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Museums and Galleries

Museums and Galleries in Washington, D.C.

 

 


Ford's Theater and Lincoln Museum
Ford’s Theater and Lincoln Museum

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.  

The Lincoln museum, located in the basement of the theater contains such historical items as the clothes President Lincoln wore the night of his assassination and the flag that draped his coffin. 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


U.S. Marine Corps Museum and Historical Center
The National Museum of the Marine Corps.

18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, VA 22172

Situated on a 153-acre site adjacent to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia this museum serves as "a Monument to Honor, Courage, and Commitment". Opened in November 2006, the National Museum of the Marine Corps is a lasting tribute to U.S. Marines--past, present, and future.

http://www.usmcmuseum.org


National Gallery of Art - East Wing
credit: U.S. Department of the Interior
National Gallery of Art and East Wing

4th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW

World masterpieces reflecting the stylistic evolution of art from medieval to present day, 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


The Shakespeare Theatre
The Folger Shakespeare Library

201 East Capitol Street, SE

Housing the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, the Folger Shakespeare Library is a center for scholarly research and a venue for exhibitions, cultural programs, and the performing arts.The library is home to an authentic Elizabethan Theater.

http://www.folger.edu


Capital Children's Museum National Learning Center
credit: Senate Photography Studio
Capital Children’s Museum and National Learning Center

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


B'nai B'rith Museum
credit: Senate Photography Studio
B’nai B’rith Museum

2020 K Street, NW

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

Advanced reservations are required.

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


Corcoran Gallery of Art
credit: Senate Photography Studio
Corcoran Gallery of Art

500 17th and M Streets, NW

Known for its extensive collection of 18th, 19th, and 20th- century painting, sculpture, and photography the Corcoran Gallery of Art displays art of our time and times past.

http://www.corcoran.org


Daughters of the American Revolution Museum
Daughters of the American Revolution Museum

1776 D Street, NW

The DAR has collected and preserved a remarkable array of over 33,000 objects which vividly recall America's Revolutionary War era. A chest from the Boston Tea Party and rare furniture from President Monroe's time in the White House are on permanent display along with other early American furniture, ceramics, and paintings.

http://www.dar.org


National Museum of Women in the Arts
National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Avenue, NW

Founded in 1981 and opened in 1987, the National Museum of Women in the Arts presents paintings, sculptures, photography, and graphic arts from the Renaissance period to today. It is the world's first museum dedicated solely to celebrating the achievements of women in the arts.

http://www.nmwa.org


The Textile Museum
The Textile Museum

2320 S Street, NW

The Textile Museum is the only museum in the Western Hemisphere that 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/


Phillips Collection
Phillips Collection

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 totaling nearly 2,500 works. Masterpieces by artists including Renoir, Matisse, Degas, van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso, Klee, O’Keeffe, Dove, Diebenkorn, and Rothko are on display. 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 special exhibitions.

http://www.phillipscollection.org/


Hillwood Museum
Hillwood Museum

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.

Varying donation amounts are suggested for admission.

 http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org


United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW

The museum preserves and memorializes the details of the the holocaust in its three story permanent exhibition; of special note are the Tower of Faces, an actual barracks from Auschwitz, Remember the Children- Daniel's Story, telling the story of the Holocaust through the eyes of children, and the Hall of Remembrance.

Admission to the museum is free, but passes are required for entry between the months of March and August.  

http://www.ushmm.org/


 
  

Smithsonian

The Smithsonian Institution provides visitors to Washington with culture, history, and heritage with museums, events, and festivals.  Visit their Web site for more information.  (this will take you outside senate.gov)

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DC Heritage

The D.C. Heritage Tourism Coaltion is dedicated to showcasing the cultural attractions and special events in Washington to visitors from across the globe.  Go to their site for more information (this will take you outside www.senate.gov).

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Washington.org

Washington.org is the perfect site for visitors new to Washington, D.C.  Check out their site! (this will take you outside senate.gov)

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Firstgov.gov

Click here for more information on the federal government from Firstgov.gov, "your first click to the US Government."

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