Museums

Maryland Science Center

Light Street and Key Highway at the Inner Harbor, Baltimore. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. Imax theater and exhibits, $9.50-$19.50. 410/685-5225.

{bullet} Imax: “Dinosaur’s Alive,” Hurricane on the Bayou,” “Mystery of the Nile.” Call for times.

{bullet} Planetarium shows: “The Sky Live” “Live From the Sun,” “Beyond the Nine” and “The Sky Above Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Call for times.

Meridian International Center

1630 Crescent Place NW. 2-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. 202/667-6800.

Montpelier

11407 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, Va. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily except holidays. 540/672-2728.

{bullet} “Discovering Madison.” Video, audio tour and more about James Madison’s life. Continues indefinitely.

National Air and Space Museum

Independence Avenue and Sixth Street SW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. Metro: L’Enfant Plaza. 202/633-1000. Imax theater schedule: 202/357-1686.

{bullet} “Treasures of American History.” A collection of more than 150 objects from the National Museum of American History. Through summer 2008.

{bullet} Lockheed Martin Imax shows: “Adrenaline Rush,” “Space Station 3D,” “To Fly,” “Fighter Pilot.” $6.50-$8.50.

{bullet} Einstein Planetarium shows: “Cosmic Collisions,” 10:30, 12 and 12:30 ; 1, 1:30, 2, 3, 3:30, 4, 4:30 and 5 p.m. daily. “Infinity Express,” 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily. “The Stars Tonight Open Your Eyes to the Skies,” 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday only. $5.50-$8.

National Archives

Pennsylvania Avenue between Seventh and Ninth streets NW. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily except holidays. Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial. 202/357-5000.

{bullet} “School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents.” Through Jan. 1.

{bullet} “Public Vaults.” Ongoing exhibit.

National Building Museum

401 F St. NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Metro: Judiciary Square. 202/272-2448.

{bullet} “Reinventing the Globe: A Shakespearean Theater for the 21st Century.” Through Aug. 27.

{bullet} “David Macaulay: The Art of Drawing Architecture.” Through Jan. 21.

National Firearms Museum

11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax. 703/267-1600. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.

{bullet} The largest firearms collection in the country includes rare weapons and firearms of famous people.

National Gallery of Art

Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Closed Christmas and New Year’s Day. Metro: Judiciary Square or Archives-Navy Memorial. 202/737-4215.

{bullet} “Eugen Boudin at the National Gallery of Art.” Through Aug. 5.

{bullet} “Claude Lorrain: The Painter as Draftsman Drawings From the British Museum.” Through Aug. 12.

{bullet} “Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945.” Through Sept. 3.

{bullet} “Fabulous Journeys and Faraway Places: Travels on Paper 1450-1700.” Through Sept. 16.

{bullet} “Private Treasures: Four Centuries of European Master Drawings.” Through Sept. 16.

{bullet} “Desiderio da Settignano: Sculptor of Renaissance Florence.” Through Oct. 8.

{bullet} “13 Drawings by Roy Lichtenstein.” Permanent display.

{bullet} National Gallery Sculpture Garden. Garden of canopy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, ground cover and perennials contains the works of Alexander Archipenko, Joan Miro, Isamu Noguchi and more. Open all year.

National Geographic Society

17th and M streets NW. Metro: Farragut North. Explorers Hall open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. 202/857-7588.

{bullet} “National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure.” Through July 29.

{bullet} “Photo Camp 2006: Uganda.” Through Sept. 3.

{bullet} “Zakouma, Elephant Crisis in Chad.” Through Sept. 30.

National Guard Memorial Museum

1 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free. 202/789-0031.

{bullet} The nation’s only museum devoted to the National Guard.

National Museum of American History

14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “Treasures of American History.” A collection of more than 150 objects from the National Museum of American History will be on display at the National Air and Space Museum. Through summer 2008.

{bullet} Closed for renovations. Scheduled to reopen by summer 2008.

National Museum of African Art

950 Independence Ave. SW. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. 202/633-4600.

{bullet} “Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art.” Through Aug. 26.

{bullet} “African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection.” Through Sept. 7, 2008.

National Museum of the American Indian

Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Open daily 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “Identity by Design: Tradition, Change and Celebration in Native Women’s Dress.” Through Jan. 2.

