
Sewall-Belmont House
144 Constitution Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-546-3989
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tue-Fri; noon to 4 p.m. Sat
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Union Station
Smithsonian -- Anacostia Museum
1901 Fort Place SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. 5 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO:
COMMENTS: Has one of the finest collections of art, created by African Americans, in the city.
Smithsonian -- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
1050 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-3200
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENTS: Specializes in Japanese and Asian Art
Smithsonian -- Arts and Industries Building
900 Jefferson Drive SW
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian
COMMENTS: Works of art by contemporary artists
Smithsonian -- Freer Gallery
12th and Jefferson Drive SW
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-3200
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENTS: This building physically connects to the Sackler Gallery, also specializes in Japanese artifacts.
Smithsonian -- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
7th and Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENTS: An impressive collection of sculpture both classic and modern plus contemporary art.
Smithsonian -- National Air and Space Museum
6th and Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENTS: Spaceships and aircrafts plus the IMAX Theater. The HOTTEST thing is the "spend the night in the planetarium" you'll need to take child however. So gather your pals buy a few sleeping bags, borrow a neighbor's kid and have a great time.
Smithsonian -- National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENTS: Ancient African Art through to 20th century artifacts.
Smithsonian -- National Museum of American Art
8th and G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red/Yellow/Green Line Gallery Place
COMMENTS: This is the same building as that of the Portrait Gallery. This side of the building houses American art produced over the last 200 years.
Smithsonian -- National Museum of American History
14th and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20560
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENTS: Items from 200 years of American existence. Railroad engines to computers to WWII and much more including the art and mindset of each period.
Smithsonian -- National Museum of Natural History
10th and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20560
202-327-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENTS: This is the one with the big stuffed elephant in the lobby. Great collection of dinosaur skeletons, rocks and habitat simulations.
Smithsonian -- National Portrait Gallery
8th and F Streets NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red/Yellow/Green Line Gallery Place
COMMENTS: In the same building as that of the Museum of American Art this side houses portraits of Americans or portraits done by American artists.
Smithsonian -- National Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20001
202-357-2627
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Union Station
COMMENTS: Washington's first post office, now an active historic site providing exhibits, lectures and special family events.
Smithsonian -- Renwick Gallery
17th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-357-2700
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Farragut North
COMMENTS: A collection of Oriental and contemporary American art and artifacts.
Sumner School Museum and Archives
1201 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-727-3419
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tue-Fri
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Red Line Farragut North
Textile Museum
2320 S Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-667-0441
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Sat; 1 to 5 p.m. Sun
ADMISSION: Fee is charged
METRO: Red Line Dupont Circle
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW
Washington, DC
202-488-0400
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Smithsonian Stop
COMMENT: There is a link which connects the collective memory of the American people with the horror of the Holocaust. When rain soaks the ground at the sites of Auschwitz, Dachau, and other death camps, shards of bone and layers of ash work their way to the surface. This same process is at work in our recollections of the Holocaust. Americans have been unable to suppress the guilt and horror that remembering the Holocaust engenders, and have slowly come to realize that events that occurred fifty years ago and thousands of miles away demand accommodation in our national consciousness. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a facet of official American memory fitted into the iconography of the Mall in Washington, DC. This project explores the nature of the Holocaust in the American consciousness culminating in the formation and development of the President's Commission on the Holocaust in 1978 and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, along with exploration of the physical and emotional parameters of the museum and the exhibit it houses.
United States Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-737-2300
HOURS: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tue-Sat; noon to 5 p.m. Sun
METRO: Green/Yellow Line Archives

