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CANCELLED - 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. CANCELLED - 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
CANCELLED - 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
CANCELLED: Asteroids and Meteorites - Clearing the smoke: what’s coming out from seafloor hydrothermal chimneys
One-Time Events
Have you ever wondered what the bottom of the ocean looks like? At some places within the abyss of our ocean lie chimneys that pump out hot fluids that feed unique deep-sea ecosystems. Come talk to Dr. Kuan-Yu Lin to explore how these fluids obtain their chemistry and how life thrives in the deep ocean in the absence of sunlight!
Presented by: Dr. Kuan-Yu Lin, Petrologist, Department of Mineral Sciences, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Sketching the Smithsonian: Weekly Lunchtime Drawing Series
Resident Associate Program
Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing objects from vast, fascinating collections. The theme is inspired by the shifting of the seasons and heavily features nature and objects that speak to the changing colors of fall.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264423?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/264423?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
CANCELLED - Preservation Station: Exploring the Family Treasures Toolkit
One-Time Events
Join us for a special, interactive session where museum professionals will guide you through the Family Treasures Toolkit and demonstrate—step by step—how to preserve a cherished heirloom quilt. Learn practical tips and strategies to keep your family treasures safe and accessible for generations to come. Whether it's a hand stitched quilt, recipe cards, military medals, photographs, or a treasured piece of jewelry we will teach you how to care for object's that tell your family's story. This engaging program features live demonstrations and easy-to-follow preservation activities you can try at home. If you are planning a family reunion or gathering, you’ll also discover ways to incorporate preservation activities into your event—making it both meaningful and memorable. Treasures Toolkits are available online for download. Whether you are safeguarding family heirlooms or leading a community preservation project, our Treasures Toolkits are here to guide you.
Click below to explore:
For Individuals and…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Target Learning Classrooms. Cost: Free.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
CANCELLED - Art Signs: Artful Conversations in ASL
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: Free | Registration required. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM.
CANCELLED - Handi-hour
One-Time Events
Celebrate autumn at DC’s original crafting happy hour! Create miniature polymer clay pies and explore the exhibition, State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Enjoy live music by local folk duo, Beyond the Wall, and cider and beer provided by ANXO. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to both floors of the exhibition galleries are included in the ticket price.
Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID with birthdate at the door.
Due to the government shutdown, program registrations are paused temporarily. Please check si.edu for updates or email saamprograms@si.edu.
Image credit: Norwood Photography.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery. Cost: $25|Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zUdJ. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Night and the Cities: Film Noir's Suspense-driven World
Resident Associate Program
A police detective down on his luck. A beautiful woman with a shady past. A world of chain-smoking deceivers, drifters, loners, con artists, and killers—double-dealing their way toward an uncertain and possibly fatal future. This is film noir, one of the most original and stunningly stylized film genres of the 1940s and ’50s, whose impact still resonates in popular culture. Film historian Max Alvarez examines the origins and achievements of the actors, directors, writers, and craftspeople behind this remarkably enduring genre.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264614?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/264614?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
The World According to the James Webb Space Telescope
Resident Associate Program
Launched in 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is a large, space-based observatory optimized for infrared light and designed to complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio showcases the remarkable images obtained by the mission and interprets the telescope’s discoveries to date.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264647?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/264647?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, October 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
CANCELLED - Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Enjoy a fall Friday in the Enid A. Haupt Garden and join one of our knowledgeable volunteers or staff for a free garden tour! Tours are offered each Friday in October at 10:00 a.m. and run approximately 40 minutes.
Meet at the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW (between the Smithsonian Castle and the S. Dillon Ripley Center). No reservation is required. Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 17, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art Bites Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and what each one tells us about an ever-changing culture in the United States. Gabrielle Christiansen, Douglass Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, discusses Emery Blagdon's The Healing Machine.
Image credit: Emery Blagdon, The Healing Machine, ca. 1955-1986, mixed media, dimensions variable, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and gift of Dan Dryden, friend of Emery Blagdon, the Kohler Foundation, Inc. and John E. and Douglas O. Robson, from the Margaret Z. Robson Collection, VR.2014.49.GRP.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cost: Free | Meet in G Street Lobby.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM.
CANCELLED: Fishy Business in the Eye of the Hurricane
One-Time Events
Hurricanes are strong tropical storms that form over the ocean and have a rotating center with winds of at least 74 MPH (about 119 KMH). These tropical cyclones can leave behind a path of destruction and chaos on land, but how do animals in the ocean survive during hurricanes? Come discover how sharks and different fishes use their cool adaptations to their advantage. Along the way, we will also learn about natural features in our coastlines that help protect us and how we can prepare for hurricane season this summer!
Presented by: Ana Silverio, M.S. Marine Biologist, Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - The National Sea Grant Office
Image credit: Ana Silverio (left), NOAA NESDIS Environmental Visualization Laboratory (right).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Architecture on the Nation's Front Lawn
Resident Associate Program
Bill Keene leads a walking tour through the history and design of the National Mall, tracing its transformation from early visions to its most recent landmarks. Discover a stunning array of architectural styles, from the Gothic Revival grandeur of the 1846 Smithsonian Castle to the bold, contemporary design of the 2016 National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Event Location: Tour meets outside the Smithsonian Metro, Mall Exit. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264741?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
CANCELLED - Boo at the Zoo
Special Zoo Events
Get ready for a WILD Halloween evening! Boo at the Zoo, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s beloved family-friendly event, is back Oct. 17, 18 and 19, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Due to the federal government shutdown, all dates for Boo at the Zoo (October 17, 18 and 19) have been canceled. We encourage you to show your support for animal conservation by donating the cost of your order using this form, which will be accepted until the date listed on your ticket. If you do not choose this option, your order will be automatically refunded the day after your ticket date.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Throughout the Zoo. Cost: $35 (Members get a 15% discount!)
