Museums

Museums with Kids

At the Museum of Natural History children can see live tarantulas, explore butterfly gardens, take in an IMAX movie, or even brave a sleepover. They’ll conduct lively experiments at Spark!Lab or get hands-on at Q?RIUS. Whether they’re 3 or 13 years old, they’re bound to find dozens of awesome artifacts from important events in American history at the Museum of American History. At the National Air and Space Museum they can almost touch the stars and be awed by famous spaceships, fighter planes, and even the Space Shuttle Discovery. Budding artists can create their own masterpieces during free art workshops at the National Gallery and the Sackler Gallery of Art’s ImaginAsia. Two- to six-year-olds can build towers, explore a playhouse, and pretend to be a dump-truck driver at the National Building Museum’s Building Zone. Youngsters will be dancing in the aisles, traveling back in time, or exploring new worlds during Tot-Rock concerts, puppet shows, storytelling sessions, and other family-friendly performances at the Discovery Theater in the Ripley Center next to the Smithsonian Castle. At the Spy Museum, kids can try to outsmart a villain from the James Bond movies and check out some of the cool gadgets used by Bond and his nemeses.

Museums with Late Hours

Smithsonian American Art Museum, daily until 7:30 pm.

Museum of Crime and Punishment, daily until 7 pm, Friday and Saturday until 8 pm.

National Portrait Gallery, daily until 7 pm.

Phillips Collection, Thursday until 8:30 pm.