Smithsonian Institution/Castle, Washington

The National Air and Space museum contains a very large collection of space and air craft including the original Wright Brothers 1903 "Flyer," Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis," the first plane to solo the Atlantic Ocean and the Apollo 11 command module, part of the first manned lunar landing mission. The exhibits inform the visitor on the science, history, and technology of aviation and space flight.It opened on the bicentennial of the country, on July 1st, 1976 and has since been described as one of the most popular museums in the world. In 1996, it recorded the 175 millionth visitor.There are 23 main galleries housing the permanent collection. Examples of the permanent exhibitions include "Jet Aviation," "Early Flight" and "How Things Fly." The galleries house thousands of air and space craft, space suits, photographs taken from space, satellites, lunar exploration vehicles, rockets, engines and much more.Smaller sections also host temporary exhibits. In the past, the museum has held the following: "Earth Today," "Where Next, Columbus?" and "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth."

The Museum of Natural History contains more than 120 million scientific specimens and artifacts including dinosaur fossils, priceless diamonds, animal skeletons and other cultural treasures. The exhibits are designed to help visitors understand the natural world and their place in it.The galleries posses such titles like "Bones", "Mammals", "Birds," and "Geology." One of the highlights of the "Life in the Sea" exhibit is the 92-foot, 27.5 metre model of a blue whale.The Hope diamond is located on the second floor along with the rest of the collection's valuable minerals and gems.The Discovery Room on the first floor is of special appeal to children because they are allowed to play with the various artifacts, from elephant tusks to arrowheads.Special exhibitions are normally held on the first floor of the museum. Examples from the past include: the "Butterfly Garden," "Dinosaur Hall," and "Vikings."The facility supports research in a number of scientific disciplines including:Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mineral Sciences, Paleobiology and Vertebrate Zoology

The Freer Gallery of Art houses nearly 30,000 pieces of Asian artworks including Buddhist sculptures and Persian manuscripts. This collection is considered one of the most extensive in the world. The museum's research center attracts numerous international students and scholars.The Freer also features a collection of 19th-century and early 20th-century American art, notably, a large body of work by James McNeill Whistler. The Peacock Room was designed by Whistler for the home of an English gentleman. It is decorated in blue and gold with peacocks on the shutters and leather hangings on the wall.The Freer opened in 1923 as the Smithsonian Institution's first fine arts museum. The core of the collection was bequeathed to the Smithsonian by Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919). He was a Detroit businessman and art collector who first focused on American living artists, then began purchasing Asian art in 1887.The Freer Gallery of Art also features exhibitions throughout the year.

This drum shaped museum has a collection of over more than 12,000 pieces of modern art from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft. Sculptures along the paths in the garden trace the history of modern sculpture from the mid 1800's.It opened as a part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1974 to accommodate American art collector Joseph Hirshorn's gift of nearly 12,000 works. Since then it has collected or accepted donations of many more pieces of modern art and sculpture.Space limitations prevent the entire collection from being viewed so exhibitions change frequently.The sculpture gardens lie inside the inner courtyard of the museum. They were last re-designed in 1993 to increase accessibility. One of the highlights of the garden is Rodin's "Burghers of Calais."The museum also contains a 52,000 volume library and collection archive and it hosts lectures, films and educational programs throughout the year.

The National Museum of American History is associated with the Smithsonian Institution. It traces the political, cultural, scientific and technological history of the U.S. since the American revolution. On display are numerous pieces of Americana including the flag that inspired the anthem, "Star Spangled Banner," Thomas Jefferson's desk and one of Edison's light bulbs.It opened on the Mall in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. The name was changed to the present one in 1980.There are three floors of the 750,000 square-foot facility:The first floor houses the history of science and technology exhibits. These include displays on electricity, road transportation, agriculture and the information age.The second floor is dedicated to social and cultural history. Among others, some exhibits on this floor include:"After the Revolution," "Field to Factory" and "Communities in a Changing Nation."The top floor has displays on technological and social issues. Examples of these include:"Armed Forces History," "Money & Medals" and "Textiles."

