Attractions

The world’s largest museum complex is comprised of a myriad of museums and exhibits including: Air and Space, Natural History, American History, American Indian History, Art and Sculpture gardens and much more.

As America's National Park for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap plays a valuable leadership role in both the local and national performing arts communities. Through a wide range of artistic and education programs, Wolf Trap enhances our nation's cultural life and ensures that the arts remain accessible and affordable to the broadest possible audience. A typical season at Wolf Trap includes something for everyone with performances ranging from pop, country, folk and blues to orchestra, dance, theater and opera, as well as innovative performance art and multimedia presentations. The Filene Center season usually runs from the end of May to the beginning of September with an average of 90 performances each year. From October to early May, Wolf Trap's 382-seat indoor venue, The Barns at Wolf Trap, continues to present a diverse line-up of artists in a casual and more intimate atmosphere. The Barns are also summer home to the Wolf Trap Opera Company. In addition to year-round performances, Wolf Trap offers a variety of education programs both locally and nationwide. Its primary education program, the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, places professional performing artists in preschool classrooms nationwide. In classroom residencies, these artists use drama, music and movement to teach basic skills and encourage active participation and self-esteem in the earliest stages of learning. Wolf Trap Institute Artists also conduct workshops and presentations throughout the country to demonstrate to teachers and parents how the arts can bring new life to learning and literature.

The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of Congress, accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. During the 1920s, Mr. Mellon began collecting with the intention of forming a gallery of art for the nation in Washington. In 1937, the year of his death, he promised his collection to the United States. Funds for the construction of the West Building were provided by The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust. On March 17, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the completed building and the collections on behalf of the people of the United States of America.

The National Gallery of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 100,000 art objects from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

The Kennedy Center, located on the banks of the Potomac River near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., opened to the public in September 1971. But its roots date back to 1958, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center. To honor Eisenhower's vision for such a facility, one of the Kennedy Center's theaters is named for him.

The National Cultural Center Act included four basic components: it authorized the Center's construction, spelled out an artistic mandate to present a wide variety of both classical and contemporary performances, specified an educational mission for the Center, and stated that the Center was to be an independent facility, self-sustaining and privately funded. As a result of this last stipulation, a mammoth fundraising campaign began immediately following the Act's passage into law.

President John F. Kennedy was a lifelong supporter and advocate of the arts, and frequently steered the public discourse toward what he called "our contribution to the human spirit." Kennedy took the lead in raising funds for the new National Cultural Center, holding special White House luncheons and receptions, appointing his wife Jacqueline and Mrs. Eisenhower as honorary co-chairwomen, and in other ways placing the prestige of his office firmly behind the endeavor.

America's national cultural center hosts the National Symphony Orchestra, ballets, and musicals.

The Warner's special place in the history of Washington began in the 1920s when dozens of grand theaters and moviehouses lit up downtown. Built first for vaudeville and silent movies, the Theatre was opened as the Earle Theatre in 1924. It was complemented by a rooftop garden that attracted thousands of visitors per night. The basement was also famous, first as a restaurant and ballroom, and in the 1930s as the Neptune Room. The Earle featured its own precision dance troupe-much like the still-famous Rockettes-called the Roxyettes. They kept the traditions of vaudeville alive at the Earle until 1945, performing before and after feature films and with guest performers such as Red Skelton and Jerry Lewis.

Today, the theatre is renowned for national and international recording artists and the finest in theatrical, dance, and television presentations.

In the words of its founder, the Corcoran is “dedicated to art.” Its museum presents, interprets and preserves the art of our times and of times past; its college of art nurtures and helps shape new generations of artists and designers. Education is a central focus, not just in the Corcoran’s classrooms but in its galleries and throughout the greater Washington region. Though American art is the collection’s emphasis, the art of other nations and cultures is, when appropriate, acquired and exhibited.

Since debuting in December of 1997, the state-of-the-art $200 million sports and entertainment facility has entertained over 21 million patrons with over 1,735 world class sporting events, concerts and family shows.  Verizon Center, managed by Washington Sports & Entertainment, LP, is home to the NBA's Washington Wizards, the WNBA's Washington Mystics, the NHL's Washington Capitals, and the Georgetown Hoyas Men's Basketball team.

Located in the heart of Chinatown off of the Gallery-Place Chinatown Metro stop, Verizon Center is only a few steps away from the White House and hosts more than 220 events and concerts each year.   Concerts and family shows have included U2, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Prince, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Disney on Ice, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

The International Spy Museum is the first and only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to espionage and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on espionage. It features the largest collection of international spy-related artifacts ever placed on public display. The stories of individual spies, told through film, and interactive, state-of-the-art exhibits, provide a dynamic context to foster an understanding of espionage and its impact on current and historic events.

The National Theatre -- "The Theatre of Presidents" -- has operated at the same location three blocks from The White House since 1835.  A historic landmark, this playhouse stages Broadway shows, musicals and local entertainment.

The National Air and Space Museum-Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (named for its benefactor) displays thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.  Together, these two facilities house the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world. Glimpse the Apollo 11 Command Module, “Columbia”. View the Enola Gay up close. The Udvar-Hazy Center is located at Dulles International Airport, just a short ride from the hotel.

Since it reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the April 14, 1865, assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Ford’s Theatre has been one of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital.  Ford’s Theatre has enthralled visitors because of its unique place in United States history, and its mission to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the American experience through theatre and education.

Ford’s Theatre Society works with the National Park Service in a rare and successful public-private partnership to present the Theatre’s nearly one million visitors each year with a high quality historic and cultural experience.  Together, both organizations work to enhance the vibrancy of this historic site, an important tool for promoting the ideals of leadership, humanity and wisdom espoused by Abraham Lincoln.