This list of museums in Washington, D.C. encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.
To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.
| Name | Image | Smithsonian | Type | Summary/Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African American Civil War Memorial Museum | African American history | Operated by the National Mall and Memorial Parks, history of the African American soldiers and sailors who fought for the Union in the United States Civil War | ||
| American University Museum | Art | Part of American University, regional, national, and international contemporary art | ||
| Anacostia Community Museum | Smithsonian Institution | African American history | Local history and culture | |
| Anderson House | Historic house | Headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati, early 1900s palatial residence with period furnishings, Society artifacts, portraits, armaments, and personal artifacts of Revolutionary War soldiers | ||
| Art Museum of the Americas | Art | Founded by the Organization of American States as a museum for modern and contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art | ||
| Blessed John Paul II Shrine | Religion | Life and papacy of Pope John Paul II and the history of Catholic heritage in North America | ||
| Charles Sumner School | History | One of the first public school buildings erected for the education of Washington's black community | ||
| Christian Heurich Mansion | Historic house | Gilded Age mansion with early household innovations | ||
| Corcoran Gallery of Art | Art | American art from early days up to the present, part of the Corcoran College of Art and Design | ||
| DAR Museum | Art | Owned by Daughters of the American Revolution, features 30 period rooms of decorative arts including furniture, silver, paintings, ceramics, textiles, toys, quilts | ||
| Decatur House | Historic house | Early 19th century house with exhibits about the White House | ||
| Dumbarton House | Historic house | Early 19th century period house, headquarters of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America | ||
| Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection | Library | Exhibits of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art and European masterpieces from its collections | ||
| Folger Shakespeare Library | Library | Exhibits from its collections about William Shakespeare | ||
| Fondo del Sol | Art | Art and cultural heritage of the people of the Americas | ||
| Ford's Theatre National Historic Site | History | Site of assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, includes theater presentation, Lincoln museum and Petersen House where he was taken | ||
| Freer Gallery of Art | Smithsonian | Art | Asian art including East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Islamic world, the ancient Near East, and ancient Egypt, as well as a significant collection of American art | |
| Frederick Douglass National Historic Site | Historic house | Home and estate of Frederick Douglass, one of the most prominent African Americans of the 19th century | ||
| General Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters | Historic house | Tours of the social clubhouse headquarters, changing exhibits of art, photographs and artifacts from its collections | ||
| George Washington University Art Galleries | Art | Two galleries, includes painting, sculpture, and photographs, ranging from rare historic pieces to Washingtonia and Americana to modern art | ||
| Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens | Decorative arts | Estate and gardens of Marjorie Merriweather Post, rooms decorated with her collections of 18th and 19th century French art, china and art treasures from Imperial Russia | ||
| Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian | Art | Contemporary and modern art | |
| Historical Society of Washington, D.C. | History, Library | Exhibits of the city's history from its collections | ||
| Interior Museum | History | Activities of the agencies of the United States Department of the Interior, including the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, United States Fish and Wildlife Service and United States Geological Survey | ||
| International Spy Museum | History | Espionage history, artifacts, famous figures | ||
| Kreeger Museum | Art | 19th and 20th century paintings and sculptures by internationally known artists, works by local Washington artists, traditional west and central African art | ||
| Laogai Museum | Prison | Confronts the tragic legacy of China’s Laogai system of forced labor prisons | ||
| L. Ron Hubbard House | Historic house | Residence of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard from 1955 until 1959 | ||
| Library of Congress | Library | Exhibits from its collections in American history, culture and art | ||
| Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum | Ethnic - Jewish history | History of the local Jewish community; preserves the oldest synagogue building in the Washington, D.C., area; operated by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington | ||
| Lincoln Memorial | History | Includes displays about the building of the Memorial and some of Lincoln's phrases | ||
| Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. | Wax museum | Wax figures of media celebrities, Presidents, political figures, historical figures, sports stars and more | ||
| Marian Koshland Science Museum | Science | Modern science and scientific issues including climate change, learning, aging and infectious disease | ||
| Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site | Historic house | Home of educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune | ||
| Meridian International Center | Art | Exhibitions of paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos, and crafts that reflect various aspects of American culture to encourage foreign understanding | ||
