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Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
DC | Living Earth Festival: "Always Becoming"
One-Time Events
Celebrate the transformational power of clay and the evolution of the museum’s iconic outdoor sculpture installation Always Becoming (2007) by Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]). Join the museum for a weekend of stories, artist demonstrations, hands-on activities, performances, and more centered on the relationship between art and the earth. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the museum will host programs reflecting on the ever-evolving nature of the country, communities, and future we share through the unique lens of Always Becoming. The site-specific sculptures by Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]) on the southern exposure of our Washington, DC museum were constructed using Native building techniques. Made entirely of natural materials, including clay, straw, sand, soil, and wood, the sculptures were designed to reveal their inner structure over time. Their transitory nature reflects the relationship between…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Multiple locations, Outdoors. Cost: FREE. Categories: Celebrations. Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Performances.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
American Bison Cart Chat
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join educators in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals to discover more about the Nation's Mammal - the American Bison. Learn how these fascinating animals alter their ecosystem in ways that benefit other animals and their habitat, as well as their importance to humans.
Image by Jean Beaufort, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83971372 .
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: First floor, Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Meet at B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Curator Tours - Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees
One-Time Events
Join the National Portrait Gallery for gallery talks and tours with our wonderful curators! Experience current and newly opened exhibitions as well as our permanent collection. This tour will focus on "Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees," featuring the 2025 Portrait of a Nation Awardees.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curator-tours-tickets-1984500920675?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, April 26, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Garden Play: Shapes
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens for hands-on activities, story time, and a garden walk exploring this month’s topic, shapes!
Location
Find us on the East Terrace of the Enid A. Haupt Garden, near the Spencer Fullerton Baird statue by the Arts and Industries Building, southeast of the Smithsonian Castle.
About Garden Play, Garden Play is a drop-in program designed for children ages 2 and up and their caregivers. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but children of all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Please come prepared for an outdoor experience. Wildlife and insects, including bees and mosquitoes, are a part of our gardens. Participants are encouraged to bring water and sun protection and are welcome to bring their own blankets for story time.
Activities may be subject to cancellation or modification due to weather conditions. (A little rain won’t keep us away, but we will cancel in the case of a heavy downpour or thunderstorm!) Please check the…
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: East Terrace of the Enid A. Haupt Garden. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Transportation Week: Trains
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.
Explore how railroads transformed American life with spotlight tours, hands-on docent carts, and a special Meet the Expert conversation in America on the Move. Discover how trains connect communities and power a growing nation.
Activities: 10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) , 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert (America on the Move) .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: America on the Move. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Virtual Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join educators from the National Postal Museum for live, interactive story time. Designed for children ages 4-7, but all are welcome!
Mondays at 11:00 (ET) National Postal Museum educators will read stories aloud and lead related activities in a Zoom meeting for children and their caregivers. Explore a range of postal-related topics and more! Sessions will be interactive and last approximately 45-60 minutes. Caregivers are expected to be present with children for the duration of the program.
Event Location: Online Only. Online Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-time-with-the-national-postal-museum-registration-141338917507. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-time-with-the-national-postal-museum-registration-141338917507. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Spotlights: Freedom Now! The Modern Civil Rights Movement (1945-1968)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Our 25-minute spotlight tours provide an engaging introduction to a key topic in the Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibition.
About this program: After World War II, a generation of African Americans saw less and less reason to endure attacks on their civil rights. Learn how African Americans survived the challenges set before and explore how the nation emerged more in sync with its pronouncements about freedom, equality, and democracy.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the entrance to Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibition, located on C2. Each 25 min talk takes place at 12:45 PM and 2:45 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876-1968.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 12:45 PM – 3:10 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The Age of World's Fairs: St. Louis, California, and Paris on the Global Stage
Resident Associate Program
World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. In a 3-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into the pivotal exhibitions held in St. Louis in 1904, San Francisco and San Diego in 1915, and Paris in 1925, examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session focuses on the Paris 1925 World's Fair.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265754?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265754?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Babies)
NZP Kids and Families
Come celebrate the public debut of our baby elephant, Linh Mai!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we learn about how animals change as they grow and the different ways animals care for their young. Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265063?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Transportation Week: Automobiles
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.
From early cars to lowriders, explore how the automobile reshaped American life through spotlight tours, hands-on docent carts, and curator conversations in America on the Move and the Low Rider exhibition.
Activities: 10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) , 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (America on the Move) , 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture) .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture, 3 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: America on the Move, Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Playful Pets
One-Time Events
This Tuesday is all about some of our favorite animals...our pets! Together, families will make observations of animals in our collection that are sometimes pets, learn about ways we take care of our pets, and create their own take-home artwork highlighting their pet or favorite animal! Feel free to bring a photo of your pet for your artwork if you would like or to show and share. We love to hear all about animals special to you.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (0-5) and their caregivers and families.
Location: This program is held in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals exhibit on the 1st floor of the museum. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy other areas of the museum and try again later in the program.
Accessibility: Access…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
Coral Reef Tank Talk
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Swim by the Sant Ocean Hall to meet some of the coral reef species that call the Smithsonian NMNH home! Hosted by an Ocean Educator, this interactive cart experience will walk you through the world of saltwater fish, coral colonies, and invertebrates galore!
