Exhibition Tours
Docent-led tours of the Museum's ground-breaking exhibitions
Exhibition tours require general admission. For groups of 10 or more, please see Custom Tours for more information. All tours are subject to docent availability.
Washington: Symbol and City
First-time visitor to Washington, D.C.? Long-time resident? However familiar you are with Washington, D.C., you can discover it in a whole new way in this ground-breaking exhibition that explores the city created by the government for the government. Over the course of two centuries, the nation's capital has grown to fulfill many of their hopes. Today, the revered Capitol and White House, the stately offices of the government, the iconic monuments and museums, and the sweep of the Mall and the city's many public parks all evoke the ideals of democracy in the 21st century. Washington: Symbol and City explores how residents experience the city and how Washington itself expresses the tension between the demands of a working seat of government and the desire for a national symbol, and the hopes and needs of an evolving city.
Tours offered Thursday - Sunday at 2:30 pm.
Unbuilt Washington
As a global symbol of democracy and a center of political power, Washington, D.C. has inspired a large number of notable architectural proposals, many of which were never realized. The Museum’s newest exhibition, Unbuilt Washington, explores how the city might be different today if some of these projects had been built and addresses the reasons—whether political, economic, cultural, or technical—that they were not executed. Enjoy a docent-led tour of remarkable and rarely-exhibited original drawings, full-size reproductions, computer renderings, and models for architectural and urban design projects in Washington, D.C. from the 1790s to the present.
Tours last 1 hour, offered Tuesday and Thursday at 3:15 pm, Saturday at 10:45 am and 3:15 pm, Sunday at 11:45 am and 3:15 pm.
All tours are subject to docent availability. Please call 202.272.2448 to make sure a docent is available for a scheduled tour.
