Joe Lieberman, Senator from Connecticut

Visiting

My staff is glad to assist you when visiting our nation's capital.

Memorials, Museums, and Tours

Visiting: Museums

National Air and Space Museum

7th and Independence Avenue, SW

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight. The Museum has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the "Spirit of St. Louis," Apollo 11 command module, and a Lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The museum is open daily, admission free, from 10 am to 5:30 pm. For more information call the Tours and Reservations Office at 202-633-2565.

National Museum of African Art

950 Independence Avenue, SW

The National Museum of African Art is dedicated to expanding the visitor's knowledge and appreciation of African art and culture. The collection is composed of a wide range of objects ranging from ceramics to textiles from both ancient and modern times. The museum is located on the National Mall and is open everyday except Christmas from 10am to 5:30pm.

National Museum of American History

14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW

The National Museum of American History collects and preserves over 17 million artifacts, including priceless stamps housed in the National Postal Museum. The museum displays everything from George Washington's field tent and the original Star Spangled Banner to Henry Ford's 1913 Model-T and Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Ancient coins, racing cars, inaugural gowns of America's first ladies, musical instruments, weaponry, farm machinery, and the lap desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence form a vast and fascinating mosaic of American life. The museum offers three floors of exhibitions and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 202-633-6719.

Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture

1901 Fort Place, SE

The Anacostia Museum explores American history, society, and creative expression from an African American perspective. The museum encourages the collection, protection, and preservation of materials that reflect the traditions of families, organizations, individuals, and communities. The museum is open every day except Christmas from 10am-5pm. For a guided exhibition tour call 202-287-3369. For more information call 202-287-3306.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery & Freer Gallery of Art

National Mall

The Freer and Sackler Galleries together form the national museum of Asian art for the US. They house a world-renowned collection from China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Near East. Charles Lang Freer, a Detroit railroad car manufacturer who donated both his private art collection and funds with which to build a gallery, founded the Freer Gallery. The gallery opened in 1923. Dr. Arthur M. Sackler donated about 1,000 pieces of Asian art and artifacts to the Smithsonian Institute, and, in 1987, the museum that houses his collection opened. Both galleries are located on the National Mall near the Smithsonian Metro stop. They are both open 10am to 5:30pm everyday except Christmas. For more information call 202-633-4880.

Arts and Industries Building

900 Jefferson Drive, SW

The Arts and Industries Building is next to the Smithsonian Institute Castle located on the National Mall. The building serves as a repository for special exhibitions, which have included first ladies' gowns and the Spirit of St Louis. The building is also home to the Discovery Theater, which showcases programs for young children most of the year. The building is open everyday except Christmas from 10am to 5:30pm. Walk-in tours are conducted during business hours and depart from the exhibition entrance. Please consult the Smithsonian Institute web site www.smithsonian.org for more information.

The National Gallery of Art

Between 3rd and 9th Streets and Constitution Avenue, NW (Map)

The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 by a joint resolution of Congress to serve the United States by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art that meet the highest possible standards. The Gallery's principal duty is to keep its collections intact for future generations. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please call 202-737-4215.

Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

The National Mall

The Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden houses the Smithsonian's collection of international modern and contemporary art. The collection represents early twentieth-century, foreign artists such as Picasso and Giacometti to de Kooning, but the museum’s focus is on art created during the past 25 years by emerging artists such as Gerhard Richter, Juan Muñoz, and Rachel Whiteread. The museum building is open every day except Christmas from 10am to 5:30pm; the sculpture garden is open from 7am to dusk. Admission is free. Please call (202) 357-2700 for more information.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

14th and Independence Avenue, SW

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America's national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history and serves as this country's memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust. The museum's primary mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge about this unprecedented tragedy, to preserve the memory of those who suffered, and to encourage visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust as well as their own responsibilities as citizens of a democracy. No passes are necessary for entering the Museum, special exhibitions, or the interactive computer-learning center. Timed passes are needed to visit the Permanent Exhibition and can be obtained at the Museum each day or in advance by calling 1-800-400-9373. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, closed on Yom Kippur and Christmas. Extended hours (10 a.m. to 7:50 p.m.) are offered on Tuesdays from March 14 to June 29. For more information, call 202-488-0400.

The National Archives

700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

The National Archives and Records Administration, established in 1934, serves as the official repository for all federal records judged to be of enduring value. Its holdings date from the 18th century to the present and include the famous Charters of Freedom: the original Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Click here for map and hours. For more information please call, 202-501-5000.

The National Museum of Natural History

10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW

The National Museum of Natural History is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it. The many changing exhibits span the history of the planet and diagram many of the natural processes that have made our world what it is today. Regular museum hours are 10 am to 5:30 p.m. daily. Admission to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History is free and no tickets are required for entrance to the museum. For more information, call 202-357-2700.

National Postal Museum

2 Massachusettes Avenue, NE

The Postal Museum is divided into 5 galleries that display and explore America's Postal History from colonial times to the present. Those displays include information on how mail is transported, emphasis on letters, and the creation and diversity of stamps. The museum is located in the old Post Office building next to Union Station and is open everyday except Christmas from 10am to 5:30pm.