2 Day Museums Tour

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Near Chinatown and across from the Washington Convention Center, this modern hotel has all the conveniences for the business traveler. Government and business offices are not far away by taxi or Metro. For those who have some free time, the museums of the Smithsonian Institute are easily accessible. Stylish and plush rooms, well equipped meeting spaces and facilities like a heated swimming pool, fitness center, on-site restaurant and bar and much more is on offer here.

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The Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden invites everyone in to explore modern and contemporary art. Gordon Bunshaft designed the Hirshhorn building itself as a "functional sculpture." Elevated above manicured sculpture grounds, the four-story hollow cylinder encircles a 60-foot fountain visible from every interior window. Since each floor is a large ring, navigating the museum is very intuitive; you progress through the curved galleries and end up exactly where you began then proceed to the next floor. The Hirshhorn continuously seeks and acquires important works by current artists, hosts traveling exhibits, and features installations with the artists on hand for discussion. Meet at the information desk on Fridays at 12:30 pm for gallery talks by visiting curators, professors and artists. Thursdays offer a mix of contemporary films and meet-the-artist events in the Ring Auditorium. Every few months brings the Hirshhorn After Hours where art and nightlife come together with DJs, artists, cocktails and dancing. Check website or visit the information desk for current schedule. After Hours events are $10 advance, $12 at the door, but most other events are free,... read more

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James Bond wannabes will love this museum; it provides a fascinating look at the world of espionage and how it's affected our past and present. Check out artifacts and learn stories about spies from all over the globe as they perform their covert duties in various eras.

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This lovely brasserie lies within one of Washington's coolest hotels, the Monaco. You find its separate entrance via an arched carriageway that leads to a stone-paved courtyard, where the restaurant sets up tables in warm weather. Inside, past a small bar-lounge, is the dining area, which includes an exhibition kitchen, banquettes, and a quieter back room. Poste chef Robert Weland has established himself well, settling into a pleasant culinary groove that wins praise from local critics and diners. Weland uses seasonal local ingredients to create modern American fare heavily influenced by traditional French cuisine. At lunch that means a croque-monsieur is made with Virginia ham and Gruyère on brioche; at dinner, your selections may include French onion soup, herbed fresh ricotta ravioli, red wine-braised rabbit, steak frites, and cassoulet. Desserts, too, blend French and American tastes; try the chocolate pot de crème (custard), which lists chili (!) as an ingredient. A wine list of 100 California and French bottles offers nearly 30 wines by the glass.

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Located on the National Mall a few blocks from the Capitol Building, the National Air and Space Museum appeals to all ages. See the Wright 1903 Flyer, the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, and a lunar rock sample which visitors can touch. Children delight in the many hands-on demonstrations while IMAX Theater presentations and flight simulators engage the whole family. Fascinated with space? Explore the universe at the Albert Einstein Planetarium! Whether you visit for one hour or five, the large solarium-style food court makes this a convenient mid-day museum stop. Free admission. There is no museum parking, but public lots are within a few blocks (rates vary). Metro stations nearby: L'Enfant Plaza (blue/orange and yellow/green lines) and Smithosonian (blue/orange lines).

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The National Gallery of Art guides Washingtonians and visitors through the world of art all day, every day (except Christmas and New Year's Day). The National Gallery consists of the West Building (opened in 1941), the East Building (1978) and the 6.1-acre Sculpture Garden adjacent to the West Building (1999). Don't be daunted by the size, the National Gallery has prepared "Highlights" guides for half-hour and one-hour visits. Scores of guided tours are scheduled throughout each day (too many to list here), gallery talks and lectures are held throughout the month. Free Sunday concerts take place in the West Building, usually starting at 6:30 but check ahead. The East Building Auditorium hosts original format film screenings every Saturday and Sunday (plus a few weekdays) free of charge (first come first served) with doors opening thirty minutes before each show. To the delight of locals and visitors, the Sculpture Garden ice rink is open mid-November through mid-March! It's about the only activity that is not free, but at $7 for adults and $6 for seniors, students and kids (skate rental $3), it's a lot of fun for a little money. Aside from all this, visitors can still walk in off the... read more

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Twenty-five million people from 100 different countries have visited this museum since it opened in 1993, and the museum continues to be a top draw. In the busiest months, April through July, if you arrive without a reserved ticket specifying an admission time, you'll have to wait in line to get one of the 2,000 day-of-sale tickets the museum makes available each day.

Before you visit the museum, you might want to access its website, www.ushmm.org, and download copies of the Visitors Guide and the Permanent Exhibition Guide. These are also available at the museum, of course.

As you enter the museum, you may find the noise and bustle of so many visitors disconcerting, or at odds with the experience you expect is coming. But things settle down as you start the tour. When you enter, you will be issued an identity card of an actual victim of the Holocaust; at several points in the tour, you can find out the location and status of the person on your card -- by 1945, 66% of those whose lives are documented on these cards were dead.

From its collection of more than 12,435 artifacts, the museum has organized some 900 items and 70 video monitors to reveal the Jewish experience in three parts:...

