Museum Hopping in DC

We live not far outside of DC, but don’t seem to get in town as much as we would like. I’ve found that no matter where I’ve lived (outside New York, Boston, Los Angeles, DC), unless out-of-town visitors want to go sightseeing, it is easy to take for granted all the local treasures that surround us.

My husband and I decided one weekend to pretend we were tourists and spent an entire weekend in DC. We just wanted to leisurely tour around a few of the many museums.

We both take pleasure in and appreciate the arts. Whether it’s music, dance, theater, film, photography, sculptures or paintings; we feel lucky to have so many places in the area to enjoy it all.

American Art Museum is Housed
in the Old Patent Office Building

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to see some of the arts in DC is to take in a museum, or two, or three. I don’t know how many museums there are in DC, maybe thirty or so. Probably half are supported by the government, most of those being part of the Smithsonian Institution. All the Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, are open seven days a week and are free for the public to explore and enjoy.

Over the course of the two days we visited four museums: The American Art Museum, the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History are all part of the Smithsonian. The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 for the people by a joint resolution of Congress. It is comprised of two buildings and an outdoor sculpture garden. It is not part of the Smithsonian, but is also free to the public.

We began our tourist festivities at the American Art Museum to see a temporary Norman Rockwell exhibit. All the museums offer special exhibits from time to time in addition to their permanent collections. Unlike most of the well-known Smithsonian museums, which are situated along the National Mall, the American Art Museum is located in the the Old Patent Office Building in DC's Penn Quarter neighborhood. The American Art Museum houses what originally was the nation's first collection of American art. Also housed in the same building is the National Portrait Gallery. 

The Penn Quarter area is a happening neighborhood of good restaurants, tourist sites, a small December Christmas market, and the Capital One Arena (home to the Washington Capitals of the NHL, the Washington Wizards of the NBA and the Georgetown University men's basketball team and it is also a popular concert venue). Adjacent to Penn Quarter is DC's Chinatown.

After visiting the exhibit and some of our favorite artwork in the museum, we headed toward the National Mall. The Mall is part of the National Park System and is the central point for most DC visitors. It is bordered on either end by the US Capital and the Washington Monument, and is surrounded by ten of the Smithsonian Institution’s most famous buildings.

Old Post Office Tower (now a hotel)

On our way we passed by the Old Post Office, which sits slightly outside the mall. At 315 feet, The Old Post Office Tower is one of the tallest buildings in DC. The post office used to also be run by the National Park System. The elevator ride took visitors up to the 270-foot observation level, providing an awe-inspiring view of the city and the surrounding area. The century-old tower clock and the Bells of Congress were housed here. This used to be a stop on our tour when we had guests, but since the building has sadly been turned into a trump hotel, I'm not sure what has happened to the wonderful old tower.

After taking in the view from the tower on what was a beautiful day, we stopped by the National Gallery of Art to see an Impressionism to Modernism exhibit. This particular exhibit featured 83 of Chester Dale’s finest French and American paintings, which were part of this wealthy banker’s endowment to the museum. Looking at these magnificent works of art, it is hard to believe they all once belonged to a private collector. 

It was then on to the National Museum of Natural History. Dedicated to the wonders of the natural world, the museum opened in 1910 and was among the first of the Smithsonian buildings. We took a peak at the various animal and marine life exhibits, then on to the Hope Diamond to see if it would look good on my finger … it looked great! … only kidding.

Final stop, the National Museum of American History. Opened to the public in January 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology, it was the sixth Smithsonian building on the Mall. In 1980, the Museum’s name was changed to the National Museum of American History to better represent its basic mission ... the collection, care and study of objects that reflect the experience of the American people.

The museum houses all kinds of snippets from American History … from Dorothy's ruby slippers, to Kermit the Frog, to the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner. We took in the First Ladies at the Smithsonian exhibition. This permanent exhibit features a total of 24 dresses and more than 100 other objects related to the First Ladies, including portraits, White House china and personal possessions.

Julia Child's Kitchen at the Museum of American History

We ended our museum hop by stopping by Julia Child’s kitchen … as a fan of hers, it seemed appropriate to save the best for last. (I devoted a post to Julia Child awhile back.)  When Julia Child moved back to her home state of California in 2001, she donated the kitchen from her Cambridge, Massachusetts home to the museum.

Entitled Bon Appétit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian, this permanent exhibition features the actual kitchen that her husband, Paul, helped design for her. The kitchen includes the cabinets, appliances, cookbooks, kitchen table, and hundreds of utensils and gadgets. Gazing through the glass wall, we almost expected Julia to walk in and start deboning a duck.

A monitor continuously plays segments from her cooking shows, highlighting her larger than life personality and humor. It is hard to imagine that for seven years this tiny space served as the set for her PBS television series.

We followed Julia’s advice over our two days in DC – “Above all, have a good time.” And a good time we had, taking advantage of all these treasured museums and monuments that belong to "we the people."