What a great concert which made me cry! A great collaboration between Japanese and American…read moremilitary bands. There are free movie nights too;) Event price: Free~?! Interior: Great. Some traditional pictures. Theater room: Clean and small. Parking lot: Hmmmm... Gotta find private or street ones. Location: Fantastic! Everything is close here. The Army Navy club, Nordstrom rack, Paul,...

Lovely pictures of bonsai. A video tells you some interesting history about the greatest man to…read morepractice the art. A really cool lighted bamboo mini bridge was on display as well. Lighted with micro chips. Enjoyed my visit.

I visited the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream last weekend with my husband, and it…read morewas interesting. So what is it? It's a new museum that opened in the fall of 2025, just steps from the White House and the U.S. Treasury. It touts itself as an interactive museum which highlights the successes of American capitalism, entrepreneurship, and financial and banking institutions. The museum's namesake is Michael Milken, who partly curated and controls the museum. Located in five historic buildings, rumor has it the museum cost $500 million. Exploring the museum, I was conflicted. I love museums, and I think you should keep an open mind and learn what you can everywhere, from anyone, for your whole life. I value curiosity and critical thinking above many other things. However, this is definitely a museum with a point of view, and it's probably good to know that going in. Michael Milken is an American financier mostly known for his role in the development of the market for high-yield bonds (junk bonds), leading to his reputation as the "Junk Bond King," and his conviction and sentence on felony charges for violating securities laws. He was sentenced to 10 years (he served 2) and fined $600 million. He was pardoned by President Trump in 2020 and is considered to be one of the wealthiest people in the world (with an estimated net worth of $6 billion). None of this is to say you can't enjoy or learn from or even love the Milken Center. I just think it's relevant information to know going in as the museum deals with American financial markets and capitalism. I certainly wouldn't recommend taking your most progressive or democratic socialist friends to this museum. The museum is free to visit, but you do need to make an reservation for a timed entry (I'm not sure why, because they were not busy at all on a Sunday afternoon when we visited). There is an add on experience (the Holodeck Experience) which has an associated cost of $15 per person. We probably spent an hour and a half at the museum. You can certainly see where they spent the alleged $500 million. It's shiny and new and has lots of interactive aspects and exhibits. If you're into historical artifacts, this is not the museum for you. (They did have an iron lung, and since I'd only ever seen one other, that was a pretty interesting artifact to see.) This museum is full of videos and holograms and signs (and some art as well) but light on artifacts for sure. We wandered around the museum, not really sure what the highlights were that we shouldn't miss (we ended up missing the hologram gallery that many other reviews mention). Most of the financial floors of the museum weren't of very much interest to me, although I could see how it would be interesting/educational for kids (for example, there was an interactive quiz where you choose how much a young person with their first job should save, spend on trips, etc., and then you see how well they're doing after a bit of time). The highlights of the museum for me were the building itself and the art. The Basil Kincaid quilts are massive and and jaw dropping where they hang over the Tree of Generations. And two art-related exhibits really caught my attention: "Celebrating 250 Years: A Journey Through America with Robert Freimark" (which showcased abstract prints the artist made, each representing one of the 50 states) and "Visualizing Impact" (an exhibit showcasing art made by young artists in grades 6-12 focus on unsung heroes in history). We also did the Holodeck Experience - the add on experience for $15 per person. From their website: "It's more than just a movie--it's an unforgettable multisensory adventure held in a unique 360-degree megapixel environment. You're invited to embark on a new journey in the Perpetual Story Machine by Moment Factory, a mind-bending fusion of technology and imagination. Dive into stories of perseverance, innovation, determination, and mentorship at the breathtaking Kenneth C. Griffin Holodeck Experience. Are you ready to take the leap?" That's vague, but it's a hard experience to describe. I actually think children might enjoy it more than adults, because we found it a little silly (especially the parts where you have to "help" the Machine before the more movie-like part begins). We were alone at the experience, so it there were two staff members for the two of us. I did learn about three very different and interesting American experiences, but ultimately I found it a bit cheesy. The Milken Center is free, so I encourage anyone with some spare time to check it out for themselves. But it's not the museum for me. Some of the smaller art exhibits caught my eye, but the majority of the museum felt a bit off to me. Maybe I'm just not into these newer "museums" without artifacts. More like immersive experiences with informational signs. I doubt I'll be back, but you might get more out of it or enjoy more than I did. Who knows?