$30 parking per vehicle. Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/boo-zoo.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. A Toast to Smithsonian Associates
Resident Associate Program
Join in a weekend-long toast to the diamond anniversary of Smithsonian Associates. This evening program includes a special "How the Smithsonian Sparkles" lecture, highlighting three of the Smithsonian’s most scintillating exhibits: the studio model of the starship Enterprise from the original “Star Trek” series, which resides at the National Air and Space Museum; the Winston Red Diamond, a rare Fancy colored diamond that is part of a recently opened National Museum of Natural History exhibit along with its dazzling companions in the Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection; and ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz from the National Museum of American History, which are one of the most asked-about artifacts at the Smithsonian. For in-person attendees, continue the evening with a cocktail demonstration and tasting by drinks historian Philip Greene, pop-up crafts, and light refreshments.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: In-person Registrants: Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264584?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/264584?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
Films
Watch the trailer
A widow poisons the gang of bandits who assaulted her and stole her cattle. She then sets off on a journey of redemption, but all the while, she totes the bandit leader’s head as a trophy.
A festival hit from Cannes to Toronto to Busan and everywhere in between, this “thoroughly enjoyable, visually ravishing feminist Western” (Lisa Nesselson, Screen International) is set in the beautifully rugged landscape of Indonesia’s Sumba Island. Director Mouly Surya mixes Sumba Island’s unique local culture with touchstones ranging from Caravaggio to Sergio Leone’s “Spaghetti Westerns,” creating one of Indonesia’s most talked-about films.
Surya’s latest feature, This City is a Battlefield, plays on October 19.
Director: Mouly Surya. Country: Indonesia. Released: 2017. Length: 93 min. Format: DCP. Language: Bahasa Indonesia with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Asian Shadows.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://indonesia2025.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 17, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM.
Staunton, Shakespeare, and Steam: Fall in the Shenandoah Valley
Resident Associate Program
Nestled in the heart of scenic Shenandoah Valley, Staunton, Virginia, is alive with history, culture—and a little steam. Washington, D.C. area guide Lynn O’Connell leads a weekend getaway that offers a sampling of Staunton’s best sights—including a performance at the only replica of Shakespeare’s indoor theater and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum—plus a train excursion.
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/264117?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:30 AM – Sunday, October 19, 2025, 7:30 PM.
CANCELLED - 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.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: What’s Your Story?
One time events
Step into the strange and unexpected this October at Open Studio.
Each week, we’ll dive into the mysterious and unsettling, exploring works by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Nicolas Party, Max Ernst, and more.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from artist Laurie Anderson and her otherworldly installation Four Talks (2021). Then we’ll explore ways to tell stories by using mixed media, such as paper, paint, and images, to create our own visual narratives!!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Story Layers.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, October 18, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Luminous Landscapes in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Pick up a paintbrush and create a beautiful landscape, guided by the instructor in this special workshop. Leave with a finished painting and the skills to begin a landscape painting on your own.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264658?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/264658?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
The Visionary Genius of Frederick Douglass: Contradiction and Change
Resident Associate Program
Frederick Douglass was a visionary—a prophet who could see a better future that lay just beyond reach. Historian Richard Bell examines Douglass’s life to reveal more than another great man on a pedestal as he explores this many-sided man’s life, family, and career.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264648?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/264648?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Objects of Inquiry: Using Smithsonian Collections and Resources in the STEM Classroom
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
On Saturday, October 18, 2025, the Smithsonian Science Education Center presents “Objects of Inquiry: Using Smithsonian Collections and Resources in the STEM Classroom.” This free one-day virtual professional development workshop for STEM educators will focus on incorporating the Smithsonian’s STEM collections and the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s STEM resources into your classroom lessons.
During the workshop, participants will hear from educators about how they use SI materials in their classroom and lesson plans. The participants will draft STEM lesson plans by selecting from a range of STEM thematic topics and resources pre-selected by workshop facilitators. By the end of the workshop, participants will have produced a draft lesson plan specifically applicable to the students they serve.
Objectives: Participants will gain a better understanding of the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s mission and vision, and resources for educators. , Participants will learn how to find Smithsonian…
Online Location: Virtual. Event Type: Workshops & Classes. Educational. Arts & Culture. Cost: Free (Registration required). Registration: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/0i-9bwIWTH-Z_RFGYrZ5OA#/registration.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit ssec.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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Mosaic Jewelry - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Learn the techniques needed to create fine mosaic jewelry as you make silver-plated mosaic pendants using mosaic gold, smalti, semiprecious stones, stained glass, and millefiori.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264659?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:15 AM – 4:30 PM.
On-Location Photography at the Smithsonian on the National Mall - In Person
Resident Associate Program
The grounds of the Smithsonian offer an opportunity to photograph architecture, abstract textures, and plant life. Participants learn how to work with digital camera settings, approach composition, and work with lighting and exposure.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264660?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
CANCELLED - NMAAHC Kids Story Time: The Quilt
One-Time Events
NMAAHC Kids Story Time: The Quilt Designed for ages 4-8 years
Discover the amazing colors, patterns and stories of quilts! Together, we’ll learn about African American quilters, enjoy an interactive story, The Quilt by Ann Jonas, practice sewing, and make quilt-inspired collages.
Join us in the classrooms on the museum's 2nd floor! This program will take place from 10:30am to 12:30pm and follow the program schedule below:
-10:30am-12:30pm: Ongoing Create & Explore Time
-10:45am & 11:45am: Read Alouds
-11:00am & 12:00pm: Children’s Gallery Tours.
