Smithsonian Institution
British scientist James Smithson left a bequest that became 157 million objects, 21 museums, and a zoo — almost all free to walk into.
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Founded August 10, 1846, on a donation from British scientist James Smithson, the Smithsonian is a trust of 21 museums and 14 research centers drawing 30 million visitors a year. Almost every door opens without charge, which is unusual for an institution running on a $1.25 billion annual budget.
What to look for
- The zoo — it is formally part of the Smithsonian complex, not a separate city facility
- The sheer count: 21 museums under one institutional umbrella, mostly strung along Washington D.C.
- Signage referencing the United States National Museum — the institution's original administrative name, retired in 1967
Admission is free at all Washington D.C. locations; only Cooper Hewitt in New York City charges an entry fee.
Smithsonian Institution is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Washington, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Washington pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Washington
- White HouseBritish forces torched it in 1814. It has been the U.S. president's home and office ever since.
- The PentagonDesigned and built in 16 months during World War II — 17.5 miles of corridors, a five-acre central courtyard, and a 9/11 memorial at the exact point of impact.
- United States CapitolEvery street address in Washington DC radiates outward from this building — it is literally the zero point of the city.
- Washington MonumentThe faint color seam partway up the shaft marks where construction stopped for 23 years.
- Arlington National CemeteryThe ground holding 400,000 graves was seized from Robert E. Lee's own family over an unpaid tax bill in 1864.
- Lincoln MemorialThe exact steps where King delivered "I Have a Dream" on August 28, 1963 — stand there and the date stops being abstract.