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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, August 10, 2025, 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, August 10, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 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, August 10, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Breaking the Line: Contours Inspired by Delacroix and Rembrandt
Resident Associate Program
Contour lines are often where beginners start with drawing, but how can you bring greater depth, volume, and light to your work by varying them? Move beyond rigid, wire-like outlines to discover how broken and varied lines can let the paper participate and add dimension. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263671?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/263671?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 10:15 AM – 1:15 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.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), 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 Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led tour to get a fresh look into the Museum's featured object. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: Visitors cannot overlook the Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin, a circa early 1800s slave cabin from the Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The cabin is one of two remaining slave dwellings on Edisto Island. Its story provides a revealing glimpse into the most formative and troubling chapters in American history.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Point of Pines Planation Slave Cabin, Level C3. Talks take place at: 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 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: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, August 10, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Marquee: A Performance by Moveius Contemporary Ballet
One-Time Events
Marquee, a world premiere commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and choreographed by resident artist Diana Movius, peels back the glittering facade of stardom and reveals the sweat, retakes, and chaotic mischief behind every flawless finish. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s exhibition Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell, this bold, contemporary ballet dives into the not-so-effortless art of looking effortless. With playful precision and a wink of vintage sparkle, Marquee fuses vintage allure with modern mischief—because even Hollywood legends need a retake or two.
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/moveius-contemporary-ballet-performance-tickets-1343936433049?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Performances.
Sunday, August 10, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Beyond Earth
Resident Associate Program
Pack your space gear and blast off to outer space! Campers spend the week in Smithsonian museums exploring all the wonders beyond our rocky planet. They plan their own Milky Way journeys by learning about the planets in our solar system, stars and their life cycles, and the structures of galaxies. They make their own space gear, enjoy space ice cream, and explore exhibits for objects that are “out of this world.” A Friday showcase offers a peek into their adventures.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262718?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Books and Botany
Resident Associate Program
Plants make up 82% of all the biomass on our planet! Abundant in the natural world, plants are also everywhere in our stories and culture. In this deep dive into the secret world of plants, campers explore the fascinating connections between plants and stories, from mythical forests to real-life botanical wonders. Through trips to the U.S. Botanic Garden, the Natural History Museum, and the American Art Museum, campers learn the art of botanical illustration, compile field guides, and discover ways plants shape history. At the end of the week, families enter an exhibition of art books, nature writing, fantasy floral sculptures, and anatomy-inspired prints.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262726?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Collection Creations
Resident Associate Program
The Smithsonian is home to some 137 million objects, artworks, and specimens—and that number is climbing all the time. Ruby slippers, dinosaur poop, astronaut’s boots, old advertisements, tribal textiles, and presidential garb are just a few things waiting to be discovered. Campers explore the Smithsonian and its unique collections, including some of the more obscure items on display. With that inspiration, they create their own version of a Smithsonian collection. Viewers are welcomed to its grand unveiling on Friday. Who knows what treasures it will hold?
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262721?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Funky Physics
Resident Associate Program
Harness the forces of nature and master the science of motion. Campers explore the FUNdamentals of physics alongside the Science Guys of Baltimore through wacky experiments, curious demonstrations, and visits to the American History Museum. They spin, toss, race, and design while exploring magnetism, centripetal force, inertia, momentum, gravity, air pressure, electricity, and explosions. Sir Isaac Newton would be proud!
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262723?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Ocean Mysteries
Resident Associate Program
Dive through the zones of the ocean to reveal secrets deep beneath the waves. How and why do some deep-sea creatures glow? How do whales communicate from hundreds of miles away? Where is the deepest part of the ocean? How important are microscopic plankton? Campers explore these mysteries and more through experiments, crafts, games and visits to the Natural History Museum and National Zoo.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262725?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Perplexing Puzzles
Resident Associate Program
From scrambled dinosaur bones to tangled mysteries, there are plenty of puzzles waiting to be solved around the National Mall. Campers explore the history of puzzles, tackling everything from labyrinths to the Gordian knot to brainteasers. They also create their own puzzles inspired by games and objects in the American History Museum and International Spy Museum. Are you up to the challenge?
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262722?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
It’s Pollinator Week! Pollination by bees, bats, butterflies, and beetles ensures the continued existence of millions of plant species, and in turn, of most animal species, including humans. More than 150 of our common food crops, from avocados to zucchini, rely directly on pollinators. Through visits to Smithsonian gardens and museums as well as art projects, games, and daily challenges, campers learn about (and meet a few of) the many pollinators. They get insights into their habitats and what can be done do to protect them and find out how they can get involved in pollinator conservation.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262719?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Smithsonian Folktales
Resident Associate Program
Campers discover folktales from different world cultures each day as they read stories depicted, reflected, or told through Smithsonian collections. They examine art, cultural artifacts, landscapes, and wildlife during daily field trips that connect to those stories, which inspire crafts including puppets and pop-up books. Throughout the week, songs and games tie together themes that are shared across cultures.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262720?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Super Art Fight
Resident Associate Program
Sign into a masterclass on charisma, character, and cartooning all in one. Inspired by murals, large-scale art, and comics across the Smithsonian’s collections, campers examine the innate human desire to create art. They design their own alter ego inspired by exhibition visits; practice cartoon battle strategies; and learn all the creative and fun problem solving that goes into putting on the greatest live art competitions in the known universe. 3...2...1…Art Fight!