National/State Parks and Historic Sites

Constitution Gardens
Washington, DC
The Gardens are located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial bordered by Constitution Avenue, 17th Street and the Reflecting Pool.
ADMISSION: Free. Permits are required for special events and First Amendment activities.
METRO: Blue/Orange Lines Smithsonian
COMMENT: Constitution Gardens was dedicated in 1976 as a living legacy garden tribute to the founding of the nation with a memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Constitution Gardens' 50 acres includes a 6.5-acre lake and a 1-acre island. A Presidential Proclamation of September 17, 1986, made the Gardens a living memorial to the U.S. Constitution.
Ford's Theater National Historic Site
511 Tenth St., NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-347-4833 Box Office
ADMISSION: Free. Admission to theatrical performances is by paid ticket only.
COMMENT: The theater where President Abraham Lincoln was shot on the night of April 14, 1865, and the house across the street where he died early the next day are preserved as Ford's Theater National Historic Site. The Site tells of the assassination events, reminds visitors of the troubling times this nation passed through and perpetuates the aspirations and hopes Lincoln had for the country.
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
1411 W St., SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-426-5961
ADMISSION: Free
COMMENT: Frederick Douglass, a former slave and one of the most commanding figures in America's battle for equal rights, lived at Cedar Hill from 1877 until 1895. His fully restored Victorian home on the heights overlooking Anacostia offers a panoramic view of the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument and the City of Washington. Visitors to the Site will learn more about Frederick Douglass, his efforts to abolish slavery and his struggle for Human Rights, Equal Rights and Civil Rights for all oppressed people.
Great Falls Park, Maryland
301-299-3613
HOURS: Open dawn to dusk daily
ADMISSION: Fee
COMMENT: About 15 miles from the Mall, at the end of MacArthur Boulevard, are the Great Falls of the Potomac, an excellent place for observing the fall foliage. The restored 19th century tavern was an important stopping point on the C & O Canal and is now a museum. Woodland paths and picnic areas are further features of the park, which is also a good starting point for hiking or cycling along the towpath.
Great Falls Park, Virginia
9200 Old Dominion Drive
703-285-2975
HOURS: Open dawn to dusk daily
ADMISSION: Fee
COMMENT: Excellent views of the cascading Potomac can be seen here. The Park has a snack bar, restrooms, visitor center, picnic facilities, and hiking trails. Fishing is permitted, but swimming and wading are prohibited.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Mall
Washington, DC
FEE: Free. Permits are required for special events and First Amendment activities.
METRO: Blue/Orange Lines Foggy Bottom
COMMENTS: Designed to memorialize the veterans of the "Forgotten War," the Memorial pays tribute to the men and women who served in Korea (1950-53) when the Cold War got hot. Consisting of a granite wall with images of military personnel, a reflective pool, a flag and statues of combat troops, the Memorial pays homage to Korean War Veterans.
Lincoln Memorial
The Mall
Washington, DC
METRO: Blue/Orange Lines Foggy Bottom
COMMENT: Constructed as a tribute to the slain President who led the country through its greatest trial -- the Civil War -- the Lincoln Memorial in West Potomac Park features the famous statue that is 19 feet (5.8 m) tall, 19 feet wide and carved from 28 separate blocks of white Georgia marble.
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
1318 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-332-1233
HOURS: Site and gift shop hours are: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Summer hours are: Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ADMISSION: Fees for guided tours are $1 for adults; $.50 for ages 12-18; $.25 for ages 11 and under.
METRO: Red Line McPherson Square
COMMENT: The Site houses the Bethune Museum and Archives, Inc., and is dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of African American Women's history. The Council House was the first national headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women and the last official Washington, DC, residence of its founder -- educator, organizer and political activist -- Mary McLeod Bethune.
National Aquarium
Pier 3, 501 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland
410-576-3500
HOURS: Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with extended hours on Fridays and during the summer.
ADMISSION: Fee.
COMMENT: The National Aquarium is an exploration of the realm of water. Docked nearby is the lightship Chesapeake.
National Mall
Washington, DC
ADMISSION: Free. Permits are required for special events and First Amendment activities.
METRO: Blue and Orange lines to Smithsonian.
COMMENT: From the Capitol to the Washington Monument. Rows of stately elms mark the sweep of the greensward, a key feature of Pierre Charles L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the capital city. Footpaths, bikeways, information and map kiosks, and refreshment stands adorn the mall. Bordering the Mall are the Department of Agriculture, the National Gallery of Art and nine of the Smithsonian Institution's museums: Freer Gallery, Sackler Gallery, African Art, Arts and Industries, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Air and Space, American History, and the central Smithsonian Institution building.

National Zoo

The Zoo is located in northwest Washington, DC, at 3001 Connecticut Avenue. It can be reached by

Subway	Take the Red Line to the Woodley Park/Zoo or Cleveland Park.
Bus	L2 and L4 buses at the Connecticut Avenue entrance; H2 and H4 buses at Harvard Street.
Car	Parking is very limited. From May to September lots may be filled by 10:30 am. Parking fee is calculated by the hour.

HOURS: Weather permitting, the Zoo is open every day except December 25.

Buildings	Grounds
Year-round	May 1 -- Sept. 15 8 a.m. -- 8 p.m.
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise posted	Sept. 16 -- April 30 8 a.m. -- 6 p.m.