Event Location: 2nd Floor Classroom. Cost: Free. Registration required! Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/bf8a8f8e-2ba8-6efe-e25f-66f35e1839d0.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Diversión Saturdays
American Latino Museum
Join us for Diversión Saturdays in collaboration with the Hyattsville Branch Library Ready 2 Read Storytime for a story about music that connects with our upcoming exhibition “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa.”
This event is recommended for visitors aged 3 to 5. For ASL interpretation, please email us at
nmalgroupreservations@si.edu at least one week in advance.
Event Location: Hyattsville Branch Library, Storytime Room. 6530 Adelphi Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Cost: Free.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
The Films of Alfred Hitchcock
Resident Associate Program
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most famous film directors who ever lived. Over five decades, he made 54 films, including classics such as The 39 Steps, Rebecca, Notorious, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Vertigo, and Psycho. Few filmmakers have been as popular, critically celebrated, and influential not only as a director but also as a multimedia showman through his TV series, magazines, book anthologies, board games, and record albums. Media historian Brian Rose looks at Hitchcock’s achievements and, through dozens of film clips, examines his extraordinary creativity.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264585?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/264585?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
CANCELLED - Cursive Writing Workshop
One-Time Events
Handwriting is more than just putting word on paper—it’s a form of art and expression. When Cursive writing was removed from schools in 2010, many students never had the chance to learn it. Now, with 25 states bringing cursive back, families have a unique opportunity to rediscover the joy of writing by hand.
In this self guided, hands-on workshop, we will explore cursive writing. Participants will practice the graceful flow of cursive letters, discover the artistry of the shapes and spacing, and create your own personalized notes. Perfect for families, couples, friends, or colleagues to connect, learn, and celebrate the beauty of handwriting together. Supplies provided.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cursive-writing-workshop-tickets-1685557881999?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
In-Gallery 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: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-signs-a-tour-in-asl-tickets-713964475967?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. How To Live To Be 100 with John Whyte
Resident Associate Program
What if living to 100 wasn’t just a dream, but a possibility within reach? Physician and public health expert John Whyte, CEO of the American Medical Association, explores the science and strategies behind living a longer, healthier life as he offers practical guidance grounded in the latest research on aging and longevity.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264615?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/264615?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery's Eventbrite page.
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.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Digital Drawing: Remixing the Collection
Resident Associate Program
Experience the power of digital image manipulation with iPad, Procreate, and Apple Pencil. This online workshop teaches students how to access the Smithsonian Open Access digital collection, download images to their iPads, and import them into Procreate before you remix, augment, and reference to create digital artworks.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264662?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/264662?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Watercolor Workshop: Quick-Sketching
Resident Associate Program
Spend the afternoon learning to capture your travels with flowing lines and painterly colors. Discover how to simplify a scene and to compose and draw more organically and confidently. This technique is perfect for studies, travel journals, and finished fine art.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264661?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/264661?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Why a Painting is Like a Pizza: A Guide to Understanding Modern Art
Resident Associate Program
Can a sculpture made from automobile tires, a white canvas covered with white paint, and a banana duct-taped to a wall really be considered as art? They can, says art historian Nancy G. Heller, who explains how it’s possible by revealing the surprising connection between an abstract art work and a pizza: basic elements like color, texture, scale, and composition. (World Art History Certificate elective, ½ credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264649?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/264649?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
Star Power Saturday Movie Matinee: “Libeled Lady”
One-Time Events
The Portrait Gallery’s Star Power: Saturday Movie Matinee series returns this fall with more beloved vintage Hollywood films inspired by the exhibition “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.”
In “Libeled Lady,” a wealthy socialite sues a major newspaper for libel after being falsely accused of breaking up a marriage. The newspaper’s frazzled editor devises a scheme to frame her. This 1936 screwball comedy features a star-studded cast, including Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy.
Event Location: McEvoy Auditorium. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/star-power-saturday-movie-matinee-tickets-1234756733629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Beautiful Florals in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
From spring to fall, incredible foliage and flowers surround us. Depict the beauty of the natural world and create a stunning artwork in this special workshop.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264663?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/264663?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Sound ON
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–18. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
This October, we’re exploring sculpture—with a spooky twist. Get ready to encounter the most haunting artworks lurking in the Hirshhorn’s collection. This Saturday, we’re exploring Laurie Anderson’s Four Talks (2021), an immersive installation that combines painting, sculpture, and sound. Take your own sculpture to the next level by adding sound!
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing HMSGeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any time. Do this at home! Explore sound experiments…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Play with Sound.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. The Lincoln They Didn't Teach You About in School
Resident Associate Program
Abraham Lincoln, an icon in American history and thought by many to be one of our nation’s greatest presidents, is often remembered as simply "Honest Abe" or the "rail-splitter." Going beyond what most Americans were taught in school, historian Robert Watson explores the many sides of this magnificently complex man, including his knack for oratory, love of literature, his physical strength, humor and humility, and his looks, loves, and losses.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264616?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/264616?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
21 Century Consort: Who’s Counting
One time events
This performance will take place at Abramson Hall inside the Katzen Arts Center of American University (4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016; 21stconsort.org).
The 21st Century Consort celebrates an extraordinary milestone—its 50th anniversary—with a selection of works reflecting, appropriately, on the passage of time. Musical selections include a contemporary take on music from the Middle Ages; a rarely ventured performance of George Crumb’s seminal 20th-century work “Ancient Voices of Children”; and a world premiere by composer Juri Seo dedicated to the Consort’s anniversary. The concert will feature world-renowned vocal soloists Lucy Shelton and Jane Sheldon.