The National Portrait Gallery features the portraits of Americans who made a significant contribution to the political or cultural life of the country. More than 7000 paintings span 150 years, going back to the original portraits of the presidents.The origins of the Gallery go back to 1857, when Congress commissioned George Peter Alexander Healy to paint a series of presidential portraits for the White House.The Gallery is located in the Old Patent Office Building, built in 1836, on the site that city designer Pierre L'Enfant had chosen to place a pantheon to recognize the country's luminaries.Other than Presidents, whose likenesses are displayed as soon as an appropriate image is found, the permanent collection only accepts portraits of other significant Americans 10 years after their death.Some examples of the galleries in the permanent collection include the "Hall of Presidents," the "Native Americans" and the "Age of Revolution."

The National Zoological Park is a part of the Smithsonian Institution. It houses a collection of more than 5000 different animals, birds and reptiles. It is perhaps best known for Hsing Hsing, the giant panda given to the zoo by the People's Republic of China.Wherever possible, the animals' natural habitats have been reproduced as closely as possible. There are many endangered species here including bald eagles, orangutans, polar bears, and the unusual naked mole rats, the only mammalian species to live underground like ants. Three of the most popular exhibits at the National Zoological Park are "Amazonia" - a re-creation of a tropical river and forest, the "Reptile Discovery Center" - with up-close encounters of reptiles and amphibians and the "Invertebrate Exhibit" - with animals like ants to corals to octopuses. There are regularly scheduled feeding demonstrations, educational games and a lecture center.

The Arthur M Sackler Gallery is associated with the Freer Gallery. Together, they make up the National Museum of Asian Art. It is connected to the Freer via an underground exhibition space. The Sackler Gallery houses more than 1000 pieces, notably Chinese jade and bronze, Chinese paintings and lacquerware and ancient Near Eastern ceramics and metalware.The gallery opened in 1987 to house the collection of research physician Dr. Arthur M Sackler. He bequeathed his collection to the Smithsonian, along with $4 million to help get the project off the ground.Aside from the permanent collection, the Gallery hosts temporary special exhibitions. Examples from the past include: "When Kingship Descended from Heaven: Masterpieces of Mesopotamian Art from the Louvre;" "Court Arts of Indonesia;" and "Korean Art of the 18th Century: Splendor & Simplicity; and A Basketmaker in Rural Japan."

The National Museum of African Art displays thousands of objects encompassing the diverse styles of art from the many countries on the African continent. It is also a research center for study of African art.It was founded in 1964 and formerly located in Frederick Douglass's House. He was a former slave who went on to become a prominent abolitionist and writer. The museum joined with the Smithsonian Institution in 1979 and moved on to the Mall in 1986.Exhibits at the National Museum of African Art include African sculpture, headgear, household objects from daily life in Africa and ceramics from various regions.

The National Museum of American Art is a part of the Smithsonian Institution. It houses a collection of approximately 38,000 paintings, sculptures, folk art pieces, photographs and graphics. The museum's Lincoln Gallery was the site of Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural ball.The collection is designed to represent the "nation's ethnic, geographic, cultural, and religious diversity." A few examples of the artists included in the collection are Thomas Cole, Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Jacob Lawrence and Georgia O'Keeffe. The Indian paintings of George Catlin are one of the collection's highlights.It began in 1829 on the initiative of Washington resident John Varden, thus making it the nation's first federal art collection.The National Museum of American Art is located in the Greek-Revival Style Old Patent Office Building built between 1836 and 1867.

The 75,000 square-foot National Postal Museum houses a wide collection of postal related material including rare stamps and letters, airmail planes and a Pony Express exhibit.It is located in the City Post Office Building, which was constructed in 1914 and served as the city's main post office from that year until 1986.There are more than 16 million items in the museum collection, which started back in 1884 as the National Philatelic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. It moved to its present location in 1993.Some of the highlights include an original postcard salvaged from the German Zeppelin "Hindenburg", a number of very rare, inverted stamps and the first piece of mail flown across the Atlantic.

The Anacostia Museum focuses on African American history and culture. The research, programs and exhibitions are community based and try to raise consciousness of the Black experience in the United States. Past exhibits at the Anacostia Museum have included African American inventions, black churches, African American artists and the meaning of Kwanzaa.

The National Museum of the American Indian presents galleries and displays of Native life and history. The collections include Native art, events, Native American object, and information on boat building. The Main Theater provides plays, storytelling, dance and music presentations, film and video viewing, lectures and seminars.

The building's exhibition halls are currently closed in preparation for renovation.