Kids picks: The 5 best Washington D.C. museums

Hi, I’m Sylvia, age 11. Here’s my list of my top 5 favourite Washington D.C. museums.

The National Museum of American History has exhibits from the 1800’s to modern times. Most of the museum is more historical like George Washington’s uniform and the Star-Spangled Banner (the name for the U.S. flag), while others are more relatable to kids, like Dorothy’s red slippers or the first Barbie doll. The museum has a collection of over three million historical items.  With 300,000 square feet of museum, you’re bound to find tons of interesting things.

The National Air and Space Museum will lift you off your feet with all the famous planes and spacecraft when you enter the door. The museum has exhibits from early aviation to military planes to human spaceflight. Walking through, you’ll find yourself taking a trip through history with all of the exhibits from the past. Along with all of the museums exhibits, you’ll also find plenty of hands-on-activities for children. So buckle up and get ready to blast off into over 6,000 historical air and space objects.

With art from the Stone Age to the cutting edge, the National Gallery will amaze you. The National Gallery of Art has been preserving artwork for 75 years and has one of the most significant collections of European and American masterpieces. But the East Wing was my favorite part and it has its own, separate modern building across the street. It is filled with more colorful, fun art. The inside was open and all white and just sort of cooler than the older, original building.

The National Museum of Natural History has many hands-on exhibits. From animals to diseases the museum claims to have the largest, most comprehensive natural history collection in the world. The museum has permanent and temporary exhibits, each one with its own wonderful history. With an entire hall filled with various animal and human bones and skeletons, the world’s largest diamond, and an Insect Zoo, you’re bound to have a great time.

The Hirshhorn Museum only has two ongoing exhibits and everything else is temporary.  The visiting exhibits may be 3D art, a video, or some wild new sculpture. The only ongoing exhibits are Belief + Doubt by Barbara Kruger and the Sculpture Garden. The sculpture garden is just that – an outside garden filled with cool and interesting sculptures. Before visiting the Museum, check their website to see what exhibit will be going on.