Join Consort director Christopher Kendall at 4 PM before the performance for a discussion with composer Juri Seo about her new work, the Consort’s 50-year history, and the inspiration for this program.
Registration is required for the pre-concert talk. We strongly recommend claiming a ticket to ensure your seat. This in-person…
Event Location: Abramson Hall inside the Katzen Arts Center of American University (4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016; 21stconsort.org). Cost: Free; Registration recommended for concert, required for talk. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/44000753/21st-century-consortwhos-counting-washington-hirshhorn-museum-and-sculpture-garden. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. CANCELLED - Boo at the Zoo
Special Zoo Events
Get ready for a WILD Halloween evening! Boo at the Zoo, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s beloved family-friendly event, is back Oct. 17, 18 and 19, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Due to the federal government shutdown, all dates for Boo at the Zoo (October 17, 18 and 19) have been canceled. We encourage you to show your support for animal conservation by donating the cost of your order using this form, which will be accepted until the date listed on your ticket. If you do not choose this option, your order will be automatically refunded the day after your ticket date.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Throughout the Zoo. Cost: $35 (Members get a 15% discount!)
$30 parking per vehicle. Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/boo-zoo.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.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 SAMA Group on Saturday October 18, 2025 from 7pm to 10pm and experience Sudanese music that blends traditional sounds with modern influences. Join African Art for a night of rhythm and cultural celebration!
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Sylvia Williams Gallery (Sublevel 1). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sounds-of-africa-concert-series-tickets-1743581983649?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
For more info visit africa.si.edu. Art + History: Toulouse-Lautrec's Marcelle Lender Dancing the Bolero in Chilpéric
Resident Associate Program
Great art is timeless. Paul Glenshaw explores Paris during the Belle Epoque and the cabarets and music halls that fascinated artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. His 1895 painting evokes the joyful chaos of the era as well as his unrequited passion for a famous music hall star. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265186?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/265186?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Discovering Emilia-Romagna: Sights, Food, and Wine
Resident Associate Program
Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy is filled with cities rich in art, culture, music, history, fashion, and sports cars. Its food and wine are world-renowned for regional specialties like Lambrusco, prosciutto di Parma, aceto balsamico, and mortadella. Food historian Francine Segan connects some of the region’s most distinctive locations with unique gourmet experiences. (In-person registrants enjoy a post-program selection of wine and Italian delights.).
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: In-person Registrants: Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264733?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/264733?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
CANCELLED - An Evening of Kuumba: Tank and the Bangas in Concert
One-Time Events
The Center for the Study of African American Religious Life invites you to an evening of fellowship, poetry, and music by Tank and Bangas.
Before the Concert:
Purchase signed copies of Tarriona “Tank” Ball’s newest book of poetry, The Thing About Falling
In the Oprah Winfrey Theater
7:00 PM - Dr. Erika Gault and Tarriona “Tank” Ball will discuss poetry, love, and soulful living
7:15 PM - Enjoy a performance by Tank and the Bangas
About Tank and the Bangas
Tank and the Bangas explore the most tender and true parts of life’s journey. Unique and with a vibrance that could only come from New Orleans, the lead vocalist, Tank has stretched her vocals over quirky raps, poetry, and rich melodies since the release of their first album, Think Tank in 2013. Four years later, they had a viral breakthrough as the winners of the NPR Tiny Desk Contest.
Recent winner for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul at the 2025 GRAMMYs, Tank says about the album that. “It explores…
Event Location: Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: $7.00. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/674b1006-9a33-39e1-e31f-8d8f02e1855f.
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Autumn Splendor in Seneca Regional Park
Resident Associate Program
A guided hike through beautiful Seneca Regional Park, located upriver from Great Falls, Virginia, makes a fall morning an adventure. Along the way, interpretive naturalist Keith Tomlinson explores the forest’s natural history, with a special focus on landscape ecology—examining how topography, vegetation, and waterways shape this unique ecosystem.
Event Location: Tour meets at Seneca Regional Park 101 Seneca Rd, Great Falls, VA. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264746?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 8:00 AM – 11:00 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, October 19, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Architecture on the Nation's Front Lawn
Resident Associate Program
Bill Keene leads a walking tour through the history and design of the National Mall, tracing its transformation from early visions to its most recent landmarks. Discover a stunning array of architectural styles, from the Gothic Revival grandeur of the 1846 Smithsonian Castle to the bold, contemporary design of the 2016 National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Event Location: Tour meets outside the Smithsonian Metro, Mall Exit. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264743?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Mosaic Jewelry
Resident Associate Program
Learn the techniques needed to create fine mosaic jewelry as you make silver-plated mosaic pendants using mosaic gold, smalti, semiprecious stones, stained glass, and millefiori.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265193?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/265193?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
CANCELLED - Beyond the Studio Workshop: Linocut with Lea Craigie
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Learn the art of linocut printmaking with artist and arts educator Lea Craigie. In this workshop, participants will prep, carve, and print a design of their own creation. Space is limited.
Image credit: Photo courtesy of the artist.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: MacMillan Education Center. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zO9h.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery's Eventbrite page.
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.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. This City is a Battlefield
Films
Watch the trailer
Director Mouly Surya has described Indonesia’s post-World War II years as “a weird story . . . full of sneaks, cheats, and bargains, but presented as heroic.” After declaring independence from Japan, Jakarta remained under Dutch control, triggering bloody clashes between the army and the resistance movement.
In this ambitious epic, a war hero turned violin teacher gets entangled in the resistance movement. He and his student prepare an underground mission to kill an important Dutch official in a bid to defend Indonesia’s independence. At the same time, his wife fights to protect her family while finding her feelings divided between the two men. Description adapted from Asian Shadows.