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262727?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Walk Like an Egyptian
Resident Associate Program
Campers travel back in time as they discover the civilization of Ancient Egypt. After exploring exhibits at Natural History and Asian Art museums, they learn about the pyramids, the secrets of the pharaohs, hieroglyphics, mummies, deities, the Rosetta Stone, and more fascinating aspects of the country’s early history. During the week, campers create their own ancient world for family and friends to experience on Friday.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262724?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Wonderous and Wise Japan
Resident Associate Program
From Momotaro and Miyazaki, the roots of many of Japan’s most popular books and films are hundreds of years old. Campers explore Japanese storytelling and folklore from Bunraku puppetry and contemporary anime. Visits to the Asian Art galleries offer insights into Japanese culture. The week concludes with a display of Japanese-inspired work.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263839?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Van Gogh’s Toolbox: Expressive Techniques in Drawing for Self-Taught Artists
Resident Associate Program
Although Vincent van Gogh was self-taught, his imaginative drawings and instantly recognizable touch reveal a deep understanding of principles like line weight, spacing, and value. Through hands-on exercises prompted by van Gogh’s drawings and his global influences, discover how to make your marks more imaginative and expressive. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263672?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/263672?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Garden Play: Plant Care!
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens in the Enid A. Haupt Garden for hands-on activities and a story time exploring this month’s topic, plant care! While you are in the Haupt Garden, be sure to check out plants from our tropical collection on display for the summer.
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.
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.
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…
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, East Terrace. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 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, August 11, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 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, August 11, 2025, 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, August 11, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the National Portrait Gallery. Join educators every Monday to explore a new topic and different materials. Participants will look at art, enjoy hands-on activities, listen to music and participate in story time. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other. Our friends from DC Public Library will join us on the second Monday of each month for a special story time about the day’s theme.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Regsitration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Nuestras Voces: Bringing the Smithsonian to Your Classroom (Charlotte, North Carolina)
American Latino Museum
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and the Charlotte Museum of History for an educator workshop on using primary resources, museum objects, and children’s books in the classroom.
This free workshop will include: An introduction to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino. , An overview of five children’s books published by the National Museum of the American Latino and how they correspond to state standards and curriculum in Social Studies, English and Language Arts. , Sample activities for teacher participation, which can also be replicated in the classroom as plug and play stand-alone activities. , An orientation to using the Smithsonian Learning Lab. , Question and Answer Session , A resource kit with copies of all the books outlined as well as reproducible handouts for the classroom. The books featured are: “Nuestra América: 30 Inspiring Latinas and Latinos who have Shaped the United States” , “Nuestras Voces: Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico” , “Nuestras…
Event Location: Charlotte Museum of History (3500 Shamrock Dr. Charlotte, NC 28215). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nuestras-voces-bringing-the-smithsonian-to-your-classroom-charlotte-tickets-1525056859119. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:30 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, August 11, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Taking the Wild Out of the Animal: A Story of Siberian Silver Foxes
Resident Associate Program
Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs but foxes. They are the result of one of the most astonishing experiments in breeding ever undertaken, intended to speed up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. Evolutionary biologist Lee Alan Dugatkin goes inside this groundbreaking experiment.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263341?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/263341?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Shubert Brothers' Broadway
Resident Associate Program
In the early 20th century, Manhattan’s Times Square was a gritty neighborhood full of horse stables. Today, it’s the vibrant center of Broadway’s Theater District. The transformation has its roots in the vision of three scrappy Lithuanian-born brothers: Lee, J.J. and Sam Shubert. Tim Dolan of Broadway Up Close tours spotlights the remarkable ascent of Broadway’s most powerful theatrical dynasty—founded 125 years ago—and uses a trove of rare photographs and archival videos to bring to life the heart of the Shubert empire: the Theater District between 44th and 46th Streets.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264019?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/264019?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Monday, August 11, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (World Elephant Day)
NZP Kids and Families
Stomp or march on in to join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Celebrate World Elephant Day with us as we learn and explore more about what makes elephants such amazing animals! Is it their flexible trunks that help them sense the world around them? Could it be their tusks that help them dig for water and roots? Or is it the way they stomp and march? Discover the adaptable and creative animal- the elephant!
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
Note: Water tables may be closed if the heat index is above 100.
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, August 12, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
From Frustration to Flow: Harnessing Wet Techniques in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Wet techniques are more than a method—they’re a mindset, inviting you to embrace spontaneity and let go of precision. Through guided practice, learn when and how to use wet techniques to create an array of effects.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263673?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/263673?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 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.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: World Elephant Day!
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday is a special celebration for elephants! World Elephant Day is August 12th! Come explore different elephant teeth, make your own habitat for our elephant toys, and create your own artwork on "elephant-made" paper!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
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 services such as American Sign Language interpretation,…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture by Jacobs Lawrence
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led talk and get a fresh look into a featured object that is on view in one of our permanent exhibitions. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: Jacob Lawrence’s The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture celebrates the Haitian revolutionary strategist and statesman who liberated his country from colonial rule to establish the first independent Black republic. Explore the silk prints by the artist that depict L’Ouverture’s struggle against slavery and oppression.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: "Program meets at the L'Ouverture screen print, in the Visual Arts Gallery, L4. Afternoon talks take place at: 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM. ". Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:45 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
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, August 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
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, August 12, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Great Hall Story Time
One-Time Events
Join us in the Portrait Gallery’s picturesque Great Hall for an interactive story time that gets up close and personal with art. Participants will look closely at portraits and read stories as they learn more about the people who have shaped history.
