Smithsonian Institution - Washington, DC

Address:1000 Jefferson Dr. SW
Washington, District of Columbia

The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum complex. Nineteen museums, most of which are within walking distance of each other on National Mall in Washington, DC, cater to just about every interest and every visitor. The exhibits are free and clearly organized. Whether you spend an hour or spend a week, you will have to return to see it all. Families are advised to mix the museums in with other popular attractions. Are you too hot waiting in line for the FBI tour? Then why not take a break for the art, history, technology and air conditioning of the Smithsonian.

The world-class museums and research centers housed under the "Smithsonian" name got their start from a $4.1 million grant given by Englishman James Smithsonian in 1826 "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." The Smithsonian Institute, a red-brick building located on the south side of the Mall, was the location of the original Smithsonian museum but is now a visitor's center serving all of the Smithsonian museums and galleries. The Smithsonian Institute has gathered a collection so large that all of its facilities are still only able to display 1% of the collection at any given time.

Completed in 1855, the original Smithsonian Institution Building was designed by architect James Renwick Jr., whose other works include St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. This Washington landmark is constructed of red sandstone from Seneca Creek, Maryland, in the Norman style (a 12th-century combination of late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs).