| MUSEUMS:
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is home to the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics as well as research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight. The Museum has two display facilities. The National Mall Building in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the "Spirit of St. Louis", the Apollo 11 command module, and offers visitors a chance to touch a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays most of the aircraft and spacecraft previously not displayed and kept in storage. It is planned that the Center will also become the Museum's primary artifact restoration facility.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library specializes in American art, history, and biography. The library is open to the public at 750 Ninth Street N.W., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library is closed to the public until its grand reopening on July 4, 2006. A major renovation of the museum's historic building and main exhibition space is taking place in the facility in downtown Washington, D.C. For information, call (202) 275-1912. In the meantime, the museum continues a full program of events and exhibitions at the Renwick Gallery. The Gallery is located at 17th Street N.W near the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Renwick is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., seven days a week (except December 25).
The National Museum of American History, maintains a collection of over 3 million artifacts that are dedicated to inspiring a broader understanding of our nation and the origins of our citizens. Inspiring exhibitions of creations like Jim Henson's 1955 Kermit the Frog puppet to the AbioCor Total Artificial Heart, the first electro-hydraulic heart implanted in a human, give insights to the Museum's goals to create learning opportunities, stimulate imaginations, and present challenging ideas about our country's past. The National Museum of American History today works to ensure that its collections, exhibitions, research, publications, and educational programs all support the Museum's basic mission which is "to inspire a broader understanding of our nation and its many peoples" as well as "to make exhibitions and programs as accessible as possible to all visitors".
The National Museum of the American Indian, of Washington, D.C., is located on the National Mall between the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum and the U.S. Capitol Building. The museum is home to both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Our Universes, Our Peoples, and Our Lives, represent important ideas and experiences in Native life and history and are the permanent exhibitions.
The National Museum of African Art, is located on the National Mall at 950 Independence Avenue, SW, in Washington, D.C. The museum is open every day except December 25, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and admission is free. The museums mission is to advance the appreciation and understanding of Africa's diverse cultures and visual arts. The museum's Warren M. Robbins Library of African art houses a collection of more than 30,000 books and 400 periodicals on African art, history, and culture.
The Anacostia Museum & Center for African American History and Culture, is the Smithsonian's museum of African American history and culture. The Museum explores American history from an African American perspective. The museum is located at 1901 Fort Place SE, Washington, DC.
The Freer Gallery of Art / Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, houses the Smithsonian's Asian collection of art from China, Japan, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Korea and the Near East. The exhibit includes a wide collection including Chinese paintings, Korean ceramics, Buddhist sculpture and much more. The Freer Gallery of Art is located at Jefferson Drive at 12th Street, SW. The Sackler Gallery is located at 1050 Independence Avenue, SW. The two museums are connected by an underground exhibition space.
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, was conceived as the nation's museum of modern and contemporary art. Works of art from notable artists of the twentieth century from Picasso and Giacometti to de Kooning and Warhol are all represented at the Hirshhorn. The Museum and Sculpture Garden has focused its collection on the post-World War II period, with particular emphasis on art created during the last 30 years. Through the generosity of Joseph H. Hirshhorn and other benefactors, the museum continues to acquire works of art allowing the museum to have a fine-tuned collection as well as advance into new realms of art. The Hirshhorn Museum is located on the National Mall in downtown Washington, DC, at the corner of Seventh Street SW and Independence Avenue. It is the round building next to the Smithsonian's red brick Arts and Industries building.
The National Museum of Natural History, is dedicated to understanding the world and our place in it. The museum is home to fossils as well as to electron microscopes. This renowned research facility and museum is home to over 126 million specimens and artifacts and sees more than 5 million visitors annually. The Discovery Center features an IMAX theater and the Smithsonian Jazz Café. The museum is also home to The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Library, one of 20 libraries within the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. The Library consists of the main location and 15 specialized collections throughout the National Museum of Natural History building.
The National Zoo, is a 163 acre park in the middle of Washington, DC. It is home to 2,700 individual animals of 435 different species and like most of the Smithsonian Institutes facilities, the Zoo is open 364 days a year. The Zoo offers the whole family an educational fun experience seeing and learning about the wide variety of inhabitants. From the tiny Amazon Poison Dart Frog to the Asian Elephants the worlds creatures are in Washington, DC. The National Zoo is located at 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There are several ways to get to the Zoo, including taking public transportation and driving.
The museums charge no admission fees and are open every day except December 25 (Christmas Day). Visit the Smithsonian website for information about current exhibits.
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