One of the best museums I've been to in DC! Not only is it interactive, but every exhibit and…read moreinteractive activity is accessible, with ASL interpretation and braille, as well as an option to write accessibility needs when you book! Could not recommend enough during your next trip!

I came here with family as we were interested in checking this new museum out. They have a…read morededicated photographer who will take your pics out front on your phone. All the staff we interacted with were friendly. The museum isn't as large as a lot of the other DC museums but it was very cool to check out. My favorite part was the Exhibition Gallery which was quite an immersive experience. We spent just under 2 hours here but such a great museum with amazing photography.

I'm a plane nut so of course I'm going to rate this place pretty high. With three floors to…read moreexplore, there is plenty to see and do here. This museum is easily my favorite museum out of all the Smithsonian museums, hands down. So much amazing history is found here to witness with your own eyes. It really makes the monumental accomplishments that you read in books and online come to life. Unfortunately, my last visit was shorter than usual because a good chunk of the museum was closed for renovation so I wasn't able to see the historic WW2 war birds. Bummer. Hopefully, that section is back up very soon. Looking for a cool souvenir from your time in D.C.? The gift shop here is absolutely huge, three floors with all things space and aviation.

Space... the final frontier.... Whether you're a kid, or just a kid at heart, your mind will wander…read morewith the possibilities of seeing the actual vehicles and relics of historical significance and marvel at the drive of the human spirit to first take flight, then zoom past the curvature of the ocean until you hit new land, and, finally, break the bonds of gravity and stake your claim in the cosmos. I've been so many times, and it's free to go and see these incredible achievements of humanity in real life. You can look at the lunar capsule and imagine the bravery and ingenuity of the millions of people whose guts and brains it took, over thousands of years, to make such an achievement possible. This is the true legacy of humanity and it inspires while posing the question, what is next for mankind....

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.

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?

As a self-professed plant geek, I enjoyed my trip to the US Botanical Garden. They have curated an…read moreimpressive number of specimens, sorted by biome. While it is smaller than you might imagine, there is a nice indoor area with tropical, desert, Mediterranean, and other climates. I am a collector of Tillandsia species, and they had some nice ones in the tropical areas. Probably worth a few trips at different times of year to see the different blooms, etc. Free, like most DC museums.

I don't know how I hadn't visited the United States Botanic Garden until last weekend with how much…read moretime I've spent in DC in the last five years, but I hadn't! It's wild - because it's just off the National Mall, and I must have walked by dozens of times. I finally visited last weekend with a friend, and I had a pretty good time. It's free to visit, like a lot of the attractions on the Mall. We spent maybe a half hour to an hour exploring. This botanic garden is contained within two separate sections. The section that is north of Independence Avenue has some outdoor gardens and the conservatory. The section south of Independence Avenue has Bartholdi Fountain and another garden. They are connected, and you do have to cross Independence Avenue to visit both sections. It's not a large botanic garden; I've definitely visited larger. But as it's free, it's a great place to wander if you're in the area. The highlight for was actually the Bartholdi Fountain section. The fountain is beautiful and peaceful, and the Capitol building peaks through in the prettiest way in photos. If you visit lots of botanic gardens, this one might not wow as much as others. But it's yet another place that's worth a visit on the National Mall.

I absolutely love visiting the gardens when the lotus flowers are in bloom! So beautiful to see all…read morethe blooms, and the water lilies. The crowds get pretty big, so I try to visit early in the morning. There's a whole day of programs and activities, and plenty of parking.

It's in a sketchy area with no public parking (only street parking). The entrance was confusing…read more I had high hopes for this place and for the longest time wanting to visit, but it was just one giant swamp. Very buggy but that's par for the course! The paths aren't clearly marked so you end up wandering aimlessly. There are sunken spots and areas where you can't tell if the ground is stable. There were random groups of people chanting right when we entered. The boardwalk toward the far end goes nowhere and there's nothing memorable or worth the walk to see. We saw a few lotus flowers and many lilies and a great blue heron made my day! Apart from that, a flop! I would probably never come back.

