Beyond the National Mall: 6 Additional Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC

Fun Facts About Giant Pandas

Beyond the National Mall, there are six additional Smithsonian museums to explore in Washington, DC. See additional works of art, historical aircraft, giant pandas, and more by adding these experiences to your itinerary.

While the majority of Smithsonian museums are clustered in a giant rectangle around the National Mall, there are six additional Smithsonian experiences elsewhere in Washington, DC. From the Renwick Gallery just north of the western edge of the National Mall to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport, these additional six Smithsonian museums complete a portfolio of nearly 20 museums, galleries, and gardens that are the Smithsonian Institution.

Sage Advice:  Looking for a complete list of museums in the Smithsonian Institution’s portfolio? Jump to that section of this article via this link:  list of Smithsonian museums.

Related Article:  Helpful Tips for Visiting the Smithsonian Museums

Have You Visited the Smithsonian?

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The Renwick Gallery is one of the Smithsonian Museums away from the National Mall.
Photo Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution.

1. Renwick Gallery

1661 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC
Hours of Operation:  10:00 am to 5:30 pm daily (except December 25)

Located just down the street from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, the Renwick Gallery is mere steps from the White House. This National Historic Landmark was the first building in the United States constructed specifically as an art museum. Designed in the same Second Empire-style as Boston’s Old City Hall, it features low, square-based domes. Inside the Renwick Gallery, visitors can see a wide range of contemporary art.

Fun Fact:  In addition to the Smithsonian museum that bears his name, architect James Renwick, Jr. also designed the Smithsonian Castle and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Related Article:  Best Places to Stay in Washington DC Based on Your Itinerary

Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

2. American Art Museum

8th & F St NW, Washington, DC
Hours of Operation:  11:30 am to 7:00 pm daily (except December 25)

A mile east of the Renwick Gallery is the American Art Museum. This massive, Greek Revival building is home to two Smithsonian museums — The American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Featuring the works of more than 7,000 artists, the Smithsonian American Art Museum (also known as SAAM) contains one of the largest and wide-ranging collections of American art in the world. With pieces from the nation’s colonial period through present day, visitors can see the works of John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, and thousands of others.

Fun Fact:  Other famous buildings designed in Greek Revival style include the Lincoln Memorial, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and the Federal Hall in New York City.

Sage Advice:  Although it’s not part of the Smithsonian Institution, don’t miss the International Spy Museum just down the street from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Related Article:  Five Tips to Help Kids of All Ages Appreciate Art Museums

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8 Things to See at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery After You’ve Visited America’s Presidents
Photo by Sage Scott

3. National Portrait Gallery

F St NW & 8th St NW, Washington, DC
Hours of Operation:  11:30 am to 7:00 pm daily (except December 25)

Sharing a building with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery focuses on portraits of famous Americans. Experience 250 years of American history through the faces of the nation’s founders, leaders, heroes, and other countrymen and women who shaped United States history. When you visit, you won’t want to miss the America’s Presidents Gallery and these additional eight experiences.

Because the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery are open until 7:00 pm daily, consider visiting these Smithsonian museums at the end of the day to pack more into your visit to Washington, DC.

Sage Advice:  Explore the area around the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery with this interactive scavenger hunt.

Vehicle Exhibit at Smithsonian Postal Museum in Washington DC

4. National Postal Museum

2 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC
Hours of Operation:  10:00 am to 5:30 pm daily (except December 25)

Across from Union Station, the National Postal Museum is one of the newer museums in the Smithsonian Institution. Opened in 1993, in the building that once served as the main post office of Washington, DC, this Smithsonian museum is dedicated to the history of the US Postal Service and mail service around the world.

Mailboxes from around the world on display at the Smithsonian Postal Museum in Washington DC
Mailboxes from around the world on display at the National Postal Museum in Washington DC. From left to right: Japan, India, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Canada.
Sign at the Entrance to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC

5. National Zoo

3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC
Hours of Operation:  The grounds are open daily (except December 25) from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, with the last admittance at 6:00 pm. Exhibit buildings are open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and dining and shopping venues are open from 10:00 to 5:00 pm.

During a trip to the American West in 1886, the Smithsonian Institution’s chief taxidermist, William Temple Hornaday, was shocked that he couldn’t find large herds of American bison. In an effort to save the bison and other endangered native species from extinction, the taxidermist-turned-conservationist brought 15 North American creatures to live behind the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall. When President Grover Cleveland created the National Zoological Park in 1889, the deer, foxes, prairie dogs, badgers, lynx, and bison brought to Washington, DC, by Hornaday became the zoo’s first residents.