Event Location: Great Hall. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/great-hall-story-time-tickets-1335479447979?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), 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 Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 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: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture by Jacobs Lawrence
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led talk and get a fresh look into a featured object that is on view in one of our permanent exhibitions. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: Jacob Lawrence’s The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture celebrates the Haitian revolutionary strategist and statesman who liberated his country from colonial rule to establish the first independent Black republic. Explore the silk prints by the artist that depict L’Ouverture’s struggle against slavery and oppression.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: "Program meets at the L'Ouverture screen print, in the Visual Arts Gallery, L4. Afternoon talks take place at: 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM. ". Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 12:45 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 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.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, August 12, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
How Netflix Disrupted the Entertainment Industry
Resident Associate Program
From its start as a DVD-by-mail rental service, Netflix has systematically changed the rules of the entertainment media business. It introduced streaming in 2007 and began offering its own programming in 2013. Now its original movies are upending the operations of the Hollywood studios. Media historian Brian Rose explores how Netflix is primed to become the dominant source of online entertainment throughout the world.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263876?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/263876?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Nuestras Voces: Bringing the Smithsonian to Your Classroom (Charlotte, North Carolina)
American Latino Museum
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and the Charlotte Museum of History for an educator workshop on using primary resources, museum objects, and children’s books in the classroom.
This free workshop will include: An introduction to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino. , An overview of five children’s books published by the National Museum of the American Latino and how they correspond to state standards and curriculum in Social Studies, English and Language Arts. , Sample activities for teacher participation, which can also be replicated in the classroom as plug and play stand-alone activities. , An orientation to using the Smithsonian Learning Lab. , Question and Answer Session , A resource kit with copies of all the books outlined as well as reproducible handouts for the classroom. The books featured are: “Nuestra América: 30 Inspiring Latinas and Latinos who have Shaped the United States” , “Nuestras Voces: Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico” , “Nuestras…
Event Location: Charlotte Museum of History (3500 Shamrock Dr. Charlotte, NC 28215). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nuestras-voces-bringing-the-smithsonian-to-your-classroom-charlotte-tickets-1525056859119. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Recent Discoveries in the Deep: Dark Oxygen, the Rare Biosphere, and a $17 Billion Shipwreck
Resident Associate Program
Using an extraordinary suite of 21st-century tools, marine scientists and explorers are gathering stunning new knowledge about the universe beneath the waves. They have uncovered fantastical new species; astonishing insights into how Earth’s life-support systems work; and high-resolution seafloor maps that reveal hidden landscapes and buried treasures that even Jules Verne could never have imagined. Journalist and author Susan Casey dives into the latest discoveries in the deep ocean, offering a glimpse of the tantalizing mysteries that still lie on its floor.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264131?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/264131?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
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, August 13, 2025, 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, August 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Painting in the Key of Color: A Streamlined Approach to Color in Painting
Resident Associate Program
Much like a musical composition follows a specific key, this watercolor-based workshop—also adaptable to oil and pastel—aims to simplify the painting process using color harmony.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263674?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/263674?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 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, August 13, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Growing Up Spineless
One-Time Events
Growing up’s extra tough when you don’t have bones! What’s a baby marine invertebrate to do in the great big blue? Come learn about the tiny, bizarre babies of your favorite ocean critters and how they navigate their world. If you’ve ever wanted to know how sea stars and urchins begin life under the sea, stop by the Ocean Hall!
This program will be presented by Dr. Abigail Sisti and Dr. Karina Bocco-French, Marine Biologists, NOAA Sea Grant.
Images courtesy of Abigail Sisti and Karina Bocco-French.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
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, August 13, 2025, 11:15 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: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Curator Tour | Delighting Krishna: Behind the Scenes
Gallery Talks & Tours
Get exclusive insights into how we displayed the monumental paintings in the exhibition Delighting Krishna. Three of our experts will lead this tour: curator Debra Diamond, exhibition specialist Patrick Burke, and lighting designer Amber Meade. Learn how their creative collaboration preserved the paintings’ integrity to evoke their original multisensory contexts.
Don’t miss this last curator tour before the exhibition closes!
Please meet at gallery 24 for the tour. We recommend you register in advance. Image: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Installation view, Delighting Krishna: Paintings of the Child-God, photo by Colleen Dugan.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: Gallery 24. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curator-tour-delighting-krishna-behind-the-scene-tickets-1489189759659?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Delighting Krishna: Paintings of the Child-God. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Cool Science: remote sensing and adaptation to temperature extremes at the ends of the earth
One-Time Events
The Arctic and Antarctic remain the most remote and least understood regions on Earth. The harsh environment tests the limits of our most intrepid explorers, while other species have found extraordinary ways to thrive. Come learn about the ways we study a region so uninhabitable to people, the amazing animals that call it home, and how we’re more closely linked than we may realize.
Presented by: Dr. Angela Liang and Evelyn Strombom, Glaciologist & Knauss Marine Policy Fellow and Fisheries ecologist & Arctic scientist, NOAA and NOAA NMFS; University of Minnesota
Image credit: Andreas Wolden.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 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, August 13, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 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: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.com. An Actor's Revenge
Films
A uniquely prolific and chameleonic figure of world cinema, director Kon Ichikawa delivered a burst of stylistic bravado with this intricate tale of betrayal and retribution. Set in the cloistered world of nineteenth-century Kabuki theater, the film charts a female impersonator’s attempts to avenge the deaths of his parents, who were driven to insanity and suicide by a trio of corrupt men.