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time: Sally’s Great Balloon Adventure by Stephen Huneck
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Sally the dog, accidentally takes off in a hot air balloon after being lured by the smell of fried chicken. What would you take with you on a hot air balloon ride
After the story we will make hot air balloons and use our imaginations to visit amazing places.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265064?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Gong Xian (ca. 1610–1689); Winter Landscape; China, mid- to late 17th century; album leaf; ink on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1961.11.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Jazz Afternoons
One-Time Events
The National Museum of American History is home to jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Duke Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Ella Fitzgerald’s dresses, Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme manuscript and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. Each year during Jazz Appreciation Month, visitors to the museum on Tuesday afternoons can engage with museum curators and see a small number of jazz treasures brought out of storage that represent the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. During these Objects-Out-of-Storage events, musicians from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will host pop-up jam sessions, as well as interact with and educate visitors about their instruments and artistry. .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 3 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Lectures & Discussions. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Storytime Studio: All About Amphibians
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Hop on over to prepare for Amphibian Week with a guest educator from the National Museum of Natural History. We’ll learn how these cold-blooded vertebrates typically live between water and land and admire their aquatic habitats with a visit to artist Lesley Vance’s painting Untitled (2021). Then we’ll create our own artworks using water.
Want more of our cold-blooded friends? Head over to the National Museum of Natural History on Saturday, May 2, from 10 AM to 12:30 PM for the Amphibian Week Kickoff Celebration and find more ways to celebrate throughout the first week of May.
Featured book: One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Catch the Sun.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265065?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Transportation Week: Bicycles
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.
Celebrate the bicycle as a tool for freedom, recreation, and expression with tours, performances, and conversations throughout the day.
Activities: 10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) , 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.: Wheelwoman performance (1 West) , 1:00–3:00 p.m.: Educator Spotlight on lowrider bicycles (Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture) , 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (America on the Move) , Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab).
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West; Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture, 3 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Performances. Related Exhibition: America on the Move, Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
Story Time with DC Public Library
One-Time Events
Join us for Story Time in collaboration with the DC Public Library! Children and their grown-ups can enjoy story time as an interactive way to exercise with language and literacy skills. Story Time is designed for learners ages 5 and under, but all are welcome!
For questions about this event, please email us at: HistoryTeachers@si.edu.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265066?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Welcome to a Native Place
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Potomac Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Consider This: Labor, Farmworker, Organizing, and Histories of Indigenous Communities in Oregon
“By the People” Events
7–8:30 p.m. PT
Oregon Humanities will present an onstage conversation with Joaquín Lara Midkiff, Reyna López, and Ramón Ramírez. This program will explore how the mid-Willamette has been home to powerful farmworker and solidarity movements that transformed the lives of migrant laborers and reshaped Oregon’s political and economic landscape.
See the whole Consider This event series.
Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Categories: Narrative Session. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9uJlkApFwk. Cost: Free, but registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.tfaforms.com/5208220. Event Location: Mt. Angel, Oregon.
Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Mt. Angel Theater Studio
Mt. Angel, OR.
For more info visit oregonhumanities.org. Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Babies)
NZP Kids and Families
Come celebrate the public debut of our baby elephant, Linh Mai!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we learn about how animals change as they grow and the different ways animals care for their young. Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265067?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Transportation Week: Route 66
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with spotlight tours and expert talks focused on the museum’s actual section of historic Route 66 on view in America on the Move.
Activities: 10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) , 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (America on the Move) , Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab).
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: America on the Move. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time: Sally’s Great Balloon Adventure by Stephen Huneck
Ongoing Activities
Sally the dog, accidentally takes off in a hot air balloon after being lured by the smell of fried chicken in this story by Stephen Huneck. What would you take with you on a hot air balloon ride?
After the story we will make hot air balloons and use our imaginations to visit amazing places.
Takes place each at the National Air and Space Museum in DC each Thursday at 11 am.
No event reservations, but remember to get your free timed-entry pass to the Museum.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: At the National Air and Space Museum in DC. Ask at the Welcome Center for that day's exact location. Cost: This is a free drop-in story time. You will need free timed-entry passes to enter the Museum. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Flights of Fancy Story Time: Sally’s Great Balloon Adventure by Stephen Huneck
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Sally the dog, accidentally takes off in a hot air balloon after being lured by the smell of fried chicken. What would you take with you on a hot air balloon ride
After the story we will make hot air balloons and use our imaginations to visit amazing places.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265068?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Meet at B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Meet the Expert
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Meet a museum expert!
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Entertainment Nation, 3 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Demonstrations. Related Exhibition: Entertainment Nation. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Reading Rhythms
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and Reading Rhythms for a reading party designed to make it easy for people to gather and read socially. We invite folks to bring any book they want while we facilitate silent reading periods, one-on-one breakouts, and group discussions about the art that everyone is engaging with. This adult program unites a community of readers to learn together and experience art with curated music.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Great Hall. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/portrait-gallery-reading-rhythms-tickets-1976590104210?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: After Five.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Wine & Design
One-Time Events
Say goodbye to Earth month with one last upcycle! Bring an object that you would like to decoupage with stamps or grab a coaster or bookmark from us. Join the National Postal Museum for a happy hour combined with crafting fun! Light snacks, crafting materials, drinks, and gallery exploration are included in the price of the ticket.
Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID at the door. Please note space is limited and registration is required.
EVENT SOLD OUT!
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Historic Lobby. Cost: $25. Get Tickets/Register: https://npmprograms.ticketspice.com/wine-design-april. Categories: After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM.