Director: Mouly Surya. Countries: Indonesia, Singapore, Netherlands, France, Norway, Philippines, Cambodia. Released: 2025. Length: 119min. Format: DCP. Language: Dutch, English, and Bahasa Indonesia with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Asian Shadows.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://indonesia2025.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Captioning. Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
One-Time Events
Join a volunteer docent on select Sundays for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Accessibility: Spanish-interpreted program.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. CANCELLED - Boo at the Zoo
Special Zoo Events
Get ready for a WILD Halloween evening! Boo at the Zoo, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s beloved family-friendly event, is back Oct. 17, 18 and 19, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Due to the federal government shutdown, all dates for Boo at the Zoo (October 17, 18 and 19) have been canceled. We encourage you to show your support for animal conservation by donating the cost of your order using this form, which will be accepted until the date listed on your ticket. If you do not choose this option, your order will be automatically refunded the day after your ticket date.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Throughout the Zoo. Cost: $35 (Members get a 15% discount!)
$30 parking per vehicle. Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/boo-zoo.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Rick Steves: On the Hippie Trail
Resident Associate Program
In the 1970s, the ultimate trip for any backpacker was the storied “Hippie Trail” from Istanbul to Kathmandu. A 23-year-old Rick Steves made the trek and, like a travel writer in training, documented everything along the way, from jumping off a moving train to making friends in Tehran to getting lost in Lahore to battling leeches in Pokhara. Forty-seven years-later, Steves shares stories and the unforgettable moments, misadventures, and memories of his life-changing 1978 experience.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264734?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/264734?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Drawing Light and How the Masters Did It In Color
Resident Associate Program
Using watercolor, learn the strategies Morisot, Constable, Monet, and Cézanne employed to harness light in their images. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264205?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/264205?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 20, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
One-Time Events
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Leonardo Among Friends: Inspiration at the Milanese Ducal Court
Resident Associate Program
Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci began his career in the service of Ludovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, where he lived and worked from around 1482 to 1499. During that time, he connected with poets, mathematicians, philosophers, and other humanists at the court, stimulating his creative and intellectual practices. Art historian Jill Pederson explores how Leonardo's presence in this dynamic environment shaped his artistic output in works like The Last Supper, Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (also known as Lady with an Ermine), and the Vitruvian Man. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264735?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/264735?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
CANCELLED: Dive into the Deep
One-Time Events
Have you ever wondered what lives in the deepest parts of our ocean? Deep-sea ecosystems - from bioluminescent fish to giant tube worms around hydrothermal vents - thrive in these extreme environments. These mysterious habitats cover most of our planet, yet remain largely unexplored. Come learn how scientists explore these remote habitats and why protecting these ecosystems matters for our planet’s future!
Presented by:
Garret O’Donnell - Marine Biologist, NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellows
Alyssa Schultz - Marine Scientist & Geographer, NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellows
Jason Gronich - Marine Ecologist & Geographer, NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellows
Photos above courtesy of Garret O'Donnell, Alyssa Schultz, and Jason Gronich
Thumbnail image: NOAA Ocean Exploration.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Sketching Turner: Expressing Atmosphere and Skies in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
This course is an introduction to J.M.W. Turner’s vast achievements in watercolor, with particular attention to his manner of expressing light and atmosphere. In-class exercises revolve around making studies of his masterworks with an emphasis on creating cohesive sketches, not replicas. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264206?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/264206?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
1968: The Extraordinary Events of a Memorable Year
Resident Associate Program
The year 1968 encapsulates the narrative of the 1960s in America. Leonard Steinhorn, an affiliate professor of history at American University, offers a perspective on a seminal year marked by war, the assassinations of leaders, student unrest, cultural and racial hostilities—and how the Sixties reshaped America.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264736?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/264736?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Contemporary Portraiture
Resident Associate Program
Building on centuries of tradition, contemporary creators are reimagining portraiture in provocative ways through painting, sculpture, photography, and video. Art historian Jennie Hirsh surveys portraiture in the late 20th and early 21st century, highlighting artists whose work invites viewers to consider how likeness is constructed and understood from visual and cultural perspectives. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264737?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/264737?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Demosthenes: Democracy's Defender
Resident Associate Program
Demosthenes, the greatest orator of his day, established himself as one of history’s most eloquent defenders of democracy. Classicist James Romm of Bard College explores the mind of the man who took on the challenge of saving Greek freedom in the face of a threat from Philip of Macedon in 340 B.C.E. and examines how democracies can be destroyed by internal divisions.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264617?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/264617?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Postmarks and Paperbacks October Meeting
One-Time Events
Join staff from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum for a discussion of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Swiss student Victor Frankenstein uncovers the secret to bringing life to what is lifeless, and in assembling body parts to create a monster, ultimately sets the stage for his own destruction and that of everything that he loves when the monster is rejected by society. Told through letters, this story focuses on a young scientist who created life but was horrified by what he had made.
If you have any accessibility requirements to participate in the program, please email NPMprograms@si.edu and we will do everything we can to meet your needs.
A Zoom link will be emailed to participants prior to the program. Registration is required.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/postmarks-paperbacks-frankenstein-tickets-1702770144339?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit postalmuseum.si.edu. Out of the Shadows: Film Noir Photography
Resident Associate Program
In this course, learn how to create a mood of darkness in your photos by looking at iconic film noir images and studying the genre’s characteristics.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264207?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/264207?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
CANCELLED: Play Date at NMNH: Awesome Arachnids!
