Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
By Alexsandralyn on
No visit to Washington, D.C. would be complete without a visit to one or more of the Smithsonian National Museums. The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum complex, and there's no way a person can see all of the Smithsonian museums in a day. But my favorite Smithsonian museums are the Air and Space museum, the Museum of Natural History, and the National Zoo.
When I took my mother down to D.C. with me last fall, I was trying to think of something she would like to see at the Smithsonian, and I knew she would love seeing the Hope Diamond. So we planned a Saturday afternoon trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of National History. It's easiest to get to the Smithsonian museums by train or metro, but we drove that day and we did manage to find a parking space that was close to the National Mall. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History is huge. The museum has dinosaur bone displays and whale displays, and on the second floor, you can look over the balcony to see some of the biggest displays from above. The Hope Diamond is located on the second floor in the hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals. But my favorite display there was definitely the whale in the Sant Ocean Hall. Totally cool.
I went to these same museums when I visited. And you just have no clue on how large these places are and that two weeks would probably give you ample time to walk through them all. Otherwise, you're sprinting through just to make the 5pm close time. I do hope to return one day.