An Evening With Elizabeth Hargrave: Sanibel Board Game Night
One-Time Events
From the maker of the viral board game Wingspan comes Sanibel, a cozy meditative game inspired by summer days on the beach hunting for shells. Join us for an after-hours event at the National Museum of Natural History celebrating our upcoming exhibit From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage opening June 2026. We’ll feature a conversation with NMNH experts and game designer Elizabeth Hargrave, access to Sant Ocean Hall, and a chance to play the new game. NMNH paleobiologist Stewart Edie will moderate a discussion between Hargrave and NMNH research zoologist Chris Meyer about place-based affinity for nature, the art and science of collecting, and the biodiversity of marine ecosystems along America’s coastlines. After the conversation, stick around to enjoy exclusive after-hours access to Sant Ocean Hall and play Sanibel – beginners and enthusiasts welcome. Hargrave will give a quick explanation of the game and local game shop Labyrinth Games will help with set up and instruction. Copies of…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/48083031/an-evening-with-elizabeth-hargravesanibel-board-game-night-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Shopping/Book Signing. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Oscar Peterson Donation Ceremony
One-Time Events
Objects representing jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson (1925–2007) will be presented to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
With his technical virtuosity, Peterson redefined the possibilities of the jazz piano. Anointed “the Maharaja of the Keyboard” by Duke Ellington himself, Peterson not only expanded the instrument’s expressive range, but also recalibrated the very language of contemporary jazz. An eight-time grammy award winner, Peterson’s contributions to the jazz world are immense.
The musical excellence that Peterson brought to every performance will be honored with a tribute performance by the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet, who toured internationally in 2025 to celebrate Peterson’s life and career. The performance will feature works from Peterson’s near seven-decade career, with musicians Ulf Wakenius on guitar, Mark McLean on drums, Brandi Disterheft on bass, and Robert “Robi” Botos on piano.
Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Seating will be o…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. After Five. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
CANCELLED - Traversées – Constantinople and Ablaye Cissoko
Performances
This event is cancelled and will be rescheduled for a future season.
Join ensemble Constantinople and griot Ablaye Cissoko for an evening of musical storytelling that blends traditions from Iran, Senegal, and beyond. The kora and setar, traditional string instruments from two different cultures, meet with vocals, double bass, and percussion. In this collaboration, these traditions merge as though they had always existed side by side. Constantinople and Cissoko’s music has been heard over one hundred times in various festivals and halls around the world.
About Constantinople
Constantinople aims to anchor music in the heart of our community and encourage cross-cultural exchange among artists from around the world. Since its founding, the ensemble has promoted the creation of works that incorporate diverse musical traditions, drawing a range from medieval manuscripts to contemporary aesthetics, from Mediterranean Europe to Eastern traditions and New World Baroque.
About Ablaye Cissoko
Kimintang Mahamadou…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Categories: Performances. After Five. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265069?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Transportation Week: Trucks
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.
Explore how trucks transformed American life with spotlight tours and hands-on docent carts in America on the Move.
Activities: 10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move)
Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab) .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: America on the Move. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Mother Earth and Me
Resident Associate Program
Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265070?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Katsushika Hokusai / National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.269.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/ymJH4SNfSjKwSlHROFxfyw. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/ymJH4SNfSjKwSlHROFxfyw. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, May 1, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Artful Movement | SEL Webinar for Students K–3
Kids and Family
Get ready to observe, chat, and move with art! In these webinars, students (grades K–3) will look carefully at a work of art through facilitated exploration. Then, they will breathe, stretch, and flow through a guided mindful movement. This month’s theme is “Sunny Day.”
These sessions are perfect for families, homeschool groups, virtual schools, and teachers who may want to review a recording with their students after the live session. Everyone who registers gets a link to the recording. Each session includes American Sign Language interpretation. Sessions take place on Fridays from 1 to 1:30 p.m. We present these webinars in partnership with Create Calm. Okamoto Shuki 岡本秋暉 (1807–1862); Auspicious Symbols: Crane, Rising Sun and Peach; Japan, ca. 1850; ink and color with gilt on silk; ivory jiku; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1998.297.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dkTr4Q9_ScCHGPIRYC_7iw. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Meet at B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Spotlight Talk: Vishnu's Cosmic Ocean
Gallery Talks & Tours
Catch a twenty-minute gallery talk about the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia in Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean. At nearly twenty feet, this newly conserved sculpture depicts Vishnu dreaming the universe into existence. Delve into its original context in ancient Angkor and the present-day Cambodian community. Composite image: (top) Vishnu Reclining on the Serpent Ananta (Endless One); Cambodia, Siem Reap province, second half of 11th century; bronze, mercury gilding; National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh; Photograph by Mario Ciampi, ©️ Guicciardini & Magni Architetti / (bottom) Still from the short film Awkun; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Film by praCh Ly.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22c. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:20 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Celebrate Amphibian Week)
NZP Kids and Families
Come learn all about amphibians with us!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we explore different amphibians and what makes amphibians so special. Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand
One-Time Events
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located East of the River in Ward 8.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand takes place on the outdoor plaza of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20020) every Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) from April 18 - November 21, 2026.*
You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand is generously supported by The Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.
*Weather permitting. Be sure to follow the Anacostia Community Museum for updated information.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Plaza. Cost: Free to Attend. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1985418954539?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Shopping/Book Signing.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Healthy Eating in Any Garden
One-Time Events
Discover how beautiful spaces can also nourish your body! Join us for an inspiring workshop where we explore how vegetables and herbs can transform any garden into a vibrant, edible landscape. Learn how to blend ornamental design with food production to create a space that’s as stunning as it is sustainable. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting started, you’ll leave with practical ideas for growing fresh, healthy food right where you are.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Community Garden. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-healthy-eating-in-any-garden-tickets-1984610890598?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Open Studio: What’s Your Story?