One-Time Events
UPDATE: Play Date for Tuesday, October 21st is cancelled. Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
Tuesday, October 21 is all about arachnids! Come join us as we celebrate the many wonderful ways arachnids help our planet, make observations of different arachnid species, and create art inspired by different arachnid postage stamps! Families will be able to explore through play, art, and select specimens from our collection.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5) and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation,…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 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.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
CANCELLED: The Ocean Around Us Tour
One-Time Events
Explore the Sant Ocean Hall to learn about some of the exciting animals and habitats featured and how they are connected to your everyday life no matter where you live. This is a 30-minute interactive walking tour where you can meet a North Atlantic Right Whale, find out what is the most productive marine ecosystem, touch coral, and so much more.
Registration is required for this small group tour of up to 10 people. Each visitor may bring up to 3 guests, but the total number of visitors on the tour will be capped at 10.
Photo by Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall, Under the Large Jellyfish. Cost: Free. Registration is required. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM.
Beyond the Frame: An Inside Look at the Portrait Gallery
One-Time Events
Curious about the inner workings of a museum? Ever wondered how conservators care for centuries-old artworks or how lighting designers illuminate exhibitions? Peek behind the curtain at the National Portrait Gallery and hear from staff who work behind the scenes to bring our collection to life.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-frame-an-inside-look-at-the-portrait-gallery-tickets-1334324994979?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. John Muir: Conservation Pioneer
Resident Associate Program
John Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1892, igniting a national passion for nature through his vivid storytelling that made plants and animals come alive. After years of doing farm work, he discovered his true calling—the great outdoors—while working as a shepherd in the Sierra Nevada foothills. For the next 45 years, he explored and wrote passionately about the California mountains, the Cascades of Washington and Oregon, the Arizona desert, and the glaciers of Alaska. Zoologist Fred Bercovitch traces Muir’s life and enduring legacy and reveals his surprising connection to the Smithsonian.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264765?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/264765?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Storytime Studio: The Beauty of the Night
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Don’t be afraid of the dark! We’ll appreciate the night sky by looking at Max Ernst’s (1891–1976) painting Beauty of the Night (1954) and reading Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle. Then we’ll create our own artworks that explore the night sky’s many wonders.
Featured Book: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. Once…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Over the Moon.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, October 22, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 22, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Storytime Studio: The Beauty of the Night
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Don’t be afraid of the dark! We’ll appreciate the night sky by looking at Max Ernst’s (1891–1976) painting Beauty of the Night (1954) and reading Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle. Then we’ll create our own artworks that explore the night sky’s many wonders.
Featured Book: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. Once…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Over the Moon.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.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.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Exploring Portrait Mode: The Divine Selfie
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and Poetry Camera for a new kind of poetry workshop. Created by Kelin Carolyn Zhang and Ryan Mather, Poetry Camera is a camera that writes poems about what it sees. Using this unique technology as a platform for discussion, explore portraits in the museum's collection through a new lens. In the second half of the workshop, turn the camera inward to create a poetic portrait of yourself. Explore questions of selfhood, bias, authorship and dignity in the age of AI through the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. For ages 18+.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-exploring-portrait-mode-the-divine-selfie-tickets-1688128861869?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. A History of Fantasy
Resident Associate Program
Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on the history of fantastic storytelling.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264586?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/264586?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
America's Main Street: Pennsylvania Ave
Resident Associate Program
America’s most famous avenue connects the White House and the United States Capitol, but it hasn’t always been a grand thoroughfare. Pennsylvania Avenue and the surrounding neighborhood have been renovated, re-imagined and revitalized repeatedly. From Murder Bay, a center of crime, gambling, and prostitution in the mid-19th century to the stately boulevard of presidential inaugurations, Carolyn Muraskin of DC Design Tours, unfolds a story of metamorphosis along what came to be known as America’s Main Street.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264766?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/264766?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Private Visions, Public Treasures: Exploring Hillwood and The Phillips Collection
Resident Associate Program
Tucked away in the charming, tree-lined neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. are two remarkable gems where art, history, and personal passion meet. Join art historian Judy Pomeranz for an insider’s look at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens and The Phillips Collection—two of the city’s most intimate cultural landmarks, each housed in the former homes of their visionary collectors. (World Art History Certificate elective, ½ credit).
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: Tour meets at the entrance to the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264777?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM.
Urban Oasis: Rock Creek Park History Hike
Resident Associate Program
More than 2, 000 acres winding through Northwest Washington, D.C. were set aside as a refuge for wildlife and an escape for District residents. While the landscape feels natural today, much of the park was meticulously laid out by a noted landscape architectural firm, Olmsted Brothers. Hike through the park with tour leader Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, to see and hear about its natural beauty and some of its historic structures, memorials, ruins, and other remnants of the past.
Event Location: Tour meets outside West entrance of National Zoo, near lion statues. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264750?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 9:30 AM – 12:30 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, October 23, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 23, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Sketching the Smithsonian: Weekly Lunchtime Drawing Series
Resident Associate Program
Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing objects from vast, fascinating collections. The theme is inspired by the shifting of the seasons and heavily features nature and objects that speak to the changing colors of fall.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264424?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/264424?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Complete Colored Pencils
Resident Associate Program
Colored pencil, an often-overlooked dry medium, is coming into its own. Whether used in fine art or illustration, they can enliven work with rich, vibrant color and a dizzying range of effects. Learn basic to intermediate methods and strategies.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264208?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/264208?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Landscapes in Collage and Mixed Media
Resident Associate Program
Discover the essence of what you see in landscapes near and far and respond by creating art in collage and mixed media. You are introduced to the materials, tools, and technologies to use.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264209?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/264209?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
One-Time Events
Join a volunteer docent on select Sundays for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Accessibility: Spanish-interpreted program.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Edward Hopper: American Modernist
Resident Associate Program
Many of the noir films of the 1940s and 1950s reflect Edward Hopper’s vision of New York City as depicted in his paintings: austere, silent, moody, and lonely. Art historian Bonita Billman explores the sociopolitical and cultural contexts in which he lived and worked as she focuses on paintings including Automat, Chop Suey, New York Movie, and Nighthawks. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264650?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/264650?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Drawing Birds from Around the World
Resident Associate Program
Draw birds from around the world in creative ways using a variety of mediums, including ink, watercolor, and charcoal.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264210?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/264210?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 23, 2025, 6:45 PM – 9:00 PM.