Ichikawa takes the conventions of melodrama and turns them on their head, bringing the hero’s fractured psyche to life in boldly experimental widescreen compositions infused with kaleidoscopic color, pop-art influences, and meticulous choreography. Anchored by a magnificently androgynous performance by Kazuo Hasegawa, reprising a role he had played on-screen three decades earlier, An Actor’s Revenge is an eye-popping examination of how the illusions of art intersect with life. (Description courtesy of Janus Films)
Directed by: Kon Ichikawa. Country: Japan. Released: 1963. Length: 113 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible. Captioning.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Churchill the Artist
Resident Associate Program
Winston Churchill, who began painting in 1915 at the age of 40, completed more than 500 canvases over the course of his life, describing the pastime as "a joyride in a paintbox." The largest selection of his works is displayed at his former home at Chartwell in Kent. Katherine Carter, Chartwell’s curator, approaches the paintings as a visual diary, depicting the places Churchill visited and the people he met, all using the brightest colors his oil paints could create.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264102?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/264102?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:15 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Historic Change: An Evening Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Stacey Park Milbern
Smithsonian American Women's History Museum
Join us online and in-person at the National Museum of American History to celebrate the release of the new Stacey Park Milbern quarter with a special presentation, Korean fan dance, and panel discussion. Panelists include: Beth Ziebarth, moderator, Director of the Smithsonian's Office of Visitor Accessibility , Michelle Banks, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Visionaries of the Creative Arts , Yomi Young, Disability Justice Organizer, Part of the American Women Quarters™ program, which celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States, the quarter honors Stacey Park Milbern as a visionary leader and powerful activist for disability justice. Born with physical disabilities, her life experiences led her to inspire and empower others, championing the belief that everyone is inherently valuable. She passionately advocated that each person has a crucial role to play and can create meaningful change. The in-person program begins at 6PM ET and the online program begins at 7PM…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater, 14th & Constitution Ave. N.W. Online Link: https://youtube.com/live/MSOMBPIma0A?feature=share. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/historic-change-celebrate-the-life-and-legacy-of-stacey-park-milbern-tickets-1478583074779?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Assisted listening devices. Audio description. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Q?rius After Hours - August
One-Time Events
Q?rius After Hours is back! You have one more chance to hang out in the Coralyn W. Whitney Q?rius Science Education Center after hours this summer. The evening will feature NMNH collections specimens, crafts, puzzles, and games, and these featured experts: Dune-esque Ancient Worms NMNH Deep Time Peter Buck postdoctoral fellow Kat Turk , Mass Extinctions in Ancient Oceans with NMNH paleobiology postdoctoal fellow Sarah Leventhal , Putting Plant-damaging Insects of the Past to Work: The History of Insect Herbivory with NMNH paleoecologist Conrad Labanderia , The Art of Preserving Plants featuring hands-on botany specimen preparation with NMNH museum specialist Erika Gardner , Fossil hunting and sorting
Last chance this summer: Register here for Q?rius After Hours on August 13
About the series:
If you think back to a time when you were having fun as a kid, what were you doing that made you so happy? Odds are it included some of the universal elements of play – a concept we know is critical for…
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/54009825/qrius-after-hours-august-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. It Don’t Mean a Thing: The Off-key History of Jazz Movies
Resident Associate Program
Jazz has consistently defied efforts to capture its essence, milieu, dynamics, and quicksilver magic effectively in the mainstream medium of movies. Although cinema and jazz were born at roughly the same time, they have often appeared to be two art forms at odds with one another. In his exploration of jazz on screen, Tim A. Ryan, a professor at Northern Illinois University, surveys the genre’s film history and examines the inherent challenges filmmakers face when trying to dramatize the world of jazz.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264103?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/264103?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Angelica Schuyler Church: A Revolutionary Woman
Resident Associate Program
Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton’s sister-in-law, witnessed American history at its birth. A woman of great influence in a time of influential women, she developed a transatlantic network of important friends that spanned the political spectrum of her era. Biographer Molly Beer explores Church’s life and legacy, revealing how American women wielded their power to shape history and shedding new light on the early political and social fabric of the United States.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264061?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/264061?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Looking at Fashion
Resident Associate Program
Writer Virginia Woolf dismissed clothes as “vain trifles” but acknowledged that “they wear us and not we them.” The way we dress reflects our times, our sense of self, and our aspirations, says author Debra N. Mancoff. Mancoff reveals how clothing and fashion tell stories over time and across cultures.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264104?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/264104?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (World Elephant Day)
NZP Kids and Families
Stomp or march on in to join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Celebrate World Elephant Day with us as we learn and explore more about what makes elephants such amazing animals! Is it their flexible trunks that help them sense the world around them? Could it be their tusks that help them dig for water and roots? Or is it the way they stomp and march? Discover the adaptable and creative animal- the elephant!
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
Note: Water tables may be closed if the heat index is above 100.
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, August 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Afrofuturism Big Objects Big Stories: The Mothership
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led talk and get a fresh look into a featured object that is on view in one of our permanent exhibitions. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object and experience the infinite possibilities of Afrofuturism.
About this Program: An iconic stage prop, the Mothership symbolizes P-Funk’s Afrofuturist inspired vision as a tangible manifestation of the liberating power and autonomous promise of Clinton’s art.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Mothership, L4. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Musical Crossroads
Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 9:45 AM – 12:45 PM.