One time events
Get inspired by all things Washington, DC, every Saturday in May at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll look at artworks created or inspired by our neighborhood of artists, including Sam Gilliam, Alma Thomas, architect Gordon Bunshaft, and more.
This Saturday, we’ll draw inspiration from Sound Scene, the Washington, DC, region’s premier interactive sound and multisensory arts festival. We’ll take a look at artist Laurie Anderson and her otherworldly installation Four Talks (2021). Then we’ll explore ways to tell stories by using mixed media, such as paper, paint, and images, to create our own visual narratives!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Hidden Noise Maker.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Sound Scene 2026: Distant Mirror
One time events
FREE, Sound Scene is the Washington, DC, region’s premier interactive sound and multisensory arts festival. It’s a free all-ages celebration of sonic and sensory arts featuring artists from both DC and around the world. ASL will be provided for events on May 2 and May 3. Find full festival program here. General registration is recommended. Free workshop registration below; space is limited. Tactile Sound Sculpture Workshop—Dan Ortiz Leizman, Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM, Immersive Sound Walk: Inaudible Cities: Here, Now, There, and Then—Jacek Tadeusz Smolicki, Sunday, May 3, at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM, Highlights include:
ONGOING PROJECTS, Face Value: Not Our Parents’ Mirror—Kameshia M. Hunter, Face Value: Not Our Parents’ Mirror is an immersive sound installation exploring the beauty rules that many Black and Brown women were taught to carry—and what it means to decide for yourself what you keep. Through touch, voice, and reflection, visitors move through…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Hirshhorn Museum. Cost: Free. Categories: Celebrations. Performances. Kids & Families.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
The World and Me: Amphibian Week Kickoff Celebration with USGS and Friends!
One-Time Events
Learn more about your place in the world through explorations of nature and culture.
Come celebrate Amphibian Week with a special kickoff event at The World & Me inside Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center! Join us Saturday, May 2nd, as we learn about amphibians with our friends from the US Geological Survey and more! Families with learners of all ages will be invited to explore different stations, see live amphibians, and explore play, art, and related museum collections.
This is a drop-in event. Families can drop in anytime from 10:00am - 12:30pm and stay for as long as your family would like. No registration is required. Cost: Free.
Location: Meet at the entrace of Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Q?rius is located next to the Constitution Avenue entrance.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice.…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, Ground Floor. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Transportation Week: Ships
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.
Dive into the history of ships and seafaring through spotlight tours and curator conversations in America on the Move. Explore how waterways carried people, goods, and ideas across the nation and around the world.
Activities: 10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (On The Water) , 2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (On The Water) , Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab).
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: On the Water, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: On the Water. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
DC | Look, Learn, Create: "Water's Edge" for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited.
**This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM.
Highlights Tour in Mandarin 館藏精華導覽
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join free walk-in tours in Mandarin. These one-hour, docent-led tours feature highlights from the museum’s collections, including the famous Peacock Room and select masterpieces of Chinese art. Each tour is unique, so you can learn something new every time. No registration is needed.
國立亞洲藝術博物館邀請您參加免費普通話導覽（無需預約）
在一小時的導覽中，我們的講解員將帶您聚焦博物館中的精華，包括舉世聞名的孔雀廳和精選的中國藝術品。每場導覽都是獨一無二的，讓您每次對藝術品都能有不同的了解。 Image credit: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1915.103a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building (Freer Gallery of Art) information desk 西樓（佛利爾美術館）咨詢臺. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
DC | Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3. **Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
***Schedule subject to change without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: imagiNATIONS Activity Center, Level 3. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Crochet Kingpin’s Wearable Art
One-Time Events
Join DC-Native artist, Dwayne Lawson-Brown aka “Crochet Kingpin” as he leads us in a workshop on the art of crocheting wearable art. The workshop is suited for ages 8 and up. Participants will learn the basics of crocheting and have an opportunity to practice chains, single crochet, and double crochet. Feel free to bring your crochet works in progress. Experienced crocheters will receive a pattern for lace blossoms to explore and work on.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crochet-kingpins-wearable-art-tickets-1984621032934?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. DC | Look, Learn, Create: "Water's Edge" for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited.
**This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM.
Third Act
Films
In Person: Tadashi Nakamura, director
Watch the Trailer
Generations of artists call Robert A. Nakamura “The Godfather of Asian American film,” but his son calls him Dad. As Parkinson's disease clouds Robert's memory, Tad Nakamura sets out to retrieve his father's story—and in the process discovers his own.
As the filmmaking son of a filmmaking legend, Tad uses the lessons his dad taught him to decipher his legacy. Robert was a child survivor of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans. He was a successful photographer who gave it up to tell his own story and was an activist at the dawn of a social movement. And he is a father whose struggles have won his son freedoms that eluded Japanese Americans of his generation.
The two have made films together, with Robert always by Tad’s side. Third Act is most likely the last. Description adapted from Generation Films.
This event is copresented with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
Directed by: Tadashi Nakamura. Country: United States. Released:…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1985847677862?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Meet at B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Teen Studio: Rhythmic Painting
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
This Saturday, we’ll celebrate Sound Scene, an interactive sound and multisensory arts festival with installations throughout the Hirshhorn Museum. First we’ll look closely at The Attraction of Pink (1945) by artist Janet Sobel, whose Abstract Expressionist paintings flowed to the music she listened to while working. Then we’ll head back to Art School and let our paintbrushes be guided by music.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time.