Heart this museum that use to be the Riggs National Bank built in 1899 and is also known as the…read morepresidents bank of which over half of the U.S. presidents use to bank. It's steps from the White House and U.S. Treasury. Heart the interactive museum that celebrates the successes of entrepreneurs and the opportunities, innovation and statements and videos of personal achievements. The museum has photos, original documents from the past history of the bank, and two original bank vaults. The tree of generations greets you as you enter the main floor and is interactive, so you and your family can post instantly your digital pic. I recommend this museum to everyone and you'll feel inspired & motivated after visiting this new museum.

So much history here - so be sure to embrace that part of the mansion!…read more Otherwise, I've always just approached the mansion as a cool, quirky, fun house of stimulation. Every inch and every corner is pretty much covered with something interesting to look at. In terms of a fun house vibe, you can definitely get lost and explore the mansion for hours. But at some point, I usually adjust my lens a bit a realize that it's just a really extension collection of flea market and estate sale items that have been arranged in an way to make it interesting (it even smells like it, in a moth ball-like way!) Either way, I would recommend everyone to experience it at least once if you have a free afternoon and time to kill. It's definitely a one of a kind experience!

O Museum - O Street, Washington DC…read more I was a judicial fellow at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and arrived at the DOT office complex in L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, D.C., for my first day of orientation. It was early on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, and while I had been in Washington many times in my work as an administrative law judge, this was my first time meeting my contacts at NHTSA. The world now recognizes the losses sustained on that day, in New York and at the Pentagon (and on United Airlines Flight 93), but at 8:30 in the morning at NHTSA's headquarters in D.C. our world was rapidly aging amidst the tragedy. My contact at NHTSA had family members he needed to get to, and he left me to my own devices. As transport systems turned into gridlock, I left the building intending to walk to my hotel in Georgetown. I had the day to explore. All the Smithsonian museums were locked down, as were most businesses. I had no agenda other than experiencing what D.C. was like during the turmoil of 9/11. I walked from L'Enfant Plaza to Dupont Circle, hoping to have lunch at my favorite restaurant, Johnny's Half Shell. In the process, in a long wandering exploration of the District, I happened upon O Street, not far from the Dupont Circle Metro station. During the walk I passed a string of brownstone residences on O Street between 20th and 21st Streets. While my memory has faded over time, I recall walking past curious bronze sculptures of the White Rabbit, Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat, ensconced in abundant greenery that seemed to fill the streetside frontages of four or five of the brownstones. Last week I found out that what I walked past that day 25 years ago was the O Museum in the Mansion, named after the mansion's street location. It's a venue that evokes a rich historical heritage that runs the spectrum from the lives of the rich and famous to the lives of courageous civil rights activists who created cultural change in our nation's capital. I learned the museum was opened in 1980 by its founder, H.H. Leonards Spero, and is housed in a mansion that now includes a boutique hotel with themed rooms. Their "Night at the Museum" tour offers an immersive overnight experience with extended access to the museum and its collection. Also known as The Secret Door Museum, there are over one hundred themed rooms, over eighty secret doors, and thousands of artifacts spanning art, music, sports, history, and American pop culture. I stopped by the display case that housed signed guitars from Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan and saw museum rooms packed with memorabilia from folk and jazz eras, and the early days of the Beatles. Nostalgia and history reign and the displays include important artifacts relating to the civil rights era in the United States, with prominent attention given to the inspired work of Rosa Parks and other civil rights mentors. The Museum features a bar, modern restrooms, an elevator, and secret doors throughout. Reservations are recommended, but I walked in without any wait (on a weekday in February 2026). Remarkably, most of the contents - probably counting in the thousands - are for sale. (So, we're on notice by the Museum's docents: if you break it, you buy it.) I found the Museum's staff to be friendly, well-informed, and exceptionally enthusiastic about their work. I learned there are limited-time themed events, such as the Secret Door Experience ($33), a Champagne Tour ($62.50), a Secret Portal Hunt & Tour ($45.95), a Secret Gardens of Asia celebrating cherry blossoms ($50), a Mother's Day Secret Door & Champagne Tour ($54.50), a Night at the Museum overnight package ($550.77) and a host of events celebrating the life and work of Rosa Parks and other civil rights leaders. This may well be one of the most curiosity-inspiring venues anywhere in the world. And good luck finding the secret doors!