Yoga with the Siamangs at Gibbon Ridge
Special Zoo Events
Celebrate International Gibbon Day with a truly unforgettable morning at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo!
As the sun rises over Gibbon Ridge, join our certified yoga instructor for an all-levels class surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature, including the powerful morning songs of our siamangs — the largest members of the gibbon family.
This small-group experience is designed to foster mindfulness, wellness, and a deeper connection with these incredible primates. The total capacity per class is capped at 20 participants.
Two sessions will be held at 8:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. (45 minute sessions).
Please bring your own yoga mat, water bottle, and comfortable clothing. The class will be held outdoors.
The event will be held rain or shine, so pack your poncho if there is inclement weather.
Want to visit but you're not an early riser? Get your tickets to Night of the Living Zoo the same day!
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Gibbon Ridge (across from Great Ape House). Cost: $40 per person
Includes yoga registration + Zoo entry pass
(Parking is not included and costs $30 if purchased in advance.). Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/yoga-siamangs-gibbon-ridge.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 8:15 AM – 9:15 AM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Urban Oasis: Rock Creek Park History Hike
Resident Associate Program
More than 2, 000 acres winding through Northwest Washington, D.C. were set aside as a refuge for wildlife and an escape for District residents. While the landscape feels natural today, much of the park was meticulously laid out by a noted landscape architectural firm, Olmsted Brothers. Hike through the park with tour leader Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, to see and hear about its natural beauty and some of its historic structures, memorials, ruins, and other remnants of the past.
Event Location: Tour meets outside West entrance of National Zoo, near lion statues. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264751?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 9:30 AM – 12:30 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, October 24, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Understanding Northern Renaissance Art
Resident Associate Program
Northern Renaissance artists imbued their paintings with religious and philosophical symbolism, an approach that remained central to the visual culture of the Low Countries in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine highlights these “painted treatises” and explores their symbolic content in a range of genres, from domestic interiors to market scenes and images of children’s games. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264618?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/264618?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Enjoy a fall Friday in the Enid A. Haupt Garden and join one of our knowledgeable volunteers or staff for a free garden tour! Tours are offered each Friday in October at 10:00 a.m. and run approximately 40 minutes.
Meet at the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW (between the Smithsonian Castle and the S. Dillon Ripley Center). No reservation is required. Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 24, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Join us for a midday gallery talk to celebrate the opening of the exhibition Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work. Leslie Umberger, senior curator of folk and self-taught art, and Randall Griffey, head curator at SAAM, are joined by Jane Kallir, president of the Kallir Research Institute and director of the Galerie St. Etienne, for a discussion of Moses as a multidimensional force in American art and how SAAM established a destination collection by acquiring some of the artist’s most important paintings.
Image credit: Grandma Moses, We Are Resting, 1951, oil on high-density fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Kallir Family, in Memory of Hildegard Bachert © Grandma Moses Properties Co. NY.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street lobby. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zZcz. Related Exhibition: Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 11:45 AM.
Asia After Dark | Diwali
Performances
Celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, with an evening of food, music, dance, and activities! Learn how different regions celebrate this Hindu holiday, create crafts to take home, see the museum lit up once the sun goes down, and end the night with a dance party.
Find more Diwali events.
Register in advance for the best experience.
Don’t give up if the festival is sold out! We use a registration limit to get a sense of how many people will attend. You can always attend without registering.
Food Vendors
4–9:30 p.m.
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Plaza
Enjoy cuisine from the Indian diaspora. Local food vendors include: Rasa , Himalayan Soul Food , CHA Street Food , Prana Kitchens , Swaadish by Neelma, Crafts and Activities Decorate a rangoli with Kulture Khazana
4–9 p.m.
East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), Gallery 27, level B1 , Create a diya with Sanyukta Mathur and Courtney Pippin-Mathur
4–9 p.m.
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), South Corridor , Watch artist Shanthi…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: National Museum of Asian Art. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asia-after-dark-diwali-festival-tickets-1665389688389?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl. Related Exhibition: Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent , The Art of Knowing in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 4:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
NY | Nightmare at the Museum: "SEEDS"
One-Time Events
Ziggy (Kaniehtiio Horn) receives her first internet influencer job offer to promote the seed and fertilizer company Nature’s Oath. When her cousin calls her back to the rez, she is forced into a battle to save her people’s legacy and finds her power along the way. Director: Kaniehtiio Horn (Kahnawake Mohawk), Canada, 2024, 82 min. This film contains violence, horror, and coarse language. It is intended for mature audiences.
Doors open at 6:45 PM ET.
Image credit: SEEDS (film still), courtesy of indican pcitures
This program is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Lower Level, Auditorium. Cost: FREE.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Night of the Living Zoo
Special Zoo Events
Get ready for a spine-chilling evening at the Night of the Living Zoo! The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is bringing its adults-only Halloween party back from the dead Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday Oct. 25.
Tickets will go on sale closer to the event date.