{bullet} Museum dedicated to American Indians.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine

48 E. Patrick St., Frederick. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. $4.50-$6.50. 301/695-1864.

{bullet} Exhibits focusing on all aspects of Civil War medicine: the story of care, healing and devotion during the conflict.

{bullet} “The Art of Embalming the Dead During the American Civil War.” Permanent exhibit.

National Museum of Health and Medicine

Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave. NW. 202/782-2200. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily.

{bullet} “Human Body, Human Being.” Medical artifacts and anatomy displays on the body and illness. Runs indefinitely.

{bullet} “To Bind Up the Nation’s Wounds.” Civil War medicine as told through artifacts, photographs, illustrations, tools, specimens and first-person accounts. On permanent display.

National Museum of the Marine Corps

18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, Va. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except Christmas. 800/397-7585.

{bullet} Museum dedicated to the legacy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

{bullet} “The U.S. Marine Band The President’s Own.” Through November.

National Museum of Natural History

10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Metro: Federal Triangle. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee and British Delegations.” Through Nov. 25.

{bullet} The Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals. Permanent display.

{bullet} Korea Gallery. Permanent display.

{bullet} Johnson Imax Theater: “Sharks 3D,” “Lions 3D: Roar of the Kalahari,” “Night at the Museum.” $6.50-$8.50.

{bullet} Imax Jazz Cafe. 5:30-10 p.m. Friday.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Ave. NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $3-$5. 202/783-5000.

{bullet} “Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque.” Through Sunday.

{bullet} “Sketchbooks.” Through July 15.

{bullet} “Frida Kahlo: Public Image, Private Life. A Selection of Photographs and Letters.” Through Oct. 14.

Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center

Pennsylvania Avenue NW between Seventh and Ninth streets. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed holidays. Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial. 202/737-2300.

{bullet} Free screenings of the film “At Sea” at various times during the week.

Navy Museum

Building 76, Washington Navy Yard, Ninth and M streets SE. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Metro: Navy Yard. 202/433-4882.

{bullet} “In Harm’s Way: The U.S. Navy in World War II.” Runs indefinitely.

{bullet} “Korea 1950-1953: The Navy in the Forgotten War.” Runs indefinitely.

National Portrait Gallery

Eighth and F streets NW. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “Great Britons: Treasures from the National Portrait Gallery, London.” Through Sept. 3.

{bullet} “Harry Benson: Being There.” Through Sept. 3.

{bullet} “Portraits of Sandra Day O’Connor.” Through Oct. 8.

{bullet} “Portraiture Now: Framing Memory.” Through Jan. 6.

National Postal Museum

2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily except Christmas. Metro: Union Station. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “Moving the Mail.” On permanent display.

The Octagon

The museum of the American Architectural Foundation. 1799 New York Ave. NW. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday except holidays. $5, $3 seniors and students. 202/638-3221.

William Paca House and Garden

186 Prince George St., Annapolis. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. $5 house, $2 garden. 410/263-5553.

Phillips Collection

1600 21st St. NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday and holidays. Admission for permanent collection is free on weekdays. Admission is charged on weekends. Exhibits are $10-$12. Free for Phillips Collection members and visitors under 18. 202/387-2151.

{bullet} “Lyrical Color: Morris Louis, Gene Davis, Kenneth Noland and the Washington Color School.” Through July 29.

{bullet} “American Impressionism: Paintings From the Phillips Collection.” Through Sept. 16.

{bullet} Permanent collection of 19th- and 20th-century European and American paintings.

Pope John Paul II Cultural Center

3900 Harewood Road NE. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission free. Donation requested. 202/635-5400.

The Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum

10001 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. Noon-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission free. 301/897-1518.

{bullet} “In-volved.” Works by the St. Lukes Studio. Through July 30.

{bullet} A permanent collection of the art of Phillip Ratner in sculpting, drawing, painting and graphics.

Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “From the Ground Up: Renwick Craft Invitational 2007.” Through July 22.

{bullet} “George Catlin’s Indian Gallery.” Permanent exhibit.

{bullet} Permanent collection of American crafts.