| O Street Museum Foundation | Art | The collection rotates and changes daily and includes art, music, architecture, memorabilia, manuscripts, sculpture and other items that promote exploration of the creative process. | ||
| National Air and Space Museum | Smithsonian | Aerospace | History and science of aviation and spaceflight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics | |
| National Archives | Library | Exhibits from its collections including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a copy of the 1297 Magna Carta confirmed by Edward I | ||
| National Bonsai and Penjing Museum | Natural history | Located on the campus of the United States National Arboretum, Bonsai and Penjing botanical specimens and displays | ||
| National Building Museum | Architecture | Exhibits about architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning | ||
| National Gallery of Art | Art | Paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, medals, and decorative arts that trace the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present | ||
| National Geographic Museum | Natural history | website, changing exhibits of photography, natural history | ||
| National Museum of African American History and Culture | Smithsonian | Ethnic - African American | Planned museum to open in 2015, exhibit gallery located on the second floor of the National Museum of American History | |
| National Museum of African Art | Smithsonian | Art | African art and culture, includes paintings, musical instruments, sculpture, jewelry, regalia, textiles, pottery | |
| National Museum of American History | Smithsonian | History | American social, political, cultural, scientific and military history | |
| National Museum of the American Indian | Smithsonian | Ethnic - Native American | Life, languages, literature, history and arts of the Native Americans of the Western Hemisphere | |
| National Museum of American Jewish Military History | Ethnic - Jewish - Military - History | Jewish Americans who served in the armed forces | ||
| National Museum of Crime & Punishment | Law enforcement | History of crime and its consequences in America and American popular culture | ||
| National Museum of Natural History | Smithsonian | Natural history | Galleries include paleontology, geology, mammals, human origins, insects, ocean life, gems and minerals, Western, African and Korean cultures | |
| National Museum of Women in the Arts | Art | Women’s achievements in the visual, performing and literary arts | ||
| National Portrait Gallery | Smithsonian | Art - History | Images and history of famous individual Americans | |
| National Postal Museum | Smithsonian | Philately | History of the United States Postal Service and of mail service around the world | |
| Newseum | Media | Interactive museum of news and journalism | ||
| The Octagon House | Historic house | Early 19th century townhouse | ||
| Old Stone House | Historic house | Mid 18th century period house | ||
| Phillips Collection | Art | American and European impressionist and modern art | ||
| President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home | Historic house | Cottage retreat of President Abraham Lincoln and other Presidents | ||
| Renwick Gallery | Smithsonian | Decorative arts | American craft and decorative arts from the 19th century to the 21st century | |
| Arthur M. Sackler Gallery | Smithsonian | Art | Include Chinese, Indian, Korean and Japanese paintings, photography, contemporary ceramics from China, 19th and 20th century Japanese prints, contemporary Japanese pottery, Persian and Islamic paintings and manuscripts | |
| Scottish Rite Temple and Supreme Council Library | Masonic | Masonic principles of personal, social and intellectual freedom, artifacts of American history, Masonic regalia and memorabilia | ||
| S. Dillon Ripley Center | Smithsonian | Exhibition | Exhibits of art, photography | |
| Sewall-Belmont House and Museum | Historic house - History | U.S. women's suffrage and equal-rights movements | ||
| Smithsonian American Art Museum | Smithsonian | Art | American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States | |
| Textile Museum | Textiles | Textiles from around the world including rugs, clothing | ||
| Tudor Place | Historic house | Mansion with European and American decorative arts including American silver, porcelain, furniture, glassware, sculpture, portraits, prints and textiles | ||
| United States Capitol | Government | Tours of the building | ||
| United States Capitol Visitor Center | History | History of the U.S. Capitol and Congress | ||
| United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | History | History of the Holocaust in Europe | ||
| U.S. Navy Museum | Maritime - Military | History of the U.S. Navy from the American Revolution to the present, naval artifacts, models, documents and fine art | ||
| USS Barry (DD-933) | Museum ship - Military | 1950s Destroyer museum ship | ||
| Washington Monument | History | |||
| White House | Historic house | Official state residence of the President of the United States, tours by advance reservation | ||
| Woodrow Wilson House | Historic house | Home of PresidentWoodrow Wilson after he left office |
Read more about List Of Museums In Washington, D.C.: Defunct Museums
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list and/or museums:
“My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.”
—Polly Berrien Berends (20th century)
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Museums are just a lot of lies, and the people who make art their business are mostly imposters.... We have infected the pictures in museums with all our stupidities, all our mistakes, all our poverty of spirit. We have turned them into petty and ridiculous things.”
—Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)