Museums
The United States is home to more than 35,000 museums that memorialize our nation’s culture and history.
The Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian offers eleven museums and galleries on the National Mall and six other museums and the National Zoo in the greater National Capital Area. In New York City, we invite you to tour two museums in historic settings.
19 world-class museums, galleries, gardens, and a zoo
Current ExhibitionsAfrican American Museum
The newest Smithsonian museum opened September 24, 2016, near the Washington Monument, and has welcomed more than 1 million visitors to date. It is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture.
National Museum of African American History and Culture Grand Opening CeremonyOn Saturday, September 24, 2016, the public witnessed the outdoor dedication ceremony of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
African Art Museum
The National Museum of African Art is the only national museum in the United States dedicated to the collection, exhibition, conservation, and study of the arts of Africa. On exhibit are the finest examples of traditional and contemporary art from the entire continent of Africa.
National Museum of African Art, 30 years as a Smithsonian museumEnjoy this overview as we grow from a small, local museum to a Smithsonian museum.
National Air and Space Museum
Launch into the history of flight by surrounding yourself with icons of air and space travel. The flagship building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, contains twenty-three galleries exhibiting hundreds of aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and other flight-related artifacts. The museum has a planetarium and an IMAX theater for out-of-this-world escapes.
The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, Virginia, houses many more artifacts in an open, hangar-like setting, including a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and space shuttle Discovery. Welcome to the National Air and Space MuseumStudent orientation video for school groups planning a visit to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC. See http://www.nasm.si.edu/visit/ for more information.
Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the museum in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of historically significant air- and spacecraft, along with thousands of small artifacts, are on display in an open, hangar-like setting. Other features of the Center include the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower, the Airbus IMAX Theater and the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, where visitors can watch museum specialists at work restoring artifacts.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The nation’s first collection of American art offers an unparalleled record of the American experience, capturing the aspirations, character and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries. The museum is home to one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world, including works by such stylistically diverse luminaries as John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer, and Georgia O’Keeffe, housed in one of the oldest public buildings constructed in early Washington.
SAAMExplore a "day in the life" of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation's first collection of American art and home to one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world. Located in the heart of the Washington DC, the museum offers an array of programs, tours, concerts, and special exhibitions inspired by the dynamic character and imagination of America's people and artists.
National Museum of American History
Devoted to the scientific, cultural, social, technological, and political development of the United States, the museum traces the American experience from colonial times to the present. The American History Museum’s collection contains more than three million historical objects—including the famed Star-Spangled Banner—and documents that explore the evolution of the American identity.
Welcome to the National Museum of American HistoryThis video provides an overview of the iconic artifacts, stimulating exhibitions, engaging programs, and other amenities visitors encounter on a visit to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. For more information please visit http://americanhistory.si.edu.
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian cares for one of the world’s most expansive collections of Native objects, photographs, and media, covering the entire Western Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. The museum’s sweeping curvilinear architecture, its indigenous landscaping, and its exhibitions, all designed in collaboration with tribes and communities, combine to give visitors from around the world the sense and spirit of Native America.
NMAI - 5 years in 4 minutesThe National Museum of the American Indian opened on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on September 21, 2004. This video was produced to celebrate our five year anniversary. The music is Dance With Wood by the Global Drum Project.
National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center
Sitting at the foot of the Wiechquaekeck Trail, an old Algonquin trade route (aka Broadway), the American Indian Museum’s New York location shares the Washington, D.C. location’s incredible collection and its commitment to celebrating the diverse history and contemporary voices of Native peoples throughout the western hemisphere,
National Museum of the American Indian in a New York MinuteVideo directed by Sally Kewayosh (Ojibwe/Cree). Music track "Look At This" courtesy of A Tribe Called Red. http://atribecalledred.blogspot.com/
Anacostia Community Museum
Located in the Anacostia neighborhood, this museum examines, documents, and interprets the impact of historical and contemporary social issues on urban communities.
Anacostia Community Museum - Student Orientation VideoWelcome to the Smithsonian. This orientation video outlines some of the most exciting exhibits in this Smithsonian museum. Created for students, the video also illustrates a few museum dos and don'ts.
Archives of American Art Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery
With over 16 million items in its continually growing collections, the Archives of American Art is the world’s largest and most widely used resource dedicated to collecting and preserving the papers and primary records of the visual arts in America.
