Top Things to do in Upper Northwest
10 Museums in Upper Northwest That You Shouldn't Miss
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. National Gallery of Art
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9,190 reviews
We belong to you. The National Gallery of Art—the nation’s museum—preserves, collects, exhibits, & fosters understanding of works of art.
Reviewed By kazoochance - New Haven, United States
Just go here and check out both spectacular buildings - the modern IM Pei East Wing and the the lovely old classical West Building - especially by taking the underground passageway - and feel the differences and greatness of both classical and modern culture! Go stand in front of so many paintings you’ve seen in art books and marvel at Van Gogh and his luminous color and thick paint just inches away, and Gauguin with his bright colored patterns and shapes on the other side of the room... be amazed at the brilliant details of light in the Dutch masters and Salvador’s Dali’s Last Supper... And take your kids! Just go by feel and see what pulls you ...and maybe appreciate your good fortune for getting to be alive and able to appreciate that there is so much beauty in the world after all.
2. Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,251 reviews
Hillwood, the grand estate of Post Cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, sits on 25 acres overlooking Rock Creek Park in northwest Washington DC. Along with a world renowned collection of Russian and French decorative arts, Hillwood also features extensive gardens and special exhibitions.
Reviewed By wbee2016 - Lincoln, United States
Ms. Post amassed a huge and varied collection of Russian artifacts from the days of Imperial family rule, including Fabrege eggs, jewelry, porcelain, and religious icons. Arrive early to see the gardens and grounds when not crowded. When standing on the steps looking toward the putting green across the lunar lawn, spot the Washington monument in the distance. Take the docent led mansion tour. Not on the guided tour but not to be missed is the icon room. There is a cafe on the grounds with delicious lunch fare and attentive service. This is a quiet jewel in a bustling tourist town. Go when you need to refresh.
3. National Museum of American History
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,954 reviews
One of the Smithsonian museums along the Mall, this one has more than 3 million artifacts in its collection—from gowns to locomotives—that reflect and preserve a record of America’s past.
Reviewed By ghazel1231 - Tampa, United States
The Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum usually end up at the top of the must-visits in Washington, but the American History Museum tells a much better story of America. The American flag from Ft McHenry (the inspiration for our national anthem), Judy Garland's ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz, the gowns of the first ladies, the histories of each of the Presidents and all of our wars - they're all here, in a well-organized, easily followed lay out.
4. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11,153 reviews
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Tickets are only needed from March 1 to August 31 to visit the Museum's Permanent Exhibition, which tells the history of the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945. Exhibitions Include: Permanent Exhibition: The Holocaust Spanning three floors, the self-guided Permanent Exhibition presents a narrative history of the Holocaust and features historical artifacts, photographs, and film footage. Personal objects and the concluding eyewitness testimonies highlight the stories of individuals. Recommended for ages 11 or older. The Portal: A Real-Time Conversation with People Forced to Flee Persecution The Shared Studios Portal allows you to have a face-to-face conversation with someone in another part of the world-as if you are standing in the same room. Through this installation, visitors will be able to converse in real time with displaced persons or refugees in Iraq, Jordan, and Germany Remember the Children: Daniel's Story Representing the experiences of many Jewish children during the Nazi era, "Daniel" narrates through his diary the history of the Holocaust in ways that children can understand. Recreated environments present life in a middle-class German home, in a Jewish ghetto in occupied Poland, and finally at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The exhibition is explicit without being graphic. Recommended for ages 8 or older. Some Were Neighbors: Collaboration & Complicity in the Holocaust Some Were Neighbors: Collaboration & Complicity in the Holocaust addresses one of the central questions about the Holocaust: How was it possible? The central role of Hitler and other Nazi Party leaders is indisputable. Less well understood is these perpetrators' dependence on countless others for the execution of Nazi racial policies. Within Nazi Germany and across German-dominated Europe, circles of collaboration and complicity rippled throughout governments and societies wherever victims of persecution and mass murder lived.
Reviewed By tikvah48
This museum has become one of the most popular in Washington DC. With the rise of anti-semitism and white supremacy in the US, the Holocaust Museum takes on a more important meaning. This is a museum of America's conscience and visitors should not miss the current exhibit about America and its response to the Holocaust. Those who are family members of victims and survivors can access the museum database to search for family information. Executive Director Sara Bloomfield has doe an outstanding job creating a must see- eye opening and thought provoking experience.
