The 19 Smithsonian Museums: Complete Guide to the World's Largest Museum Complex

Art & Design Museums (5)

• Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) – Penn Quarter, DC
• National Portrait Gallery – Shares building with SAAM
• Freer Gallery of Art – Asian art, Mall
• Arthur M. Sackler Gallery – Asian art, underground Mall
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden – Modern/contemporary, Mall
• Renwick Gallery – Craft/decorative arts, White House vicinity
• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum – NYC (Carnegie Mansion)

History & Culture Museums (7)

• National Museum of American History – Mall (Star-Spangled Banner, First Ladies)
• National Museum of African American History and Culture – Mall (2016)
• National Museum of the American Indian – Mall + NYC (George Gustav Heye Center)
• National Museum of African Art – Mall (sub-Saharan focus)
• Anacostia Community Museum – Anacostia, DC (local history)
• National Postal Museum – Near Union Station
• Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle") – Mall (visitor center, admin)

Science & Technology Museums (4)

• National Air and Space Museum – Mall + Udvar-Hazy Center (Chantilly, VA)
• National Museum of Natural History – Mall (Hope Diamond, fossils, Q?rius)
• Arts and Industries Building – Mall (rotating exhibitions, currently "FUTURES")

Living Collections (2)

• National Zoological Park – Woodley Park, DC + Front Royal, VA (conservation biology)
• Smithsonian Gardens – 180+ acres across Mall museums

Key Facts

• All DC museums: FREE admission (timed-entry passes for some)
• 155M+ objects/specimens total collections
• 30M+ annual visits (pre-pandemic)
• Research centers: STRI (Panama), SERC (MD), SAO (MA), MCI (MD), etc.

The Smithsonian is not a fixed number—it's a growing national trust. Two new museums legislated (American Latino, Women's History) will bring the count to 23+ in coming years.