The Archives of American Art’s primary exhibition space, the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery, can be found on the first floor of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in D.C.’s Penn Quarter neighborhood—also home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Arts and Industries Building
The Arts and Industries Building has a special role among Smithsonian buildings as the first United States National Museum opened in 1881. After being closed for nearly 12 years, the Arts and Industries Building reopened for special events fall of 2015 and has hosted several activities, including the 2016 Folklife Festival Marketplace and the Asian Pacific American Center’s “Crosslines Culture Lab.” Plans are being developed for the next chapter of this amazing building.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Cooper Hewitt is the nation’s only museum dedicated to historic and contemporary design, with a collection of over 210,000 design objects spanning thirty centuries. Located in the landmark Andrew Carnegie mansion and boasting a beautiful public garden, Cooper Hewitt makes design come alive with unique temporary exhibitions and installations of the permanent collection.
What is Cooper Hewitt?This video explains who we are and what we do here at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.
Freer Gallery of Art
The Smithsonian Institution has two museums of Asian art: the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The Freer Gallery houses one of the premier collections of Asian art, with objects dating from Neolithic times to the early 20th century, as well as the world's most important collection of works by James McNeill Whistler.
The Freer is currently closed for renovations and will reopen in October 2017. The Sackler will close on July 10th and will reopen with the Freer, with a grand public celebration, in October 2017. Peacock Room REMIX: Darren Waterston’s Filthy LucreHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn features international modern and contemporary art in the celebrated Gordon Bunshaft designed cylindrical building, adjoining plaza, and sunken sculpture garden. The museum is a leading voice for contemporary art and culture and provides a national platform for the art and artists of our time.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenNational Zoo
Always free of charge and open 364 days a year, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo sits on 163 acres in the heart of Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park. Founded in 1889, the Zoo is currently home to more than 1,500 animals across 300 different species.
40 Years of Saving Species at the Smithsonian Conservation & Biology InstituteNational Museum of Natural History
The world's most popular natural history museum is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it. Delve into the fascinating story of our planet, from its fiery beginnings through billions of years of transformation, and explore life on Earth through exhibitions and activities, collection objects and research that happens in the lab and in the field. The museum is larger than 18 football fields and is home to the largest natural history collection in the world.
National Museum of Natural History - Student Orientation VideoWelcome to the Smithsonian. This orientation video outlines some of the most exciting exhibits in this Smithsonian museum. Created for students, the video also illustrates a few museum dos and don'ts.
Learn more: http://www.mnh.si.edu/ National Portrait Gallery
With the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery introduces you to the people who have shaped the country—poets, presidents, actors, activists, visionaries, villains...and everyone in between. Its collection weaves together story and biography from precolonial times to the present to tell the American story.
National Portrait Gallery - Student Orientation VideoWelcome to the Smithsonian. This orientation video outlines some of the most exciting exhibits in this Smithsonian museum. Created for students, the video also illustrates a few museum dos and don'ts.
Learn More: http://www.npg.si.edu/ National Postal Museum
Located in the historic D.C. City Post Office next to the restored Union Station, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum showcases the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world—including postal stationery, vehicles used to transport the mail, mailboxes, meters, cards and letters, and postal materials that predate the use of stamps. Visitors can walk along a Colonial post road, ride with the mail in a stagecoach, browse through a small town post office from the 1920s, receive free stamps to start a collection and more.
Renwick Gallery
Branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum dedicated to exhibiting American contemporary craft, celebrating makers taking both innovative and time-honored approaches to their work. The Renwick Gallery is located steps from the White House in the heart of historic federal Washington. This National Historic Landmark was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. in 1858 and was the first building in the United States built specifically to be an art museum.
Renwick Opening: Explore ‘WONDER’‘WONDER’ is the Renwick Gallery’s inaugural exhibition following a major renovation. Nine contemporary artists created site-specific installations, each taking over a different gallery and turning the building into a larger-than-life work of art.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Entered from a copper domed kiosk on Jefferson Drive between the "Castle" and the Freer Gallery of Art, the S. Dillon Ripley Center houses the Smithsonian Associates, the Discovery Theater, and the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
One of the Smithsonian's two museums of Asian art, the Sackler Gallery features both permanent and temporary exhibitions from ancient times to the present. The museum is home to an incomparable collection of art, including some of the most important ancient Chinese jades and bronzes in the world. In addition to the exhibitions on display, the galleries feature innovative programming for visitors of all ages, such as lectures, concerts, films, and podcasts that enhance and extend the visit.
Smithsonian Institution Building
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Science & Technology MuseumsThe Tech Museum of InnovationThe Tech Museum of Innovation is a family-friendly interactive science and technology center located in the heart of downtown San Jose, California. It has become a landmark for visitors seeking a glimpse of the most inventive place on Earth — Silicon Valley.
How to inspire girls to pursue STEMField trips to The Tech in downtown San Jose guarantee students a day of imaginative, immersive, hands-on learning in our galleries and science labs. The field trip program is an integral part of our Generation Tech campaign, which is committed to helping educators inspire and equip the underserved — particularly girls — to succeed in a technology-driven world.