…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art School Everywhere: Play with Sound.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spotlight Talk: Vishnu's Cosmic Ocean
Gallery Talks & Tours
Catch a twenty-minute gallery talk about the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia in Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean. At nearly twenty feet, this newly conserved sculpture depicts Vishnu dreaming the universe into existence. Delve into its original context in ancient Angkor and the present-day Cambodian community. Composite image: (top) Vishnu Reclining on the Serpent Ananta (Endless One); Cambodia, Siem Reap province, second half of 11th century; bronze, mercury gilding; National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh; Photograph by Mario Ciampi, ©️ Guicciardini & Magni Architetti / (bottom) Still from the short film Awkun; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Film by praCh Ly.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22c. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:20 PM.
Sound Scene 2026: Distant Mirror
One time events
FREE, Sound Scene is the Washington, DC, region’s premier interactive sound and multisensory arts festival. It’s a free all-ages celebration of sonic and sensory arts featuring artists from both DC and around the world. ASL will be provided for events on May 2 and May 3. Find full festival program here. General registration is recommended. Free workshop registration below; space is limited. Tactile Sound Sculpture Workshop—Dan Ortiz Leizman, Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM, Immersive Sound Walk: Inaudible Cities: Here, Now, There, and Then—Jacek Tadeusz Smolicki, Sunday, May 3, at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM, Highlights include:
ONGOING PROJECTS, Face Value: Not Our Parents’ Mirror—Kameshia M. Hunter, Face Value: Not Our Parents’ Mirror is an immersive sound installation exploring the beauty rules that many Black and Brown women were taught to carry—and what it means to decide for yourself what you keep. Through touch, voice, and reflection, visitors move through…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Hirshhorn Museum. Cost: Free. Categories: Celebrations. Performances. Kids & Families.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Transportation Week: The John Bull train
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.
Close out the week with programs highlighting the historic John Bull locomotive and the engineering of American bridges. Discover how innovation in transportation continues to connect people and places.
Activities: 10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) , Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab).
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: America on the Move, John Bull Locomotive. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
SHOUT
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join our ensemble of performers as they sing, dance, and teach through storytelling. Learn about the ring shout—a powerful practice blending song and rhythmic movement created by enslaved communities in the 1700s and 1800s. They combined various religious practices of Europe and Africa, creating a cultural tradition that became iconically American. Connect their syncopated musical rhythms from the past to the present and learn how music can be a form of joyful resistance in times of oppression.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Sketch & Discover Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join docent Sushmita Mazumdar every first Sunday of the month as she guides you to use pencil and paper to consider the unique ideas and expressions of Asian artists from various traditions spanning the continent across centuries. All materials will be provided. No reservation needed.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Beyond the Studio: Punch Needle Embroidery with Tyler Sanville
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Local fiber artist Tyler Sanville of Tyler Makes Things returns to lead participants through a combination punch needle and embroidery class. Participants will create one-of-a-kind abstract fiber pieces, inspired by Tyler’s latest practice, which brings a modern twist to this traditional craft. Please note that space is limited for this program, and registration is required. Tickets available March 19. Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on April 19.
Image courtesy of the artist.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: MacMillan Education Center. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2t4TF. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
SHOUT
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join our ensemble of performers as they sing, dance, and teach through storytelling. Learn about the ring shout—a powerful practice blending song and rhythmic movement created by enslaved communities in the 1700s and 1800s. They combined various religious practices of Europe and Africa, creating a cultural tradition that became iconically American. Connect their syncopated musical rhythms from the past to the present and learn how music can be a form of joyful resistance in times of oppression.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. SHOUT
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join our ensemble of performers as they sing, dance, and teach through storytelling. Learn about the ring shout—a powerful practice blending song and rhythmic movement created by enslaved communities in the 1700s and 1800s. They combined various religious practices of Europe and Africa, creating a cultural tradition that became iconically American. Connect their syncopated musical rhythms from the past to the present and learn how music can be a form of joyful resistance in times of oppression.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Meet at B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Spotlight Talk: Vishnu's Cosmic Ocean
Gallery Talks & Tours
Catch a twenty-minute gallery talk about the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia in Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean. At nearly twenty feet, this newly conserved sculpture depicts Vishnu dreaming the universe into existence. Delve into its original context in ancient Angkor and the present-day Cambodian community. Composite image: (top) Vishnu Reclining on the Serpent Ananta (Endless One); Cambodia, Siem Reap province, second half of 11th century; bronze, mercury gilding; National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh; Photograph by Mario Ciampi, ©️ Guicciardini & Magni Architetti / (bottom) Still from the short film Awkun; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Film by praCh Ly.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22c. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:20 PM.
Stephanie Chou Performs with The Tong Man and The Curse of Quon Gwon
Films
Experience two early Asian American–focused silent films with a live score by composer, saxophonist, and singer Stephanie Chou and her band.
The Tong Man
Sessue Hayakawa, the first Asian American actor to achieve fame in Hollywood, stars in this crime drama as a hit man for a Chinatown gang. His bosses order him to kill an opium smuggler impinging on their turf. The only problem is the smuggler is the father of the woman he loves. Hayakawa was known for his energetic, macho acting style, and his performance here doesn’t disappoint.
Director: William Worthington. Country: United States. Released: 1919. Length: 58 min. Format: DCP. Silent with English intertitles.
Restored by the Academy Film Archive through a generous grant from the estate of David Shepard, from material in the Blackhawk Films / Lobster collection.
