Smithsonian American Art Museum
Downtown / Penn Quarter—sample rating
AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum holds one of the world's largest and most inclusive collections of American art, spanning more than three centuries from colonial portraiture to contemporary works. It shares the Old Patent Office Building, a National Historic Landmark completed in the mid-19th century, with the National Portrait Gallery, and the two museums are connected by the glass-canopied Kogod Courtyard. Highlights include an extensive folk and self-taught art collection, the Luce Foundation Center's visible storage of thousands of additional artworks, and major holdings of American Impressionist, Gilded Age, and 20th-century art. Located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood rather than directly on the Mall, the museum is free to enter with no tickets required, and its Kogod Courtyard is a popular free spot to relax with a coffee.
Why visit
It offers one of the finest and most wide-ranging collections of American art anywhere, in a stunning historic building.
Best time to visit
Visit on weekday afternoons; the Kogod Courtyard is a pleasant spot to combine with Portrait Gallery visits.
Recommended duration
Allow about 1.5 hours (90 minutes).
Opening hours
- Every day
- 11:30-19:00
Free; no tickets needed; closed December 25.
Information may change — verify details before visiting.
Location
8th St NW & F St NW, Washington, DC 20004
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Nearby attractions
National Mall
A vast open-air national park stretching between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, lined with iconic monuments and Smithsonian museums.
Washington Monument
A 555-foot marble obelisk honoring George Washington, offering sweeping views of DC from its observation level.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
A domed neoclassical monument on the Tidal Basin honoring Thomas Jefferson, surrounded by famous cherry blossom trees.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
A granite memorial on the Tidal Basin featuring a colossal carved likeness of Dr. King emerging from a 'Stone of Hope.'
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
A sprawling outdoor memorial along the Tidal Basin divided into four outdoor 'rooms' representing FDR's four terms in office.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
A stark black granite wall inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 U.S. service members who died or went missing in the Vietnam War.
Nearby restaurants
Zaytinya
Mediterranean · $$$ · Downtown / Penn Quarter
Ben's Chili Bowl
American / Comfort Food · $ · U Street
Mi Vida
Mexican · $$ · Navy Yard / Waterfront
Ambar Capitol Hill
Balkan · $$ · Capitol Hill
Centrolina
Italian · $$$ · Downtown / Penn Quarter
Maketto
Cambodian / Taiwanese · $$ · Capitol Hill
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Stay near Downtown / Penn Quarter
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