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, August 14, 2025, 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, August 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Winds of Change: A Reflective Writing Workshop
Resident Associate Program
In a summer workshop series, discover the power of reflective writing inspired by art guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by the masterful prints of one of Japan’s most innovative artists, Katsushika Hokusai, and by poetry across time, slow down, look closely, and reflect to explore the metaphor of wind in our world and in our lives.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264129?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/264129?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Little Artists, Big Stories
One-Time Events
Discover the magic of creativity with our storybook reading program for early learners! Through engaging stories, vibrant exhibits, and hands-on art activities, children will explore the legacy of Black arts education in Washington, D.C. building curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for artistic expression.
Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10: 15 a.m. Select Tuesdays and Thursdays through September 25, 2025
Duration: About 1 hour
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.
Questions? Email the ACM Education team at ACMTours@si.edu.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/little-artists-big-stories-tickets-1396883820109?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:15 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.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place each at the National Air and Space Museum in DC each Thursday at 11 am.
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, August 14, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
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, August 14, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), 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 Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Visionaries in Art: Exploring Black Creativity & Expression
One-Time Events
Explore the rich legacy of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC through an immersive experience designed for youth audiences. Engage in close-looking activities featuring works by influential local artists and art educators, then bring your own creativity to life through hands-on artmaking. Through inquiry-based discussions and artistic exploration, young learners will deepen their understanding of self-expression and connect their observations to their own creative process.
Recommended Audience: Youth 8+
Time and Schedule: 1:00 p.m. Select Tuesdays and Thursdays through September 25, 2025
Duration: About 75 minutes
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/visionaries-in-art-exploring-black-creativity-expression-tickets-1396981753029?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Gallery Talks & Tours. Workshops.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 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: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, August 14, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Virtual Portrait Signs
One-Time Events
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language. Tours explore portraiture, history and biography through the lens of our special exhibitions and permanent collection. Dates and topics are continually updated.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Online Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/national-portrait-gallery-810710525. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/national-portrait-gallery-810710525. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Art Signs: Artful Conversations in ASL - CANCELED
One-Time Events
Curious about American art? Join us for a 30-minute in-person conversation about selected works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. This program is presented in American Sign Language (ASL) with voice interpretation for hearing participants.
Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: CANCELED. Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM.
Wine & Design
One-Time Events
Join the National Postal Museum for a happy hour combined with crafting fun! Decoupage a postcard with Guest Artist Erin Robinson. Light snacks, crafting materials, and drinks 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. Tickets are $20.
Tickets on sale now!
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Byrne Classroom (Mezzanine level). Cost: $20. Get Tickets/Register: https://npmprograms.ticketspice.com/wine-design. Categories: After Five.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Experimental Archaeology: Recreating the Experiences of Lost Civilizations
Resident Associate Program
From the tang of Roman fish sauce to the boom of medieval cannons to the clash of Viking swords, history often neglects the vivid sensory elements that were an intimate part of our ancestors’ lives. Sam Kean draws on his book Dinner with King Tut to reveal how a new generation of researchers are resurrecting these hidden details and pioneering the new discipline of experimental archaeology.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264001?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/264001?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Florence: Where the Renaissance Began
Resident Associate Program
The cradle of the Renaissance, Florence is replete with frescoes, paintings, sculpture, and architecture created in an era in which art was the cornerstone of cultural activity. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo makes a stateside visit to trace the art and history of this jewel of a city, from the dawn of the Renaissance to the era of the Medici dukes. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: In-person Registrants: Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264488?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/264488?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Conversation Circles
One-Time Events
Calling all English-language learners – Join National Portrait Gallery educators and friends from all over the world. Together, we’ll use portraiture to learn about U.S. art, history and culture. This program takes place every other week. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. For more information, email Beth Evans at evansb@si.edu.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
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, August 15, 2025, 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, August 15, 2025, 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.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 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.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Science on a Sphere
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Come explore our blue planet with NMNH Ocean Educators. Through NOAA’s Science on a Sphere technology, you’ll encounter a series of interactive visualizations projected on the Sant Ocean Hall’s giant globe. Watch sea turtles migrate coast to coast, track ships through global waters in real-time, explore the changing climate patterns shaping our planet, and much more!
Photo credit: Jennifer Renteria, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Orchids: Sex and Lies
Resident Associate Program
Beyond their beauty and romance, there’s a dark side to orchids: a world of trickery and deception used to entice the insects that are essential for their pollination. Steve Nicholls, a wildlife filmmaker with a lifelong interest in botany and horticulture, provides insights into the intricate dynamics of this botanical seduction.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264105?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/264105?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 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: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, August 15, 2025, 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. DC | Curator Tour: "InSight"
One-Time Events
Curated by the museum’s archivists, this exhibition features images from the Archives Center at the National Museum of the American Indian. The photos were selected from more than a half million images stewarded by the museum. They give an intimate view of Indigenous lives across the Western Hemisphere and across time. They show everyday moments of joy and quiet reflection. In these images, people attend social gatherings, pose for family photos, and learn from relatives. Each photo has a story to tell. It is the rich insight shared by Native people that brings these stories to life. Join archivists Emily Moazami and Nathan Sowry for a guided tour of the exhibition and learn more about their work.