5. Dumbarton Oaks
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 321 reviews
Dumbarton Oaks is an institute of Harvard University dedicated to supporting scholarship internationally in Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships, meetings, exhibitions, and publications. It opens its doors to the public to visit its historic Gardens, designed by Beatrix Farrand; its Museum, with world-class collections of art; and its Music Room, for lectures and concerts.
Reviewed By NikaJunie - Jersey City, United States
This is a hidden gem, but will only be interesting to people with certain refined tastes. Basically, it is a big, early 19th century country house set in a large, extraordinary garden. It contains a small museum dedicated to Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art. Musical events and lectures are often held here and it is a center of active scholarship, an enclave of Harvard University. These areas do not form a coherent whole but, rather, reflect the interests of the donors. If you are drawn to landscaping, Byzantium, or the ancient Americas you should not miss Dumbarton Oaks. There is a good bookshop/gift shop. Opening hours are limited, so plan ahead.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. National Museum of Health & Medicine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 110 reviews
This museum, created after the Civil War, has several exhibits displaying gruesome injuries from the battlefield and detailing some of the medical techniques used.
Reviewed By ergneb - Norwalk, United States
We did not have a docent with us and just toured on our own. Small and out of the way, but definitely worth seeing. Free admission, Free parking on site. Exceptionally well done. The museum is immaculate, restrooms as well. Soooo interesting. Only three galleries. However, for the very squeamish I would say be prepared. Some of the exhibits were very graphic and they have real specimens of body parts. I found it all fascinating!
9. National Portrait Gallery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,498 reviews
Visitors can view the portraits of all the U.S. presidents.
Reviewed By rossf976 - Fargo, United States
You intended to visit the much-hyped International Spy Museum, only to discover the entrance mobbed with tourists and the $22.95/adult a bit above budget. So you glance across the street to a hulking Greek Revival style building apparently ignored by the mobs. Better take a closer look. You’ve stumbled onto the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum, unencumbered by the multitudes and…free. These two art galleries in the sprawling ex-U.S. patent office tend to be missed perhaps because the building is several blocks off Smithsonian central on the National Mall. Some people who have visited Washington over the years also may remember its location in a once-dubious neighborhood surrounded by pimps and addicts. Well, that was then. Now the area between F and G streets has been cleaned up and this museum ought to move to everyone’s A list. It’s become one of the city’s top art museums. The portrait gallery features American history as told through the presidents, George Washington to Barack Obama. That newest portrait is so popular staff had to set up ropes to control the line. The American art gallery side houses a vast collection of just about any kind of work you want to see, from Renaissance art (European but with a connection to the New World) to contemporary abstracts. Pottery, sculpture, folk art, glass-walled conservation demo room, charming covered courtyard—well, it’s clearly too much for the limited space. In fact, some of the art has been squeezed together top to bottom hanging from back-to-back boards on the nearly-ignored third level. Don’t miss that. The building itself features grand staircases, marble floors and dramatic skylights, architecture alone is worth a look. That it barely survived a tear-down plan during the philistine ‘50s makes it all the more amazing. To see everything requires several hours. But what the heck—come back again later. After all, it’s free. And mob-less. One possible concern: it doesn’t open until almost lunch time, 11:30 a.m. But it stays open until 7 p.m.
10. The Phillips Collection
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,392 reviews
"Americas First Museum of American Art" boasts a collection of over 2,500 19th and 20th-century masters, both American and European, including Renoir, Picasso, Gauguin, Manet, OKeefe and more.
Reviewed By Nutmeg2003 - Washington DC, United States
This 2 story private home expanded its space to add a larger 3 story exhibit area for its wonderful collection and visiting exhibitions some years ago. Is the tale apocryphal of a fellow from Germany bringing his girlfriend to DC to propose to her in front of Renoir's The Boating Party? It's believable, as the painting beguiles viewers. The current exhibition of Nabi artists: From Bonnard to Vuillard, will soon end, but there's always another worth seeing. I'm most intrigued by the Impressionist art, so well curated, but go to the website to see more of the permanent collection. If you can grab a ticket for a Sunday concert in the music room, by a wonderful traveling quartet, the acoustics in the main house are amazing. Just off Dupont Circle, this museum is special even in DC, where museums abound.
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