S. Dillon Ripley Center

1100 Jefferson Drive SW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “Made in Northern Ireland: A Dynamic of Change.” Through Sept. 10.

Sewall-Belmont House

144 Constitution Ave. NE. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday. Closed holidays. 202/546-3989.

{bullet} A collection of women’s suffrage memorabilia in an Early American home.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Eighth and F streets NW. 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “From the Ground Up: Renwick Craft Invitational 2007.” Through July 22.

{bullet} “Variations on America: Masterworks from American Art Forum Collections.” Through July 29.

{bullet} “The Prints of Sean Scully.” Through Oct. 8.

{bullet} “Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark.” Through January 2008.

Smithsonian Institution

The Castle, Constitution Avenue and 10th Street NW. 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “West Wing: A Chronology.” Permanent exhibit.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} “James S. McDonnell Space Hangar.” Dedicated display of space artifacts, including the Space Shuttle Enterprise. Permanent exhibition.

{bullet} Imax theater: “Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag,” “Hurricane on the Bayou,” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” daily. $6.50-$8.50.

The Textile Museum

2320 S St. NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. Request $5 donation. 202/667-0441.

{bullet} “Architectural Textiles.” Through Aug. 19.

Tudor Place

1644 31st St. NW. 202/965-0400.

{bullet} Tours of this historic house, which belonged to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, at 10 and 11:30 a.m., 1 and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and on the hour 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Sunday tour times are noon, 1, 2, 3 p.m. Reservations suggested for individuals, required for groups. Admission is $3-$6.

USDA Forest Service Information Center

14th Street and Independence Avenue NW. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 703/205-1680.

{bullet} Rustic lodge hosts videos and hands-on displays. On permanent display.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW (near 15th Street and Independence Avenue SW). 202/488-0400. 10 a.m.-5:20 p.m. daily except Yom Kippur and Christmas. Metro: Smithsonian. Certain attractions, such as “Daniel’s Story: Remember the Children,” do not require special passes. Entrance to the museum’s permanent exhibition is by timed entry passes, available at the museum (free) or through ProTix ($4.50 service charge), 800/400-9373.

{bullet} “Give Me Your Children”: Voices From the Lodz Ghetto.” Through Sept. 3.

Walters Art Museum

600 North Charles St., Baltimore. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, Open till 8 p.m. on Fridays. Free. 410/547-9000.

{bullet} “Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt.” Through Aug. 26.

{bullet} “Linda Day Clark: The Gee’s Bend Photographs.” Through Sept. 2.

{bullet} “Ottoman Embroideries and Other Ornament.” Through Sept. 9.

{bullet} “Daily Magic in Ancient Egypt.” Through Nov. 18.

Woman’s National Democratic Club

At the Historic Whittemore House. 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday. 202/232-7363.

{bullet} Antique furnishings and presidential memorabilia, including rotating art exhibits. Call for tours.

Women in Military Service for America Memorial

Memorial Drive, Arlington. 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Metro: Arlington Cemetery. 703/892-2606.

{bullet} “In Defense of a Nation” film runs every 10 minutes.

{bullet} Permanent exhibits featuring artifacts and memorabilia of women’s military service from the American Revolution to the present. Runs indefinitely.

Alexandria Archaeology Museum

105 North Union St., Suite 327, Alexandria. 703/838-4399.

{bullet} “Freedmen’s Cemetery” presentation. 6:45 p.m. July 12. Free; reservations required.

Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture

1901 Fort Place SE. Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 202/633-4820.

{bullet} “Voices and Visions of Tha Bloc: An Exhibition by Ellis L. Marsalis III.” Through Aug. 12.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

1050 Independence Ave. SW. Open daily 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. 202/357-2700.

{bullet} “Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries.” Through Sept. 16.

{bullet} “Parades: Freer Ceramics Installed by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott.” Through Nov. 4.

Baltimore Museum of Art

Art Museum Drive off the 3100 block of North Charles Street, Baltimore. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Closed Monday, Tuesday. Admission is free, except for ticketed exhibits. 410/396-7100.

{bullet} “Front Room: Ripple Effect.” Through Sept. 2.

{bullet} “Nuno: Japanese Tradition/Innovation in Cloth.” Through Oct. 7.