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Proof is a wine-centric restaurant featuring modern American cuisine. Expect a lengthy charcuterie board, huge cheese bar, fish and meats, root vegetables, and mushrooms. Ask your server for help with the large wine list.

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This eclectic museum is sometimes referred to as "The Nation's Attic." It houses numerous memorabilia and artifacts collected throughout American history. The American Presidency section exhibits the many facets of the nation's highest office and the impact it has had in those who have held it. Another section contains objects that highlight the cultural history of the country including Mohammed Ali's boxing gloves and the inaugural ball gowns of many of the First Ladies. Exhibits on science and technology, military history and much more can be found on the three floors of this fascinating museum. Stop by the old-fashioned ice cream parlor before you leave.

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The National Museum of the American Indian officially opened on September 21, 2004, having taken 5 years and $219 million to construct. Outside and in, this museum is strikingly handsome. Its burnt-sand-colored exterior of Kasota limestone wraps around the undulating walls of the museum, making the five-story building a standout among the many white-stone structures on the National Mall. Its interior design incorporates themes of nature and astronomy. For instance, the Potomac (a Piscataway word meaning "where the goods are brought in") is a rotunda that serves as the museum's main gathering place; it is also "the heart of the museum, the sun of its universe" (as noted in the museum's literature). Measuring 120 feet in diameter, with an atrium rising 120 feet to the top of the dome overhead, the Potomac is the central entryway into the museum, a venue for performances, and a hall filled with celestial references, from the equinoxes and solstices mapped on the floor beneath your feet to the sights of sky visible through the oculus in the dome above your head.

A gift shop, a theater, and the museum's excellent restaurant, Mitsitam, occupy most of the remaining space on the first floor....

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Open since April 11, 2008, the Newseum is as much a fun house of participatory experiences and special-effects exhibits as it is a museum. In fact, the Newseum's tag line, "World's Most Interactive Museum," conveys its purpose in allowing the visitor to step into the picture: to play the reporter, TV journalist, researcher, or editor. The museum boasts 125 interactive game stations, 2 state-of-the-art broadcast studios, 14 galleries, and 15 theaters. At this particular time in history, with the business of journalism undergoing a world of change, the six-story Newseum manages to capture the magic of past, current, and future ways of covering the news.

First, take a look at the exterior, best viewed from across Pennsylvania Avenue. Covering the left side of the facade is a 75-foot-high tablet inscribed with words from the First Amendment ("Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech or of the press . . . "). Through its glass front, one can see (though much better at night) the huge high-definition screen hanging inside the atrium, spinning news story images. When you cross the street to enter the museum, you walk by a display of the day's front pages electronically...

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The first art museum in Washington, the Corcoran Gallery, founded by Washington philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran in 1869, focuses on American Art. The rotating main collection includes a variety of American art spanning from older pieces to modern works by Nevelson, Warhol, and Rothko. The building of the Corcoran is in itself impressive, and its convenient location between the White House, the National Mall, and many of the national monuments make it an easily accessible museum for locals and tourists alike. Also home to a school of art, the Corcoran Gallery is well-known for its wide variety of rotating exhibitions. For the most up to date information, see http://www.corcoran.org/exhibitions/index.htm.

Our Local Expert Says:

Many DC locals think this is the best of the National Art Museums.

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Famous and distinguished Americans are honored here in portraits, photographs and other visual media. A wide variety of politicians, artists, scientists and social activists are represented. This gallery is a remarkable testimony to the diverse figures the United States has produced, from Grace Kelly and Boris Karloff to George Washington, Mickey Mantle and Gertrude Stein. Photographs, prints, drawings and sculptures supplement the paintings. Of particular interest is the Hall of Presidents, which features a portrait or sculpture of each chief executive.

Admission is free.

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Zola acquired a new chef in spring 2007. Bryan Moscatello is committed to continuing his predecessor's bent for "straight ahead American" cuisine, while adding his own creative twists. Not sure how that translates exactly, but count on deliciousness: a simple mushroom crepe or grilled lamb sandwich at lunch; delicately roasted sea scallops with creamy parsnip purée, and an artichoke-and-goat-cheese tart or lobster "mac and cheese" at dinner, with such sweets as lemon chiffon pudding with raspberries for dessert. Zola is a cleverly designed restaurant, trading on its location next to the International Spy Museum for a decor that includes red-velvet booths, backlit panels of coded KGB documents, and a center-pivoted swinging wall/door that's like something straight out of the TV show Get Smart. Zola, in its superb downtown location, has become a popular place for the young and single to hang. Servers are friendly. A $30 pretheater menu, available nightly 5 to 7pm, offers great value.

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This Russian restaurant is located at the meeting point of Connecticut and Florida Avenues. The menu is essentially Russian with an ambience to match. The warm and cozy enviroment is perfect for socializing. The inter-continental menu, having Russian influences, includes an eclectic range of salads and Russian delicacies such as Beef Stroganoff. If you are a seafood fan, choose from the caviar selection - go ahead or gorge on the Salmon Kulebyaka. Pair your meal with a pick from the House Drinks. Don't forget to end your meal with one of the sumptuous desserts on offer.