Image: Eva Curtis (Iñupiaq) and Sadie Vestal (Iñupiaq) picking wildflowers, Kotzebue, Alaska, June 23, 1951. Lindell and Ethel Bagley Alaska collection. 379_001.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 2, exhibition gallery (between elevator bank and Roanoke Museum Store). Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: InSight: Photos and Stories from the Archives.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 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: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Sensational Sicily
Resident Associate Program
Sicily’s reputation as a food and wine paradise has remained intact for more than 3, 000 years—and most of its indigenous grape varieties and time-honored winegrowing traditions continue to play an important role. Whether robust flavors from the slopes of the still-active Mount Etna or bright, fresh wines from coastal and inland vineyards, Sicily has something for everyone.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263857?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/263857?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Friday, August 15, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Gardens)
NZP Kids and Families
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Celebrate the seasons with us and all of the beautiful plants we can grow in gardens year-round. Join us to play in dirt, plant a beautiful vegetable garden in our sensory bin, and make your own greenhouse to grow bean plants from seed.
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
Note: Water tables may be closed if the heat index is above 100.
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, August 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Little Critters: Nature Play at Think Tank (Animal Teeth)
NZP Kids and Families
Hungry for some fun? Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
This week, we are digging into animal teeth and diets to learn about the different ways that animals eat their food.
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: Think Tank Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Think Tank 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, August 16, 2025, 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 2025. It is the only direct-to-consumer farm stand of its kind 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 19 - November 22, 2025.*
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: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1307850759829?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
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, August 16, 2025, 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.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 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.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 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, August 16, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Zip & Paint with Rain Young
One-Time Events
Join artist Rain Young in a fun workshop that allows artists to express their creativity on wearable art. This class will teach various techniques for painting on denim, including fabric paint application, color blending, and design transfer. Learn how to create a design and mix primary colors to create a one of kind piece of art ready for wear or display.
Painting supplies, stencils, etc. will be provided. Participants should bring their own jeans or jean jackets, patches, or any other fabric design items they would like to apply.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zip-paint-with-rain-young-tickets-1375918291649?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Virtual Planetarium Show
Ongoing Activities
Stargaze (and planet-gaze!) with our astronomy educators in this virtual planetarium show. Learn the basics of finding your way in the sky, and explore the many things you can see without a telescope. Our experts will be on hand to answer your questions!
This program will be held on Zoom webinar with live ASL interpretation.
Event Location: Online, Zoom webinar. Cost: Free, registration is requested. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning. ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 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: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Sounds of Africa Concert Series
One-Time Events
Grab a drink, enjoy the lively beats, and dance the night away!
The National Museum of African Art’s Sounds of Africa concert series features music from the African diaspora. This ongoing series, which runs through November 15, brings together a stellar lineup of artists who are pushing the boundaries of music from Africa while honoring its roots. Enjoy drinks for purchase!
Don’t miss Sugarlane as they bring their high-energy experience to the Haupt Garden! Led by Grammy award-winning artist Chioma, a UN Peace Ambassador, Sugarlane is a conglomeration of talented musicians who travel the world with their electrifying performances.
Sounds of Africa Concert Series
• Saturday, August 16, 2025 7pm-10pm
• Saturday, September 27, 2025, 4pm-7pm (Part of Community Day)
• Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7pm-10pm
• Saturday, November 15, 2025, 7pm-10pm, Sounds of Africa concerts are standing room only (with accessibility seating available upon request). The rain location for any concert scheduled for outdoors will be…
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Haupt Garden (rain location: Sylvia Williams Gallery, Sublevel 1). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sounds-of-africa-concert-series-tickets-1497195765839?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Celebrations. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
For more info visit africa.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, August 17, 2025, 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, August 17, 2025, 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, August 17, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
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 docent chooses an artwork to present in their own way, 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: Freer Gallery of Art. 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.
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), 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 Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 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: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, August 17, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.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.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
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.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 11:00 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.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the National Portrait Gallery. Join educators every Monday to explore a new topic and different materials. Participants will look at art, enjoy hands-on activities, listen to music and participate in story time. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other. Our friends from DC Public Library will join us on the second Monday of each month for a special story time about the day’s theme.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Regsitration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 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, August 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The Age of World's Fairs: Spectacles of Innovation
Resident Associate Program
World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. These international expositions brought together nations to display a myriad of advancements, often reflecting the aspirations and challenges of their times. Art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into three pivotal exhibitions examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session highlights the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263980?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/263980?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, August 18, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Geology of the Channel Islands
Resident Associate Program
Geologist Kirt Kempter explores the tectonic origin and geology of the four main islands of southern California’s Channel Island National Park. Part of the western Transverse Ranges, this unusual mountain range rotated more than 90 degrees clockwise during the development of the San Andreas fault system. Kempter traces the history of this tectonic oddity and the fate of the mammoths who lived on the islands as the sea level rose 18, 000 years ago.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264020?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/264020?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Monday, August 18, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Gardens)
NZP Kids and Families
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Celebrate the seasons with us and all of the beautiful plants we can grow in gardens year-round. Join us to play in dirt, plant a beautiful vegetable garden in our sensory bin, and make your own greenhouse to grow bean plants from seed.
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
Note: Water tables may be closed if the heat index is above 100.
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, August 19, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Little Artists, Big Stories
One-Time Events
Discover the magic of creativity with our storybook reading program for early learners! Through engaging stories, vibrant exhibits, and hands-on art activities, children will explore the legacy of Black arts education in Washington, D.C. building curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for artistic expression.
Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10: 15 a.m. Select Tuesdays and Thursdays through September 25, 2025
Duration: About 1 hour
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.