PHONE NUMBERS:

General Information Recording	202-673-4800
Information Desk	202-673-4717
Guided Tours	202-673-4955
(Available on a limited basis, weekend mornings only, with advance reservations.)
Zoo Park Police	202-673-4731
(In stormy weather, call here to see if the Zoo is open.)

Old Post Office Tower
Rock Creek Park
Washington, DC
202-426-6829
HOURS: Open daily
ADMISSION: Free. Rock Creek Horse Centre on Glover Road offers horse rentals and riding instruction. There is an 18-hole golf course with a greens fee, golf cart and golf club rental at 16th and Rittenhouse streets. Reservations are required for the tennis courts.
COMMENT: Established in 1890, Rock Creek Park offers 29 miles of hiking trails, 11 miles of bridle trials, horse rentals, tennis courts, athletic fields, and dozens of picnic areas. The Rock Creek Nature Center gives guided nature walks daily and has nature exhibits and planetarium shows. Demonstrations at Pierce Mill illustrate the working of a 19th century gristmill. And in Georgetown, tours are given of the Old Stone House, the oldest dwelling in Washington.
Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site
144 Constitution Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20001
202-546-3989
HOURS: Guided tours and exhibits featuring memorabilia of suffrage and equal rights campaigns, including busts and portraits of suffrage and equal rights leaders. Antique furniture. The tours are conducted Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 as well as Sundays from November to March.
ADMISSION: Free.
METRO: Red Line Union Station
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
80 miles southwest of Washington via I-66 and US 340 or via I-66 and US 211. 703-999-2266
HOURS: Open daily with museum hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ADMISSION: Fee
COMMENT: Skyline Drive threads for 105 miles through the Blue Ridge. The park has campgrounds, mountain cottages, lodges, fishing, horse rentals, picnics spots, 94 miles of the Appalachian Trail, and 200 miles of park trails.
Theodore Roosevelt Island
The parking area is accessible from the northbound lane of the George Washington Memorial Parkway on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. A footbridge connects the Island to the Virginia shore. The Island is also accessible to pedestrians via the Metro station at Rosslyn and a 20-minute walk following city streets to the Key Bridge where the Mount Vernon Trail begins. Follow the trail to the Island entrance.
ADMISSION: Free. Fishing permits are required for persons older than 16. Vehicles are not permitted on the Island. COMMENT: Under President Theodore Roosevelt, the Government became the chief instrument in rescuing the public domain when more than 234 million acres were reserved for conservation. These contributions are memorialized on 88-acre Theodore Roosevelt Island in the Potomac River.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
ADMISSION: Free. Permits are required for special events and First Amendment activities.
COMMENT: This circular, colonnaded structure, in the classic style introduced to this country by Thomas Jefferson, memorializes the author of the Declaration of Independence and President from 1801-09 through interior walls presenting inscriptions from his writings and a heroic statue sculpted by Rudolph Evans.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Mall
Washington, DC
ADMISSION: Free. Permits are required for special events and First Amendment activities.
METRO: Blue/Orange Line Foggy Bottom
COMMENT: The mirrorlike surface of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial reflects the surrounding trees, lawns, monuments and people. The 58,196 names of the killed and missing are engraved in the black granite walls, creating a quiet place to remember and honor all Vietnam veterans. The Memorial also includes the Statue of Three Servicemen and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.
Washington Monument
Constitution Avenue at 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC
(Inclined pathways lead from the parking lot and 15th Street to the entrance and elevator.)
202-426-6841
HOURS: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; 8 a.m. to midnight in spring and summer
COMMENT: In 1833 the Washington National Monument Society was organized "for the purpose of erecting a great National Memorial to Washington." Fifteen years later the cornerstone was laid. After many difficulties and delays, the building was opened to the public in 1888. An elevator takes visitors to the 500-foot level. Return is by elevator as well. If you wish to walk down the 898 steps from which the 190 memorial stones donated by local, state, and foreign governments can be seen, you must make arrangements before hand with the staff.
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
(Disabled persons may use the North Entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue.)
202-755-7798
HOURS: Open for tours 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Saturday. From Memorial Day to Labor Day a ticket system is in effect. Closed for official functions.
COMMENT: The White House has been the official residence of every American President except George Washington, who selected the site for the mansion. The original design was drawn by James Hoban, an Irish-born architect. Burned by the British in 1814, the President's House was restored and painted white, thus is its current name. The house contains furnishings collected by its occupants throughout its history.

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Page last revised November 4, 2005 (sva)