The Smithsonians may be free, but D.C. has much more to offer. Here are five other museums worth your time:
1. Hillwood Museum
What: Escape from the hustle and bustle of city life for an afternoon of beauty and tranquility at these lush gardens.
Exhibits: Passion of the Empress: Catherine the Great’s Art Patronage
Cost: Free with suggested donation
Recommended If You Like: National Botanical Gardens
2. Corcoran Gallery of Art
What: Quite simply, the Corcoran is “dedicated to art” for the purposes of expression and education.
Upcoming Exhibits: Face in the Crowd (personal stories culminating in a film starring Elizabeth Banks); Loop (collaboration between media artist Jennifer Steinkamp and electronic composer Jimmy Johnson)
Cost: $8 with student discount
RIYL: National Gallery of Art
3. Marian Koshland Science Museum
What: Learn about solving modern problems using scientific knowledge at this immersive experience.
Exhibits: Earth Lab: Degrees of Change, Life Lab, Wonders of Science
Cost: $4 with student discount
RIYL: Museum of Natural History
4. National Building Museum
What: Architecture nerds and casual observers alike will marvel at this museum’s array of engineering feats.
Exhibits: LA Constructs the Future, The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley
Cost: $5 with student discount
RIYL: Critiquing museum exteriors before looking at the exhibits
5. National Museum of the U.S. Navy
What: Relive our nation’s complex military history and tour the destroyer “U.S.S. Barry.”
Exhibits: Navy Submarines, Polar Exploration, Spanish-American War
Cost: Free
RIYL: Museum of American History
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