Questions? Email the ACM Education team at ACMTours@si.edu.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/little-artists-big-stories-tickets-1396883820109?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:15 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.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
The Power of Place Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Our Power of Place exhibition uses the idea of place and region as an integral component of the African American experience. Tour 10 diverse places in the U.S. significant to African Americans with a docent. Learn about black urban life in Chicago, leisure in Oak Bluffs in Martha’s Vineyard, life in the rice fields of South Carolina’s low country, and the rise of hip hop in Bronx, New York.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Power Place exhibition, L3. Each 1 hour tour takes place at 10:15 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 10:15 AM – 12:30 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: World Orangutan Day!
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday is a special celebration for orangutans! World Orangutan Day is August 19th! Come learn through play about these animals, about make your own habitat for our orangutan and other primate toys, and create your own orangutan with arms built for climbing and hanging!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
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 services…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
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, August 19, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
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, August 19, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Highlights Tour with the Postal Museum’s Director or Deputy Director
Ongoing Tours & Activities
On this extra special tour with the Postal Museum’s Director or Deputy Director, explore the wonders of our museum like never before! Meet at the Information Desk for an exclusive 45-minute tour.
Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), 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 Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
CANCELLED - 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: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Visionaries in Art: Exploring Black Creativity & Expression
One-Time Events
Explore the rich legacy of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC through an immersive experience designed for youth audiences. Engage in close-looking activities featuring works by influential local artists and art educators, then bring your own creativity to life through hands-on artmaking. Through inquiry-based discussions and artistic exploration, young learners will deepen their understanding of self-expression and connect their observations to their own creative process.
Recommended Audience: Youth 8+
Time and Schedule: 1:00 p.m. Select Tuesdays and Thursdays through September 25, 2025
Duration: About 75 minutes
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/visionaries-in-art-exploring-black-creativity-expression-tickets-1396981753029?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Gallery Talks & Tours. Workshops.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 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.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, August 19, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The North Atlantic Right Whale: Stewardship at the Edge of Extinction
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Event Location: Online only. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/6117508825812/WN__TrikvlGTdam7lKncSZypw. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Related Exhibition: The right whales of the North Atlantic Ocean are one of the rarest of the great whales, clinging to existence on the very brink of extinction. Their story, along with efforts by scientists and conservationists to save them, has made them icons for the larger quest to restore the ocean. In this illustrated presentation, Dr. Charles "Stormy" Mayo will describe the past, present and future of right whales, including the latest progress to understand and protect them. He’ll also reveal how new research could ch… Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
For more info visit smithsonian.zoom.us. 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, August 20, 2025, 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, August 20, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: The Paradox of the Liberty
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led tour to get a fresh look into the Museum's featured object. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: The paradox of the American Revolution is the fight for liberty in an era of widespread slavery. Talk with a museum docent and explore the tension between slavery and freedom—who belongs and who is excluded. Consider how this paradox resonates through the nation’s history and spurs the American people to wrestle constantly with building “a more perfect Union.”.
Event Location: Program meets at the Paradox of Liberty section, Level C3. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 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, August 20, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Dead Letter Office: Gallery Experience
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Could you be a postal clerk? In this activity, a volunteer challenges you to sort mail, deciding which letters will be delivered and which would be sent to the Dead Letter Office. Complete the challenge and leave with a prize!
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Moving the Mail Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
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, August 20, 2025, 11:15 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: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Kelp! I Am Stuck in a Forest!
One-Time Events
Come under the canopy to learn about giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, and its ecosystem! This brown alga can grow a foot per day and provides a habitat to many species in its dense forests. Join us to learn more about kelp forests, how they are found around the world in cold waters, and how rising sea temperatures may affect kelp growth and the animals that rely on this foundation species.
This program will be presented by Roxanne-Alexa Garibay, Marine scientist, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories / NOAA Knauss Ocean Policy Fellow.
Photo by Roxanne-Alexa Garibay.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 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, August 20, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
?The Little Mermaid?
Resident Associate Program
Today, the popular 1989 Disney film ensures that most people think of “The Little Mermaid” as a tale of triumph. But in Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” fairy tale, which loosely inspired the movie, the mermaid fails to meet the terms of the sea witch’s bargain and dies. Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman do a deep dive into “The Little Mermaid” fairy tale to discuss folkloric and literary tales that inspired it. They also explore how the story has been retold in contemporary times.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264044?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/264044?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM.
Disney's Design DNA: Creating Place
Resident Associate Program
Walt Disney built a cultural empire rooted in imagination, optimism, and storytelling. Guided by this outlook, he and his Imagineers conceived something special: an architecture of reassurance in Disney theme parks. Former urban planner Sam Gennawey, author of Walt Disney and the Promise of Progress City, decodes Disney’s design DNA and reveals the techniques his team employed at Disneyland: eight design principles that usher guests on a journey through places that delight. Take a peek behind the curtain.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264021?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/264021?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Gardens)
NZP Kids and Families
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Celebrate the seasons with us and all of the beautiful plants we can grow in gardens year-round. Join us to play in dirt, plant a beautiful vegetable garden in our sensory bin, and make your own greenhouse to grow bean plants from seed.
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
Note: Water tables may be closed if the heat index is above 100.
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, August 21, 2025, 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, August 21, 2025, 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, August 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Give Sorrow Words: A Reflective Writing Workshop
Resident Associate Program
Guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface, discover how reflective writing can offer a creative buoy for engaging with loss. Inspired by works of visual art and poetry, experience a process in which reflection and writing become a place of comfort and a space for holding sorrow as well as remembrance. This is part of a summer workshop series.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264130?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/264130?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Art & Memory: Telling Your Story Through Creativity
One-Time Events
Celebrate the power of storytelling through artistic expression. In A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C. 1900–2000, discover how DC’s most influential artists and educators wove their family, community, and personal experiences into their work. Then, create your own meaningful piece incorporating portraits or photos from your life, connecting your story to the legacy of Black arts education.
