# Travel >> Destinations >> United States

How to Visit Washington, DC - the Greatest Museum City in the World (Part 1)

Washington DC has been called the greatest museum city in the world. That comes as no surprise, there are more than 30 museums to explore and enjoy. And many of them are free!

DC's got museums of art, science, air & space, natural history, literature, textiles, politics, spies, architecture, a holocaust memorial museum, news and media museum, a national zoo... you name it!

Part 1 (this article) features botanical gardens, building museums, air & space museums, the national zoo, a colonial life museum, and an international spy museum.

I'll highlight the museums, you plan the visit. Wear good walking shoes. You're going to have a ball!

Things You'll Need

A week or two in or around Washington, DC

A game plan, you can't see all the museums in one trip, but you can sure have fun trying!

Instructions

- 1
  
  WANT GARDENS and FABERGE EGGS? SEE THESE.
  - US Botanic Gardens. Established in 1820 on the grounds of the US Capitol. There is a conservatory, national gardens and park. Admission is free!
  - Hillwood Museum and Gardens. A 25-acre estate founded by Marjorie Post, heir to the Post cereal company. It houses the largest Russian imperial art collection in the US or Europe, and extensive formal gardens, Japanese gardens, greenhouses, pergola and rose garden. Admission $.
- 2
  
  WANT ARCHITECTURE and BUILDING ARTS? VISIT THESE.
  - National Building Museum. Built in 1887 and modelled after the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. This magnificent building has a Great Hall measuring 116 x 316 feet and open from the ground floor to the roof.
    Exhibits honor the building arts. Admission free, donation suggested.
  - The Octagon Museum. Located a few blocks from the White House, this museum was built in 1801 and pays tribute to the power and beauty of architecture and design. Admission $.
- 3
  
  WANT AIR & SPACE MUSEUMS? TOUR THESE.
  - National Air & Space Museum. This museum houses the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. The National Mall location is the largest of the two museums, it has hundreds of artifacts on exhibit, including the Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Apollo 11 spacecraft command module. The museum also houses a planetarium and IMAX theatre.
  The Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA is the Air and Space Museum's newest facility. Its exhibits include a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the Enola Gay, and the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
  
  Both museums have ride simulators and other concessions. Admission to the museums is free, but the IMAX and planetarium have fees $.
- 4
  
  WANT ESPIONAGE? CHECK THIS OUT.
  - The International Spy Museum. Permanent exhibits, 'Spy at Night' experience on Friday and Saturday nights along with a White Night signature cocktail, 'Spy in the City' GPS guided tour of DC, scavenger hunts within the museum, and more. Admission $.
- 5
  
  WANT A COLONIAL LIFE MUSEUM on the POTOMAC RIVER? VISIT THIS.
  
  Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens was the home of George and Martha Washington from 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799. Visitors can tour the home, a dozen other buildings on the grounds that housed slave quarters, kitchen, stables, and greenhouse. There are four gardens, a gristmill, a 4-acre farm site and farm animals including hogs, sheep, turkeys, chickens, horses, oxen, cattle, mules, and livestock. Admission $.
- 6
  
  WANT TO SEE THE NATIONAL ZOO? YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT CITY.
  
  The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institute. The Zoo was created by an Act of Congress in 1889. It covers 163 acres and is on hilly, forested terrain. It is home to about 2,000 animals from 400 different species. It has housed giant pandas for more than 30 years, and the pandas are its favorite residents. Admission is free.