This is such a DC hidden gem! I was walking around the area and needed a place to hunker down for a…read morelittle bit until my next meeting so decided to walk in to the cultural center. There's a library and an exhibit detailing Oman's rich history, which I learned so much about. The employee was super nice and even guided me through some of the exhibit. 10/10 would recommend!

Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center opened in 2014 to serve as a place that encourages Oman-USA mutual…read moreunderstanding. It's a beautiful building designed like a house of its size in Oman. It's open Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm to the public. Guests can walk through 1.5 rooms of learning about how people in Oman live as well as visit the large library. Throughout the building one can find brochures promoting Oman tourism. They also host events throughout the month as well as Arabic lessons, etc. The guy at the front desk was friendly and helpful.

One of the really best museums and very close to metro stops. Bring your kids, they will have a ton…read moreof fun, so many interactive installations, karaoke room where you can sing together top hits. Museum is free and they work on donations. You do t have to give anything but suggested amount is $15 per person. I think it's a great suggestion for all the things this museum can offer.

This museum is so magical!…read more Our group of nine had a blast weaving our way from room to room. The museum is equally fun for kids and adults with topics like language, reading, translation and karaoke to make a few. Everything was so well thought out and interactive. I couldn't get enough of the library room where books come to life with video-like illustrations building off the pages. It felt like we were transported into Belle's massive and dreamy library from Beauty and the Beast complete with a secret hidden room off the side (tucked behind a bookcase door). We had kids ages 2-5 and it was perfect for them. Note that you'll need to park strollers in the basement level. To top it all off, we had a fabulous lunch at Immigrant Food located on the lower level. Oh, how could I forget to mention that the museum is free? Amazing!

I am so glad that this theatre is still in operation…read more Also contains a first rate museum in the basement that includes the gun used to kill Lincoln and a pillow that still has dried blood on it So glad that I went!

The famous for theater has become more of a museum nowadays than an active theater, but it still…read moreholds some performances today. It's the historic theater that Lincoln was shot. There's plenty of memorabilia to Lincoln's life and life back then within the theater. It's a very cool historic site that is worth the ticket to admission! Being in the same room and looking up at the box that Lincoln sat in where he was assassinated was a very interesting and also somber experience !

What an amazing museum. Truly such a deeply impactful and emotional experience. Telling American…read morehistory through the lens of African Americans. I strongly recommend starting from the bottom and working your way up. There is so much to see, read, and take in. It can easily take up 1-2 full days to take it all in. I spent 3.5 hours there and feel like I say maybe 50% of what is there. The next time I am DC I plan to visit here again.