Recommended Audience: Lifelong Learners
Time and Schedule: 10:15 a.m. on July 24, August 21, and September 18, 2025
Duration: About 75 minutes
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.
Questions? Email the ACM Education team at ACMTour…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-memory-telling-your-story-through-creativity-tickets-1397015664459?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Workshops.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:30 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.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place each at the National Air and Space Museum in DC each Thursday at 11 am.
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, August 21, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
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, August 21, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Peacock Room Shutters Open
National Museum of Asian Art
Third Thursday of every month.
Free, no registration required.
See the Peacock Room in a whole new light! Please join us for a beloved NMAA tradition: our third Thursday opening of the Peacock Room shutters. Experience this unique masterwork of art and design in a whole new way as natural light reveals details of James McNeill Whistler's painted interior and accents the gleaming surfaces of Charles Lang Freer's collection of Asian ceramics.
The shutters are open from noon to 5:30 p.m. every third Thursday of each month.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer gallery 12 (Peacock Room). Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), 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 Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Mary Cassatt: An American Among the Impressionists
Resident Associate Program
Mary Cassatt was the only American to exhibit with the Impressionist group of independent French painters. Invited into their circle by Edgar Degas, Cassatt and her sister Lydia became muses for his intimate portrayals of a feminine Parisian world. Art historian Bonita Billman delves into the breadth of Cassatt’s diverse body of work, her influential role within the Impressionist movement, and her focus on scenes of women and children—subjects that became increasingly significant as her own family life evolved. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264002?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/264002?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Express Yourself: Art & Identity in Your Community
One-Time Events
Unleash your creativity and explore the impact of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC! In A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C. 1900–2000, see how local artists and educators reflected their identity, community, and experiences in their work. Then, express yourself by creating a unique artwork using portraits or photos from your own life, connecting your story to the legacy of Black artistic expression.
Recommended Audience: Teens 13+
Time and Schedule: 1:00 p.m. on July 24, August 21, and September 18, 2025
Duration: About 75 minutes
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.
Questions? Email the ACM Education team at A…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/express-yourself-art-identity-in-your-community-tickets-1397043517769?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Science on a Sphere
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Come explore our blue planet with NMNH Ocean Educators. Through NOAA’s Science on a Sphere technology, you’ll encounter a series of interactive visualizations projected on the Sant Ocean Hall’s giant globe. Watch sea turtles migrate coast to coast, track ships through global waters in real-time, explore the changing climate patterns shaping our planet, and much more!
Photo credit: Jennifer Renteria, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Preservation Station: Exploring the Family Treasures Toolkit
One-Time Events
Join us as we explore the Family Treasures Toolkit. Learn how to preserve your family treasures so they are available for generations to come.
This interactive session will be led by museum professionals highlighting general tips, strategies, and fun preservation activities. Individuals interested in incorporating preservation activities at their next family gathering or reunion are also encouraged to attend.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Target Learning Classrooms. Cost: Free. Categories: Workshops. Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 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: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, August 21, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Take 5: Jazz at SAAM with Jen Krupa
One-Time Events
Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances in the Kogod Courtyard. Trombonist Jen Krupa and her quintet will perform original compositions and timeless standards from the American songbook. She is a member of the faculty at The Juilliard School and is the lead trombonist of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.
Borrow a board game to play during the concert and stop by the Courtyard Café to purchase refreshments.
Image credit: Adam Grimm.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1iYOn. Categories: After Five. Performances.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Design on the Water: Washington, DC, Architecture Cruise
Resident Associate Program
Spend a summer evening sailing on the Potomac, taking in Washington, D.C.’s architectural icons and history from a new perspective. Cast off from Georgetown with your architecture guide from DC Design Tours and professional crew from Capitol River Cruises. As you cruise south on the Potomac, soak in sunset views of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and Georgetown waterfront, then sail past Theodore Roosevelt Island, under Arlington Memorial Bridge, and along the National Mall and Tidal Basin.
Event Location: Tour begins at Washington Harbour in Georgetown at west (upriver) end. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263965?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Wonders by Wright: Buffalo and Beyond
Resident Associate Program
At the turn of the 20th century, Buffalo was a prosperous industrial city, drawing worldwide attention as the site of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. The city’s wealth and prominence attracted well-known architects for high-profile projects, including H. H. Richardson, Louis Sullivan, and Daniel Burnham—as well as upstarts like Frank Lloyd Wright, who looked to make his name with his first major office building. Bill Keene, a lecturer in architecture and urban studies, leads a 4-day tour that highlights significant works by Wright and his contemporaries.
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/263616?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.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 6:00 PM – Sunday, August 24, 2025, 3:00 PM.
One Border, Two Nations: U.S.–Canadian Relations, 1774–1816
Resident Associate Program
Even before the United States gained independence, colonial leaders hoped Canadians would join in resisting what they considered British abuses. Repeated diplomatic and military efforts aimed at winning over the French-speaking population to the American revolutionary cause ultimately failed. Historian Ralph Nurnberger explores the reasons why Canadians in the late 18th and early-19th centuries remained fervently nationalistic and how their connection to Britain helped define the country’s distinctive path in North American history.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264062?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/264062?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.