To learn more about Generation Tech: http://www.thetech.org/generationtech Educator Resources:The Bowers Institute at The Tech offers online resources, workshops and a multi-year intensive program, the Tech Academies of Innovation, designed for educators to build their skills in all aspects of Design Challenge Learning (DCL) and gain confidence with cutting-edge tools for STEM teaching. Through tested and engaging professional learning experiences combining project-based learning, design thinking and the engineering design process, educators are inspired and guided to implement DCL, connect to Next Generation Science Standards and prepare their students to solve real-world problems.
Presented by experienced education leaders from The Tech and partner organizations, our workshops cover a variety of topics and tools that meaningfully connect with your curriculum and learning goals and support you in creating opportunities for innovative and relevant learning experiences. These resources will help you bring engineering design challenges into your classroom. Explore Design Challenge Learning lesson plans you can use in your classroom today. Extend your learning with our library of articles, videos and podcasts about women and STEM; teaching with equity and empathy in mind; successful pedagogical approaches; computer science education and more. The Franklin Institute Science Museumounded in honor of America’s first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of the oldest and premier centers of science education and development in the country. Today, the Institute continues its dedication to public education and creating a passion for science by offering new and exciting access to science and technology in ways that would dazzle and delight its namesake.
Science Museum of MinnesotaThe Science Museum was founded in 1907. The museum’s current location on the banks of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul offers 370,000 square feet of space. It includes a 10,000-square-foot temporary exhibit gallery, five permanent galleries, 10 acres of outdoor exhibits, and an Imax Convertible Dome Omnitheater.
SportsologyWhat does it take to be a great athlete? Check out the science behind your sport in our interactive Sportsology exhibit. https://www.smm.org/y/sportsology
Educator Resources: SCIENCE HOUSE
“It’s like a toy store for teachers!” This full service circulating library and professional development center has over 2,000 of the coolest hands-on items you can borrow for use with your students. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS Our workshops and institutes for teachers translate key research findings and theories into effective classroom practice, all with the goal of increasing STEM literacy and eliminating achievement disparities. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS Designed for people with leadership responsibilities for STEM education and/or diversity and inclusion, these programs are designed to prepare leaders to promote transformational change in their settings Great Lakes Science CenterOur mission is simple: to make science, technology, engineering and math come alive.
Science Curriculum for Early Childhood EducationLearn about an exciting curriculum for Early Childhood classrooms, ECHOS (Early Childhood Hands-On Science).
Educator Resources: Special Exhibition Activity Guides
A perfect resource for your classroom! In addition to bringing your students to Great Lakes Science Center to tour special exhibitions, we welcome you to use these activity guides when you return to your classroom.
COSI - Center of Science and Industry (Columbus, Ohio)COSI provides an exciting and informative atmosphere for those of all ages to discover more about our environment, our accomplishments, our heritage, and ourselves. We motivate a desire toward a better understanding of science, industry, health, and history through involvement in exhibits, demonstrations, and a variety of educational activities and experiences. COSI is for the enrichment of the individual and for a more rewarding life on our planet, Earth.
Educator Resources: The Experience at COSI
21ST CENTURY LEARNING LABSThese structured field trips nurture scientific inquiry through connection to COSI exhibits and a combination of COSI experiences for in-depth exploration of compelling STEM topics. Learn more. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTThe Center offers continuing education workshops led by expert informal STEM educators on topics ranging from the new Ohio science content standards to incorporating project and design-based learning into your curriculum. Learn more. HOMESCHOOL WORKSHOPSHomeschool Workshops offer a new depth of hands-on science experiences for educators and learners to better understand real and relevant science concepts. Learn more. TECH STUDIOOur state-of-the-art digital learning lab gives students the chance to explore technology through mentor-guided multimedia activities, including 3D modeling/printing, video production, audio recording, digital art, coding, and animation. Learn more. Discovery PlaceThrough a network of four hands-on museums in three different cities, educational outreach programs and professional development for pre K - 12 teachers throughout the region, Discovery Place is a leader in STEM education in the Carolinas.
We aspire to be at the forefront of transforming the way science, technology and nature are explored and learned to inspire dreams, raise aspirations and motivate people of all ages to develop a lifelong love of learning Discovery Place Education StudioEducator Resources: Museum of Science and Industry, ChicagoThe Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago—one of the largest science museums in the world—is home to more than 400,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits designed to spark scientific inquiry and creativity.
MSI in a Minute: Museum TrailerNever been to the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago? Or has it been a while since your last visit? With nearly 14 acres of hands-on exhibits and live science experiences, there's a lot to do and a lot that's new. Here's just a preview of what's in store when you visit MSI.
Educator Resources: California Academy of Sciences
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