The Bead Museum

400 Seventh St. NW. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday. 202/624-4500.

{bullet} “Bead Timeline of History.” Permanent exhibition.

Corcoran Gallery of Art

17th Street and New York Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $10-$14. Metro: Farragut West. 202/639-1700.

{bullet} “Masterpieces: European Art from the Collection.” Ongoing exhibition.

{bullet} “Modernism: Designing A New World 1914-1939.” Through July 29.

{bullet} “Wolfgang Tillmans.” Through Aug. 12.

{bullet} “Black Box: Takeshi Murata.” Through Sept. 9.

Decatur House

748 Jackson Place NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. Admission is donation only. 202/842-0920.

{bullet} “Gifts from the World to the White House: Caroline Kennedy”s Doll Collection (1961-1963).” Through Jan. 14.

{bullet} Tours of the 1819 house, which once belonged to naval war hero Commodore Stephen Decatur.

Department of the Interior Museum

1849 C St. NW. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday except holidays, 1-4 p.m. the third Saturday of each month. 202/208-4743.

{bullet} American Indian Sculpture Garden. On permanent display.

Drug Enforcement Administration Museum

700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. 202/307-3463.

{bullet} “Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History.” On permanent display.

Dumbarton House

2715 Q St. NW. Headquarters of the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Guided tours 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday except holidays. 202/337-2288.

{bullet} American furniture and decorative and fine arts of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Fells Point Maritime Museum

1724 Thames St., Baltimore. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Monday. $4, $3 for students, children and seniors; free for children 12 and younger. 410/732-0278.

Folger Shakespeare Library

201 East Capitol St. SE. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 202/544-4600.

{bullet} “Shakespeare in American Life.” Through Aug. 17.

Frederick Douglass Historic Site

1411 W St. SE. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except holidays. 202/426-5961.

{bullet} Historic home is closed for tours, but the visitors center remains open.

Freer Gallery of Art

Jefferson Drive and 12th Street SW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. Closed Christmas. Metro: Smithsonian. 202/357-2700.

{bullet} “Tea Bowls in Bloom: Botanical Decorations on Tea Ceremony Ceramics.” Through July 15.

Hillwood Museum and Gardens

4155 Linnean Ave. NW. By reservation 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Reservation fee of $5-$12. 202/686-5807.

{bullet} Revitalized estate of visionary collector, philanthropist and businesswoman Marjorie Merriweather Post, reopened after a three-year renovation. Most comprehensive collections of 18th- and 19th-century Russian imperial art outside Russia and of 18th-century French decorative arts.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Metro: L’Enfant Plaza. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. Closed holidays. Free walk-in tours noon Monday-Friday, noon-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 202/633-1000.

{bullet} First Friday Talks. 12:30 p.m. Meet at the information desk.

International Spy Museum

800 F St. NW. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. $13-$16. Tickets available through Ticketmaster. 202/393-7798.

{bullet} Museum dedicated to espionage.

Koshland Science Museum

Sixth and E streets NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Tuesdays. Closed Tuesday and holidays. Metro: Gallery Place-Chinatown or Judiciary Square. 202/334-1201. $3-$5.

{bullet} “Putting DNA to Work.” On permanent display.

{bullet} River expedition on the Potomac and Anacostia with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Study the impact of development and non-native oysters on the Bay. 5:30-7:30 p.m. July 18. $10 for ages 13 and up. Leave from Gangplank Marina, 600 Water St. SW. Advance tickets required; call 202/334-1201 or e-mail ksm@nas.edu.

Kreeger Museum

2401 Foxhall Road NW. Guided tours 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Open to public 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday except holidays. $5 suggested donation. Reservations required. 202/338-3552.

{bullet} “Gene Davis: Interval.” Through July 31.

{bullet} Permanent collection of 19th- and 20th-century paintings and sculptures.

Library of Congress

First Street and Independence Avenue SE. 202/707-4604. Madison Gallery, Madison Foyer and Current Events Corridor, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday. Thomas Jefferson Building exhibition area, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Other exhibition areas, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sunday and holidays. Metro: Capitol South.

{bullet} Public tours. 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Group tours available on request.

Lyceum

201 S. Washington St., Alexandria. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. 703/838-4994.

{bullet} “Building a Community: Alexandria Past to Present.” On permanent display.