Spotlight: Washington DC - National Mall and Memorial Parks Part I (Smithsonian Institution)

Spotlight: The National Mall is the United States' most visited National Park. It is filled with monuments and memorials that honor America's heroes from the past, and is a rallying spot for the social movements of the present.
     The Smithsonian Institution is the name given to the collection of 17 world-renowned museums, galleries, and a zoo. The collection consists of nearly 140 million objects, works of art, and specimens from around the globe. The British scientist, James Smithson (1765-1829), left his huge fortune to a nephew with the stipulation that should he die without heirs, the money would go “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” As a result, the Smithsonian Institute was created by an act of Congress in 1846. The first building, the distinctive neo-Gothic Smithsonian Castle, was designed by James Renwick and completed in 1855. Since then, many other museums and galleries have been added, each with their own designated theme.

Smithsonian Castle

Location: The National Mall and Memorial Parks extends from the Lincoln Memorial in the west, to the Capitol Building in the east and everything in between, including the parkland around the Tidal Basin. The Smithsonian Castle is located at 1000 Jefferson Drive SW. The other museums and galleries that compose the Institution are within walking distance, and can be located via an interactive map to each of the Institution's locations.

Cost: free

Time: Most museums are open daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. The American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery are open from 11:30 am - 7:00 pm.
- You can spend a full week exploring the Smithsonian Institute and still not see everything. Therefore, you might want to choose a few that catch your interest and spend a couple of hours in each to see the highlights.

Description: The Smithsonian Castle, with its sandstone walls, dark interior wood and Victorian arches, originally held the entire collection. The collection quickly outgrew its original digs and other buildings, each with it's own specialization, were added along what is now known as the National Mall. Today, the Castle houses a modern Visitor Center complete with interactive 3-D maps detailing the Institution's various collections.
     We spent the most time in the Air and Space Museum. It contains 23 galleries which exhibit hundreds of aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and other flight-related artifacts. It also has lots of fabulous interactive exhibits that teach the principles of flight. Some of the highlights include: the 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 5B, SpaceShipOne, Sputnik, the Apollo 11 command module, and the Hubble Telescope test vehicle.

Spirit of St. Louis

flight simulator

The Wright Flyer

Apollo mission artifacts

Amelia Earhart exhibit

     Another museum we really enjoyed was the American History Museum. It is devoted to preserving relics related to the scientific, social, cultural, technological and political development of the United States. Some of the highlights include: the Star-Spangled Banner, General Washington's uniform, Lincoln's top hat, Dorothy's ruby slippers, Kermit the Frog, Superman's outfit, the golden spike, and much more.

ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz

Pres. Lincoln's top hat

golden spike

 

Model T

     The third museum we decided to explore was the Natural History Museum. It has exhibits on early man, the development of world cultures, full scale replicas of animals (both modern and extinct), and gems and minerals. Some of the highlights include: the Sant Ocean Hall, the Hall of Human Origins, dinosaurs, the Hall of Geology, Gems and minerals, including the Hope Diamond and the world's largest crystal ball, the Hall of Mammals, the Butterfly Pavilion, and Q?rius interactive learning space.

Hall of Mammels

Hope Diamond

replica termite hill

world's largest crystal ball

     The other museums and galleries included in the Institute are: the African American History and Culture Museum, African Art Museum, Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, American Art Museum, American Indian Museum, Anacostia Community Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Freer Gallery of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Zoo, Portrait Gallery, Postal Museum, Renwick Gallery, and the Arts and Industry Building.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Most kids can only spend a limited amount of time in museums before they begin to get bored. With that in mind, the Smithsonian Institution created a webpage highlighting various activities which are very popular for children.
- Another great resource for kids is the Official Kids' Guide to the Smithsonian Institution.
- You should also check out the Events and Activities calendar to help you plan your adventure beforehand.
- One thing my wife did to extend our daughters' interest was create a scavenger hunt booklet with pictures of items to find while exploring the museums.
- 9.9 million digital records are available online through the Collections Search Center.
- The Smithsonian Mobile App lets you quickly locate the highlights of each museum, access tours, podcasts and other apps.

Nearby: Holocaust Memorial Museum, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Ford's Theatre, International Spy Museum