The National Museum of the United States Navy is a hidden D.C. gem that's currently in transition,…read morebut still worth the visit. As of September 2025, the museum is being slowly dismantled to prepare for a move to a new location. When I visited, only about half of the displays were still up. Even so, the exhibits that remain are fascinating and full of history. I highly recommend taking a guided tour since the museum is not at 100% right now. The guides add so much context and bring the history to life. Tours are finished for this year but will start back up next year, so plan ahead via Eventbright. Fun fact: the library at the Navy Yard is the oldest library in Washington, D.C. How's that for a bonus bit of history? If you love military history, naval stories, or simply discovering parts of D.C. that most tourists miss, this is a stop worth making before the move.

Free museum with friendly people. Go to the lower level for the history of the US Navy. Cool info…read more There's info about wars, awards, and people. It's a good place to find things for the soldier from the different branches of the military. I bought my army veteran brother a magnet. They also show films in the auditorium. We're going to a Robert Reich documentary which will be followed by a zoom q and a with him. So cool!

I had never been here before attending a smaller/private show with a couple groups of kids over the…read moreweekend. I've been to a few planetariums, but this one was pretty great, especially given it's random location. I think the person putting on the show was named Bob? Anyway, he did an awesome job. I learned and saw things I had never learned or seen before and he did a great job of explaining things without boring me and the many children in the room to death. Planetariums can make me dizzy and nauseous, also I had to look away periodically, but he moved at a pretty good pace, so I actually could enjoy much of the presentation. It was about light and went into a bit more about planets and the universe later on. I would definitely return.

The Arlington Planetarium is back and open to the public! If you love science as much as I do or…read morejust want to learn a little more about what you are seeing in the local night sky, then come out to the planetarium. My husband and I attended for the first time last night and we plan to return for the monthly presentations. The planetarium provides a small and intimate environment for families to learn about different scientific topics and study our local night sky. The planetarium is part of the Arlington Public School system and as such, hosts school aged educational programming in partnership with local schools. However, most of the cost of operating the facility and programming comes from members of the community who support via membership in the Friends of Arlington's Planetarium nonprofit organization. Volunteers actually run the monthly public outreach events. This is a great place to rediscover the beauty of the world and universe around us. There is a small parking lot outside the building and they do offer restrooms, as well as a small gift shop (table) inside. Thanks for an excellent evening. We will be back next month! :-)

We toured the Smithsonian Saturday and saw the room that housed the butterfly pavilion. It's soo…read moresmall. They have a lot of nerve calling it a pavilion. Nothing like other butterfly gardens we've been to. It's an extra charge as well.

Note that this is a paid exhibit inside the Smithsonian; it's not too bad though at $6 per ticket…read more What is there really to say about walking around a room of butterflies and having them land on you? It's magical and totally therapeutic if you've been feeling down. Everyone loves butterflies. I kind of wish they'd had more butterflies in there - like I'd been expecting it to be completely packed with them. But I guess that would increase the risk of stompage, which brings me to why I can't give five stars: there is a high chance you will witness someone step on, crush or otherwise injure a butterfly within minutes of being in the room. They warn you beforehand​ to be careful, but people are stupid and don't listen. Watching a beautiful butterfly struggle with a broken wing on the floor definitely killed the mood a bit. IF YOU'RE GOING TO COME HERE, PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOURE DOING. It is for this reason that I wish they wouldn't let little kids in, but of course they're going to. Overall though, this was a really cool activity. The staff at the exhibit have a ton of respect for the butterflies and treat them very well. They check you on your way out to make sure you don't have any "hitchhikers," which judging by the amount of butterflies in the container by the door, must happen often. Oh, and the room is set to the temperature and humidity levels of a tropical rainforest, so avoid if you get overheated easily.