The government shutdown has temporarily closed many of Washington’s go-to spots for tourists, including the free Smithsonian museums. But if you’re coming to town during the shutdown, your itinerary can still be salvaged. Consider these alternative destinations with exhibits dedicated to history and culture. While some of the locations are free, most require a paid ticket or timed-entry pass to visit, so check the websites before heading over.
For aviation enthusiasts
Swap the National Air and Space Museum for College Park Aviation Museum
While the Air and Space museum’s collection is currently inaccessible, the flight continues at College Park Aviation Museum, which can be reached via Metro’s Green Line. Located on the property of the oldest continuously operating airport in the world, the museum is an opportunity to see a variety of aircraft, from a 1924 Berliner Helicopter to models of pre-World War I planes. Current exhibits cover the history of animals in flight, airmail, and Latina pilots.
For American history and ingenuity
Swap the National Museum of American History for National Inventors Hall of Fame, President Lincoln’s Cottage, the National Building Museum, and American Dream Experience
You can’t see the Star-Spangled Banner or Dorothy’s ruby slippers, but you can tour a few sites around the DC area for different vantage points on American history. Mix and match museums for a more complete picture of the nation’s past.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is located within the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, and the free museum offers insights into American innovation. Sit inside a Mustang that is half of a 1965 model and half of a 2015 model for a sense of how cars have changed, and see other artifacts related to various patents, from basketball to shampoo.
Peek behind the executive curtain at President Lincoln’s Cottage, where Abraham Lincoln lived for a period of his presidency. You must book a one-hour tour (available every hour from 10 AM to 3 PM) to see inside the Gothic Revival home near Petworth.
The National Building Museum offers a look at American history through the lens of architecture, including an exhibit dedicated to the evolution of American homes where you can touch some of the materials. Other displays dive into contemporary design in the American South and Washington’s brutalist buildings.
Meanwhile, near the White House, the American Dream Experience recently opened at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. Focusing on stories related to American innovation, entrepreneurship, research, and more, it’s a new cost-free option with high-tech displays, including holograms depicting influential figures such as Serena Williams.
For beautiful gardens
Swap the United States Botanic Garden and National Arboretum for Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Garden
For beautiful flowers and plants, head to Hillwood, the former residence of heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. The US Botanic Garden has a stunning collection of orchids, but you can also see a massive variety of the flower—Post’s favorite—in Hillwood’s greenhouse. For fall blooms, take a 45-minute tour of the gardens with the director of horticulture.
As part of the Arboretum, the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum is also closed, though you can still see Japanese plants and sculptures at Hillwood’s Japanese-inspired garden. Beyond the flora, Post’s elaborate home is also worth a visit, and the cafe has an afternoon tea service.
For espionage and words that tickle the brain
Swap the National Cryptologic Museum for the Spy Museum and Planet Word
The Fort Meade museum dedicated to coded communication isn’t operating during the shutdown, but you can still get your fill of intelligence at the Spy Museum, located near the Wharf. Embark on a classified mission while learning about the country’s history of surveillance and undercover activity, including secret messages.
Interested in the communication aspect of cryptology? Planet Word is an interactive museum dedicated to language, with interactive exhibits highlighting the role of words in comedy, music, speeches, and more.
For contemporary works
Swap the the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden for Glenstone, the Kreeger Museum, and the Rubell Museum
Mind-bending art from the 20th and 21st century isn’t limited to the Hirshhorn’s curved building. Glenstone is about 30 minutes outside of DC, but the indoor/outdoor museum is worth the drive. You could spend hours exploring the massive property, which includes bucolic outdoor pathways that take you past massive sculptures, quiet galleries filled with art, and architecture that is as much a part of the display as it is a building. (Tickets are free, but you must reserve them in advance.)
In Northwest DC, the Kreeger Museum is a private museum in a funky former residence, boasting works by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Sam Gilliam, plus a series of abstract sculptures outside. Or head to the Rubell Museum on the opposite side of town in Southeast DC, where current exhibits include art made with surprising materials such as a trash can and lipstick.
For literary grandeur
Swap the Library of Congress for Folger Shakespeare Library
The country’s preeminent library is currently a closed book, but the Folger Shakespeare Library is an alternative, just a five-minute walk from the Library of Congress. Explore galleries dedicated to the Bard and his works, including kid-friendly activities such as an image scavenger hunt and decoding exercise. Once you’ve seen the expansive collection of First Folios, make a stop in the Great Hall, where you can grab coffee and snacks in the stately space.
For art that crosses centuries
Swap the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery with the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Phillips Collection
Sorry, you won’t be able to visit the collection of presidential portraits or snap a photo of the neon map of America. However, other art institutions around the city are a chance to take in works from different swaths of history.
Pieces at the National Museum of Women in the Arts go back five centuries, and the museum highlights artistic contributions from more than 1,000 women. Catch the colorful “Niki de Saint Phalle In Print” exhibition before it leaves the museum on November 30, or scope out works that cross mediums and borders at “Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750.”
In Dupont Circle, the Phillips Collection is a smaller museum housing works by many big names. Wassily Kandinsky, Georgia O’Keefe, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh are among the artists in the collection. The museum offers pay-as-you-choose tickets every day from 4 PM to closing.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Takoma.