Sage Advice:  Watch the National Zoo’s giant pandas (and 35+ other animals) via these live animal cams.

Giant Panda Eating Bamboo at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC.
Photo Credit: Sage Scott.

Related Article:  9 Things You Didn’t Know About the First Giant Panda to Live in the US

One of the oldest zoos in the nation, the Smithsonian National Zoo remains committed to conservation and sustainability. It is home to approximately 1,800 animals of 300 species, and about one-fifth are endangered or threatened. While the National Zoo’s most famous residents are likely the giant pandas, visitors can also see Asian elephants, great apes, big cats, and a large variety of other birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.

Sage Advice: Scoot around Washington, DC, with ease by renting a bicycle, scooter, or motorcycle!

The Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian museum farthest from the National Mall.
Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

6. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy, Chantilly, VA
Hours of Operation:  10:00 am to 5:30 pm daily (except December 25)

NOTE:  While admission to this Smithsonian museum is free (like all Smithsonian museums), parking a car at the Udvar-Hazy Center will cost you $15. If you don’t have a car in Washington, DC (or you just want to put $15 toward something else), it’s easy to visit the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center as a day trip from DC using public transportation.

Located the farthest of all Smithsonian museums from the National Mall, the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, is a companion to the National Air and Space Museum. Debuted in 2003, this 760,000 square foot building is the newest museum in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection and a perfect day trip from Washington, DC.

Here you can see:

  • Enola Gay. The most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of its time, this is the Boeing B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, helping bring an end to World War II.
  • Space Shuttle Discovery. Taking its maiden flight in 1984, the Discovery was the third Space Shuttle designed to be flown back to Earth. It took its last flight in 2011 and has been on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center since April 2012 after a final flight over the nation’s capital.
  • Concorde. While a traditional flight from New York to Paris takes about eight hours, Air France’s Concorde could make the trip in about three and a half hours. After carrying thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for 25 years, all Concordes were retired from service in 2003.

Have You Visited Any of the Smithsonian Museums?

Which museums did you visit? Which was your favorite? What Smithsonian museums are still on your travel bucket list? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Looking for more information to plan your Washington DC vacation? Check out my additional recommendations to help you plan your trip to Washington, DC, including what to see and do in Washington DC, the best places to stay in Washington DC, where to eat in Washington DC, and more!

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19 thoughts on “Beyond the National Mall: 6 Additional Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC”

  1. I don’t think I realized that all these six museums belonged to the Smithsonian and I haven’t ventured to a single one. Time for another trip to DC! I’ve been meaning to visit the National Portrait Museum for a while.

  2. Kevin | Caffeinated Excursions

    I loved visiting some of these museums as a kid, but as an adult my favorite is definitely the Renwick Gallery. So many unique pieces inside, and I love that they rotate exhibits. My second trip was completely different from my first since they were maybe a year or two apart. I’ve never heard of the Postal Museum, and would love to check it out the next time I’m in DC!

  3. Been to them all and some several times. LOVE the Smithsonian. Fun Fact: The museum was founded by and named after a man, a British citizen, who never set foot in the United States … James Smithson.

  4. It’s funny how television shapes you. I read the headline and I only notice “Smithsonian Museum”. My next thought was a television series with a patologist who works at the Smithsonian Museum. Insane!
    I was not aware of the diversity of the Smithsonian Museums. Wow! I think I could spend months there.

  5. Would you believe I have only been to the Natural History Museum? I have been to DC but they were all business trips except one when I had the time for only one. I should go back fior a long visit to explore more!

  6. I remember when I went to DC for my only visit back in 2010 and I skipped all the museums. I just wanted to see the memorials, capital hill and the white house (oh and Mr Lincoln too). It was great to see all them but back then I didnt go into museums as they just didnt interest me. Now I wish I did. Hoping to be back here soon (hopefully when my children are a little bit older) as these look like great museums to educate them. For me, I would love to check out the air and space museum, now that is more like my thing. 😀

  7. There are so many museums in DC! When we visited back in 2016, we only had three days so we only visited a few of the above listed museums. Someday we’ll have to return to DC for a week at least, because we’d love to go to more museums. The zoo seems to be quite interesting too. If I’m not mistaken there’s a panda in the zoo of DC that has the same name as me! haha…

  8. When we last visited DC, it was sunny and cherry blossom season. So we stayed mostly stayed outside for the visit. Although we did do the Renwick Gallery to see the Burning Man exhibit. Good to see such a great selection of museums for a return visit. Hubby likes spots like the Postal Museum. The Air and Space Museum is always a big draw for both of us.

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