Washington DC Museums

So, you're in DC and there are tonnes of museums and sights to see! I reckon this might be the most densely museum populated city in the world. Every corner you turn, there's a museum in sight. Thankfully for museum enthusiasts, most are free! Yay! The only museum I paid to enter is the National Building Museum. Other museums I visited such as the Air and Space Museum, Natural Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum and many more, were free. 

DC is the home of the Smithsonian Museums, the world's largest museum and research complex. They have a total of 19 museums, 9 research centres and a Zoo. This is the Smithsonian webbie you'll find useful. Even better, they have an app, just download it! There's all the information you'll need, opening hours and admission fees (most are free but its good to check). 

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

Lobby of the National Building Museum

This is one museum you'd have to buy admission for. $8 bucks for adults and I paid to enter hoping it'll be really interesting. But to my disappointment, it wasn't.

This museum is large however, I didn't feel that there was much to see. Much of the space was taken to house the lobby too so it wasn't very space efficient. There was a gallery which seems to house blueprints of well known buildings in the US but if you aren't a US citizen you'll probably not know them and hence won't see the significance of those buildings. 

A children's 'gallery'

I think its enriching for kids to be able to build something with the interestingly shaped blocks in this room. Maybe, this room wasn't meant to be a childcare but there were more museum staff in this room than others, also the child to parent ratio wasn't balanced. I think some parents conveniently left their kids here so they can explore the galleries.

Trying to get an artistic shot of the lobby

SPY MUSEUM

The Spy Museum

This is located to the left of Shake Shack you can't miss it!

I didn't enter the museum because I wasn't a big enough bond fan to wanna pay $22 bucks to enter. But they did seem to have a very interesting gift shop, #spyingfromoutside so those who are serious bond fans, you might enjoy the experience! They seem to have interesting lectures and seminars too so check those out before you visit the museum.

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
Admission: FREE

Cockpit of one of the first American Commerical Plane

Amelia Earhart - First female aviator to fly across the Atlantic

The air and space museum is the second on the list of top 5 museums to catch in DC. It was indeed very interesting and you should definitely go!

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Admission: FREE

This is another <Night at the Museum> Museum. Just Saying :)

They had a butterfly interactive section where you can go into a room and like take care of Pupae? Idk. Didn't look too closely but ya it was there. 

The story of Jurassic Park 

Hope Diamond

This huge diamond, previously owned by Harry Winston was kept in a well polished glass, secured on a rotating platform and stood in the middle of the Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals. It was stealing all the attention in the room with its deep blue sparkle. Diamonds are said to be time travelers for they have been around for an unimaginably long time, even before the time when Dinosaurs roamed. This is one very special diamond because dark-blue diamonds, are extremely rare and the sources of this diamond before it landed in the hands of American Socialite Harry Winston are shrouded in mystery. It's said this might have been cut from the Blue Tavernier Diamond for the French Crown, which was stolen during the revolution of 1792.

More about the hope diamond visit the Smithsonian webbie here. 

NATIONAL PORTRAIT MUSEUM
Admision: FREE

With Colonel Sanders - Mr. KFC