"A baby slept in this cradle made by an enslaved person who loved her."…read more I was finally able to visit this museum and feel (to the best that I can as a white person) that they did a remarkable job centering the humanity of every Black person who spent part or -- all too frequently -- all of their lives under enslavement and systemic discrimination. In the limited time I had to visit, I was only able to visit the lower floors, which trace the history of Black folks in what's now the United States. You can find details about the artifacts and information on exhibit in better detail on the museum site than I could ever provide here, but I'll say that it does not (to my knowledge) shy away from the realities of American history: you will see everything from child-sized manacles to the original casket of Emmett Till. But the story is not told with Black Americans as passive, blankvictims; throughout the exhibits, Black folks are recognized across the centuries for everything from master craftsmanship to strategic planning of how to effect change in myriad ways. Simply put, this museum does what all too many museums, history books, and other learning tools fail to do: it continually reminds you that every subject -- named and unnamed, directly or indirectly referenced -- was a human being who loved and was loved in their time. The only criticism I had was about the building itself -- as others have noted, the bottom floors lack bathrooms (and in some spaces, seating), which could complicate visits for folks in need of more frequent stops and/or restroom visits. This is an important museum that I hope remains independent of the ongoing efforts to whitewash our nation's history. And I look forward to being able to visit again.

I grew up in the DMV going to all the amazing museums. Now it's my kids turn to visit the same…read moremuseums. I visited recently after 20 years and a lot had changed, but a lot had stayed the same. The staff are still helpful and we were lucky to have several volunteers share their knowledge with us. Big thanks to them for sharing their time. The Wooly Mammoth is still there and several awesome dinosaur fossils. The museum is still free and easy to get to with our metro system. The dinosaur section has gone through a redesign that offers a lot more dinosaurs and interactive displays. My daughter loved it. I very much appreciated being able to see the scientists at work with fossils. My daughter loved that! The ocean and modern animal sections were also great. I feel like those areas have grown. We used the restrooms several times and they were rather clean. The good options downstairs were typical American cuisine and a bit over priced, but that was the only down side. I love this place and I hope to be back in the future.

Had a wonderful time here. This was the top museum we wanted to visit on our trip to DC. I could…read morehave stayed and wandered for hours, but I let my kids lead the way. Some of the things I thought for sure they would love, were not a hit as I had expected: namely dinosaur bones and the animal displays- but it was also very crowded and a lot to take in. Every where we turned there was more info, more interesting things to see- beautiful, fascinating, interesting- but I think it can be overwhelming- it is almost too much, if that is possible! We had to pace ourselves. A museum is designed for all ages in mind, so it is difficult to know what exhibits will appeal to whom. The part my kids loved the most was the live bug displays. So many species, and so fun to try to find each creature. We stayed here a long time. The exhbits are built with children in mind, many at eye level for little ones. The exhibits with glow in the dark species were so fun! I had to block the way at the end of the exhibit so they didn't move into the mummy section, as just seeing the hint of this display really scared them. I had a blast in the gems section, but my kids were not as excited about this section as I had hoped. We had to take breaks by going to the eatery on site, perusing the gift shop (I let them fill a bag of gems, which was incredibly exciting for them!), and chill out watching a documentary in a screening area.

Not much to say; Turkish House in Washington DC. Cultural and educational events come to life here…read more Currently There are Turkish Language Classes.

I purposely visited recently (winter season) because entrance to the gardens is free, otherwise…read moreit's $15. The gardens are interesting even in the cold months. The couple most closely associated with this Georgetown estate, Mildred and Robert Bliss, clearly loved and thought deeply about this parcel of land when they owned it (1920/30's). Their efforts to preserve and share the space with the public are to be commended. It must have been quite something in its heyday. There's a lot of research that's supported here, as well as other activities. The website explains all that. It's a low-key sightseeing spot; quiet, contemplative.

Most everyone in my office is off today due to the holiday, so I mad a plan to visit this museum…read more I also wanted to see the adjoining garden, but it doesn't open until much later in the afternoon. They have quite a few notable collections that I liked. The Byzantine Collection featured different artwork from the fifteenth cwntury. There were also several large sculptures that originated from the Byzantium empire which is known as Istanbul today. According to their information, the museum is continuously acquiring different works if art from this time period. There were also some pretty cool grave markers dating back to the 11th century. The museum is sort of hidden off of the main avenue in Georgetown so you will probably need to search for it. It is also free and open most days to the general public.