The Curse of Quon Gwon: When the Far East Mingles with the West
This romance is not only one of the earliest known Asian American films but also one of the few silent films made by a woman. In…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1985848724994?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Films. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
The Splendors of Newport: Colonial Roots to Gilded Grandeur
Resident Associate Program
Newport, Rhode Island, is one of America’s earliest colonial seaports and a cradle of both freedom and fortune. Founded in 1639, Newport flourished as a center of trade, religious tolerance, and revolutionary thought before transforming into the summer playground of America’s elite during the Gilded Age. Participants in a 5-day tour led by historian Fred Zilian discover Newport’s layered history, from its cobblestone colonial streets and harbor-front wharves to its grand seaside mansions.
Event Location: Detailed information for overnight tours is emailed approximately FOUR WEEKS. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265631?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 6:00 PM – Thursday, May 7, 2026, 3:30 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Meditation Mondays
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for an evening meditation as a practice in liberation. This session provides an opportunity for participants of any experience level to explore the museum’s themes through mindfulness meditation practice.
Future Virtual Meditation Mondays will occur on the first Monday of every month throughout 2026.
For inquires, please email NMAAHCEngage@si.edu.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free! Registration is Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/1jutcJW1Sn2P4H-dTH0ZEg. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Workshops. After Five.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Celebrate Amphibian Week)
NZP Kids and Families
Come learn all about amphibians with us!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we explore different amphibians and what makes amphibians so special. Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Amphibian Week Celebration!
One-Time Events
Help us continue the Amphibian Week celebration with this week's Play Date at NMNH.
Tuesday, May 5th is all about amphibians! Families will learn make observations of different specimens, create their own amphibian-inspired artwork, and build different amphibian homes through play.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families.
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please call (202) 633-5238 or e-mail…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
Guided Tour: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
American Latino Museum
Step into the rhythm of salsa on a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibition ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, 1st Floor East. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-tour-puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-tickets-1984186244470?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Flights of Fancy Story Time: Tuck Me In by Nathan Pyle
Ongoing Tours & Activities
The Moon is having trouble tucking everyone in in this children's book by Nathan Pyle. The Moon tries to cover the beaches with the ocean, but when one beach is covered, another is left exposed. The Moon must find a way to get the beaches to take turns so everyone can get some sleep.
After the story, we will play some games that help us learn about taking turns.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Katsushika Hokusai / National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.269.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/ymJH4SNfSjKwSlHROFxfyw. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/ymJH4SNfSjKwSlHROFxfyw. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Virtual Tour | Religious Art Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Explore artwork from the major religious traditions and philosophies that originated in Asia such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Learn about traditions and devotional practices central to each and how they’ve been practiced in different regions. In this virtual tour, you’ll examine religious imagery, devotional sculptures, and sacred ritual objects across mediums such as paintings, ceramics, and metalwork. Seated Ganesha; India, Karnataka state, Halebidu, 12th–13th century; chloritic schist; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Sackler Collection, Gift of Arthur M. Sackler, S1987.960.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nTHK5saxRYOXD-LcH6m4fw. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Webcasts & Online. Related Exhibition: The Art of Knowing in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas. Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Guided Tour: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
American Latino Museum
Step into the rhythm of salsa on a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibition ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, 1st Floor East. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-tour-puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-tickets-1984186244470?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Wellness Wednesdays
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and wellness expert Aparna Sadananda for mindfulness programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. On the first Wednesday of each month, join us for an artful meditation, where we will practice slow looking and experience portraiture through breath and slow movement. On the third Wednesday of each month, join us for a wellness program that inspires the senses and includes sound baths and musical meditation. These programs are for ages 18+ and are suitable for all skill levels. No experience is necessary.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-wellness-wednesdays-tickets-1982011714392?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Storytime Studio: Calling Future Architects
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
We’ll turn our focus inside-out and uncover the significance of the Hirshhorn’s iconic building, designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft. With help from guests from the National Building Museum, we’ll learn about the Hirshhorn’s “Brutalist donut” design and experiment with materials to build our own architectural marvels.
Interested in learning more about architecture? Head to the MLK Library this Saturday, May 9, from 11 AM to 2 PM for Build Day. Take a tour of the Enchanted City, a showcase designed by DCPS elementary students, and design your own building at an Art School pop-up.
Featured book: Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Bun(dt)shaft Cake-Off: Bake a Mini Hirshhorn!
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW for a tour of this hidden gem. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: The Enid A. Haupt Garden tour starts at the sign at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW, near the entrance to the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Once Upon a Moon
Resident Associate Program
Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265072?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
Guided Tour: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
American Latino Museum
Step into the rhythm of salsa on a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibition ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, 1st Floor East. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-tour-puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-tickets-1984186244470?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. SHOUT
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join our ensemble of performers as they sing, dance, and teach through storytelling. Learn about the ring shout—a powerful practice blending song and rhythmic movement created by enslaved communities in the 1700s and 1800s. They combined various religious practices of Europe and Africa, creating a cultural tradition that became iconically American. Connect their syncopated musical rhythms from the past to the present and learn how music can be a form of joyful resistance in times of oppression.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Once Upon a Moon
Resident Associate Program
Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265073?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
SHOUT
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join our ensemble of performers as they sing, dance, and teach through storytelling. Learn about the ring shout—a powerful practice blending song and rhythmic movement created by enslaved communities in the 1700s and 1800s. They combined various religious practices of Europe and Africa, creating a cultural tradition that became iconically American. Connect their syncopated musical rhythms from the past to the present and learn how music can be a form of joyful resistance in times of oppression.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Welcome to a Native Place
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Potomac Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Guided Tour: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
American Latino Museum
Step into the rhythm of salsa on a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibition ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, 1st Floor East. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-tour-puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-tickets-1984186244470?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. SHOUT
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join our ensemble of performers as they sing, dance, and teach through storytelling. Learn about the ring shout—a powerful practice blending song and rhythmic movement created by enslaved communities in the 1700s and 1800s. They combined various religious practices of Europe and Africa, creating a cultural tradition that became iconically American. Connect their syncopated musical rhythms from the past to the present and learn how music can be a form of joyful resistance in times of oppression.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Conservation Classroom: Discovering Amphibians
NZP Kids and Families
Discovering Amphibians This virtual school program is part of Conservation Classroom, a collection of monthly lessons for K-5 students. Each lesson has four elements: wonder (video), engage (live virtual program), act (activities), and connect (video). Follow along with all four parts or pick and choose the videos and activities you want to explore. Explore the Discovering Amphibians Resources, Grade/Learning Level: K-5
Standards: Supports NGSS
Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, systems and system models, structure and function
Program Details: Learn about amphibians, get an up-close look of some of them and chat with an amphibian expert. , Aligned with K-5 Next Generation Science Standards , Designed for all audiences, from individual students to large groups or schools , Webinar-styled; Participants’ audio and video will be off , Students can engage with hosts by using polls, Q&A, and chat. , The program will be recorded, posted on our website, and emailed to registrants. Program Accessibility: …
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free! Registration required. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Spanish-interpreted program.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Spotlight Talk: Vishnu's Cosmic Ocean
Gallery Talks & Tours
Catch a twenty-minute gallery talk about the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia in Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean. At nearly twenty feet, this newly conserved sculpture depicts Vishnu dreaming the universe into existence. Delve into its original context in ancient Angkor and the present-day Cambodian community. Composite image: (top) Vishnu Reclining on the Serpent Ananta (Endless One); Cambodia, Siem Reap province, second half of 11th century; bronze, mercury gilding; National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh; Photograph by Mario Ciampi, ©️ Guicciardini & Magni Architetti / (bottom) Still from the short film Awkun; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Film by praCh Ly.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22c. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:20 PM.
What is Africa to Me? Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join Dalila Scruggs, the Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art at SAAM, for a special evening gallery discussion. Scruggs will invite participants to look closely and share their own interpretations of modern and contemporary works on display by African American artists.
Tickets available April 6.
Image credit: Aaron Douglas, Inspiration, 1967, oil on canvas panel, 30 × 25 in. (76.2 × 63.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Steven L. Jones in memory of his father Dr. William M. Jones Sr. Chicago educator and a storyteller for the soul, and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2024.36.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the G Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Tickets available April 6. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR35zFd. Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Celebrate Amphibian Week)
NZP Kids and Families
Come learn all about amphibians with us!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we explore different amphibians and what makes amphibians so special. Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Opening Day and Celebration of "Bison: Standing Strong"
One-Time Events
The museum is opening a new exhibit that follows the rise, fall, and resilience of bison and the American grasslands. Join us on this special day to explore the exhibit, hear stories from different experts, and participate in hands-on explorations centered on this remarkable species and its connection to Indigenous knowledge, museum collections, and more.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, "Bison: Standing Strong" exhibit. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Celebrations. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Once Upon a Moon
Resident Associate Program
Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265074?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Guided Tour: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
American Latino Museum
Step into the rhythm of salsa on a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibition ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, 1st Floor East. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-tour-puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-tickets-1984186244470?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Flights of Fancy Story Time: Tuck Me In by Nathan Pyle
Ongoing Activities
The Moon is having trouble tucking everyone in in this children's book by Nathan Pyle. The Moon tries to cover the beaches with the ocean, but when one beach is covered, another is left exposed. The Moon must find a way to get the beaches to take turns so everyone can get some sleep.
After the story, we will play some games that help us learn about taking turns.
Takes place each at the National Air and Space Museum in DC each Thursday at 11 am.
No event reservations, but remember to get your free timed-entry pass to the Museum.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: At the National Air and Space Museum in DC. Ask at the Welcome Center for that day's exact location. Cost: This is a free drop-in story time. You will need free timed-entry passes to enter the Museum. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Flights of Fancy Story Time: Tuck Me In by Nathan Pyle
Ongoing Tours & Activities
The Moon is having trouble tucking everyone in in this children's book by Nathan Pyle. The Moon tries to cover the beaches with the ocean, but when one beach is covered, another is left exposed. The Moon must find a way to get the beaches to take turns so everyone can get some sleep.
After the story, we will play some games that help us learn about taking turns.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Once Upon a Moon
Resident Associate Program
Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265075?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Music from the Hearts of America - U.S. Air Force Max Impact
One-Time Events
Join us for a performance by Max Impact, one of six musical ensembles that form the U.S. Air Force Band. Featuring six active-duty musicians, Max Impact regularly presents high-intensity performances throughout the nation and abroad, including events at the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, and other high-level military and civilian functions. This performance will include pop hits such as “Change the World,” by Eric Clapton; “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” by Tears for Fears; and “Freedom,” by Jon Batiste.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: 3 East - The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Guided Tour: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
American Latino Museum
Step into the rhythm of salsa on a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibition ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, 1st Floor East. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-tour-puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-tickets-1984186244470?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Music from the Hearts of America - U.S. Air Force Max Impact
One-Time Events
Join us for a performance by Max Impact, one of six musical ensembles that form the U.S. Air Force Band. Featuring six active-duty musicians, Max Impact regularly presents high-intensity performances throughout the nation and abroad, including events at the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, and other high-level military and civilian functions. This performance will include pop hits such as “Change the World,” by Eric Clapton; “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” by Tears for Fears; and “Freedom,” by Jon Batiste.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: 3 East - The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Meet at B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); United Kingdom, 1876–77; room installation, oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meet at Information Desk. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Spotlight Talk: Vishnu's Cosmic Ocean
Gallery Talks & Tours
Catch a twenty-minute gallery talk about the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia in Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean. At nearly twenty feet, this newly conserved sculpture depicts Vishnu dreaming the universe into existence. Delve into its original context in ancient Angkor and the present-day Cambodian community. Composite image: (top) Vishnu Reclining on the Serpent Ananta (Endless One); Cambodia, Siem Reap province, second half of 11th century; bronze, mercury gilding; National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh; Photograph by Mario Ciampi, ©️ Guicciardini & Magni Architetti / (bottom) Still from the short film Awkun; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Film by praCh Ly.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22c. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:20 PM.
American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII: Keynote Panel and Reception
Lectures & Discussions
Keynote panel and reception: Thursday, May 7, 4–8 p.m. EDT
Symposium: Friday, May 8–Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m. EDT
Curator-led tours: Sunday, May 10, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. EDT
The American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Symposium XXII will be hosted by the Freer Research Center in Washington, DC, on May 7–10, 2026.
The symposium begins on the afternoon of May 7 with a keynote panel and reception. On May 8–9, the program will continue with two full days of in-person talks and discussions. We will conclude on May 10 with curator-led gallery tours.
Keynote Panel: In the Realms of Friendship: Emotion, Devotion, and Status in the Visual Arts Vidya Dehejia , Annapurna Garimella , Heidi Pauwels , Molly Emma Aitken, ACSAA symposia are opportunities to meet our colleagues, reconnect with mentors and graduate school cohorts, and share one’s current research with the field. Occurring every two years and hosted by academic institutions and museums, often in conjunction with major exhibitions, ACSAA symposia…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Freer Courtyard, Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-council-for-southern-asian-art-acsaa-symposium-xxii-tickets-1980384718002?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
First Thursdays: Come Look with Us
One-Time Events
Wind down after work with the National Portrait Gallery’s educators as they share their favorite portraits with you. Participants will enjoy close looking and engaging in conversations about artworks in the galleries.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-first-thursdays-come-look-with-us-tickets-1233093649299?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Waterman Documentary on Duke Kahanamoku: Screening + Conversation
Asian Pacific American Center
Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha (2021, 88 min) tells the powerful life story of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku—Olympic champion and the father of modern surfing—whose influence helped shape global surf culture.
A Native Hawaiian born during the final years of the Hawaiian monarchy, Duke rose to international fame through his achievements as a swimmer, surfer, and lifesaver. Known for his humility and generosity, he inspired generations and helped bring surfing to the world stage.
Rooted in a long tradition of Native Hawaiian watermen, Duke carried forward a legacy of deep connection to the ocean—one that continues to resonate through contemporary surf culture and beyond.
A panel conversation and audience Q&A will follow the screening, featuring: Isaac Halasima (Director, Waterman) , Billy Pratt (Associate Producer, Waterman; Board Member, Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation) , Moderator: Jessica F. Skinner (Director or Advancement, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center).
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/waterman-documentary-on-duke-kahanamoku-screening-conversation-tickets-1986842424175?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Films. After Five. Related Events: Discover More Films in Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen A Tale of Three Chinatowns , Family Film Program: Bao, The Queen's Flowers, Lilo & Stitch , Nurse Unseen , A Nice Indian Boy. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
For more info visit apa.si.edu. ONLINE: Return to Venus (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
America’s first planetary probe, Mariner 2, marked our first visit to Venus in 1962. As it flew by Venus, the probe measured the planet’s atmosphere, giving us insights into its composition and temperature extremes. What are our future plans for “Earth’s Twin,” Venus? Join Dr. Sara Seager, professor at MIT, and Dr. Bruce Campbell, a planetary scientist in the Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, as they discuss our future plans to send a private mission to our inner neighbor and what new questions we bring with us on this trip.
This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of L3Harris and United Launch Alliance.
Event Location: YouTube. Online Link: https://eventactions.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp&invite=00gsr6ktjt8e7rf0xgjwr8n3knxszjkz2gjm7zve5dnbfnkskhwk. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Return to Venus (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
America’s first planetary probe, Mariner 2, marked our first visit to Venus in 1962. As it flew by Venus, the probe measured the planet’s atmosphere, giving us insights into its composition and temperature extremes. What are our future plans for “Earth’s Twin,” Venus? Join Dr. Sara Seager, professor at MIT, and Dr. Bruce Campbell, a planetary scientist in the Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, as they discuss our future plans to send a private mission to our inner neighbor and what new questions we bring with us on this trip.
Visit the Museum's galleries from 7-8 pm then hear from Dr. Sara Seager and Dr. Bruce Campbell from 8-9 pm.
Your registration includes: A ticket to this Exploring Space talk from 8-9 pm. , Concessions available for purchase prior to 8 pm. , Access to select Museum galleries from 7-8 pm. Check the event website for a list of open galleries as we get closer to the program. , Opportunities to learn about Venus from Museum staff at Discovery Stations from 7-8 pm. , 9 pm…
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Lockheed Martin IMAX. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.