Guests must be 21 years of age or older with a valid ID to enter the event.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Lower Zoo (near the Great Cats exhibit). Cost: $80, including open bar and entertainment
(Members get a 15% discount!)
$30 parking per vehicle. Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/night-living-zoo.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Smithsonian Sleepover at the Natural History Museum
Resident Associate Program
In-person Program: Go on an interactive exploration of the Natural History Museum and participate in hands-on crafts projects and games. Then roll out your sleeping bag and dream away in the darkened halls of one of the world’s most famous museums! Geared for children ages 8 to 14 years old, accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History 10th St & Constitution Ave NW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265108?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 7:00 PM – Saturday, October 25, 2025, 9:00 AM.
Autumn Splendor in Seneca Regional Park
Resident Associate Program
A guided hike through beautiful Seneca Regional Park, located upriver from Great Falls, Virginia, makes a fall morning an adventure. Along the way, interpretive naturalist Keith Tomlinson explores the forest’s natural history, with a special focus on landscape ecology—examining how topography, vegetation, and waterways shape this unique ecosystem.
Event Location: Tour meets at Seneca Regional Park 101 Seneca Rd, Great Falls, VA. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264747?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Urban Oasis: Rock Creek Park History Hike
Resident Associate Program
More than 2, 000 acres winding through Northwest Washington, D.C. were set aside as a refuge for wildlife and an escape for District residents. While the landscape feels natural today, much of the park was meticulously laid out by a noted landscape architectural firm, Olmsted Brothers. Hike through the park with tour leader Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, to see and hear about its natural beauty and some of its historic structures, memorials, ruins, and other remnants of the past.
Event Location: Tour meets outside West entrance of National Zoo, near lion statues. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264752?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
CANCELLED - 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.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Clay Creatures
One time events
Step into the strange and unexpected this October at Open Studio.
Each week, we’ll dive into the mysterious and unsettling, exploring works by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Nicolas Party, Max Ernst, and more.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Ernst’s monster-like sculpture Moonmad (1944). Using materials like air-dry clay, popsicle sticks, and pasta, we’ll then create our own mysterious figures.
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Pumpkin Pinch Pots.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, October 25, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
CANCELLED: The World & Me: Bat Week Extravaganza with special guests…Arachnids!
One-Time Events
UPDATE: The World & Me for Saturday, October 25th is cancelled. Join us for a special program celebrating Bat Week!
Come help us celebrate bats as we learn about how important bats are to our planet. Help us also shine the light on the importance of spiders! See bat and spider specimens up close, make art celebrating bats and spiders, and learn other ways you can support bats and spiders all year long! Feel free to wear your favorite bat or spider attire. Families can join at any time during the duration of the event and stay as long as suits each family.
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Ground Floor, Q?rius: The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Cost: Free.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Architecture on the Nation's Front Lawn
Resident Associate Program
Bill Keene leads a walking tour through the history and design of the National Mall, tracing its transformation from early visions to its most recent landmarks. Discover a stunning array of architectural styles, from the Gothic Revival grandeur of the 1846 Smithsonian Castle to the bold, contemporary design of the 2016 National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Event Location: Tour meets outside the Smithsonian Metro, Mall Exit. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264742?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
The Legacy of the Ancient World: The Texts that Tell the Stories
Resident Associate Program
Contemporary knowledge about the ancient world is mostly rooted in texts dating back two or three millennia, such as the works of Homer and the Bible. Their copies made by generations of scribes across the centuries and the archaeological discoveries of the 19th century in Egypt and in Mesopotamia provide other windows into the civilizations from which they came. Biblical scholar Gary Rendsburg explores the stories behind these sources, which retain their narrative power into the 21st century.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264651?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/264651?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
NMAAHC Kids: Learning About Spiders & Kente at NMNH
One-Time Events
Please note this event takes place at The National Museum of Natural History! No tickets or registration required. The World & Me: Bat Week Extravaganza with special guests…Arachnids!
Join NMAAHC Kids and our friends at the National Museum of Natural History in celebrating some of October's favorite creatures: bats and spiders! See bat and spider specimens up close and learn how to support them all year long! , Make bat and spider inspired art! , Visit the NMAAHC Kids station to learn how spider webs inspired the creation of kente cloth! , Wear your favorite bat or spider attire! Families can join at any time throughout the duration of the event and stay as long as suits each family.
This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: NMNH Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Cost: FREE.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit naturalhistory.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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Jump into Acrylics - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Jump-start your journey into acrylic painting with this one-day immersive workshop. Get introduced to the basics and first steps including how to use materials; touch on essential color theory; and explore this exciting medium with hands-on guided projects.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264211?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Art Guardians | Family Workshop: Cut + Paste
Kids and Family
Explore how light exposure can damage art in this interactive workshop for children ages 6–11 and their caregivers. Following a visit to Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs, participants will conduct experiments to observe the effects of light on different paper samples and learn why some artworks need special protection. Families will create a collage inspired by the layered, cut-paper designs in the exhibition, then take it home to continue their investigation into how light affects art. Image credit: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1715890317129?aff=oddtdtcreator. Related Exhibition: Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery's Eventbrite page.
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.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Art Guardians | Family Workshop: Cut + Paste
Kids and Family
Explore how light exposure can damage art in this interactive workshop for children ages 6–11 and their caregivers. Following a visit to Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs, participants will conduct experiments to observe the effects of light on different paper samples and learn why some artworks need special protection. Families will create a collage inspired by the layered, cut-paper designs in the exhibition, then take it home to continue their investigation into how light affects art. Image credit: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1715890317129?aff=oddtdtcreator. Related Exhibition: Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM.
Smartphone Photography
Resident Associate Program
Learn how to take good photos with your smartphone. By understanding a few principles of what makes a good image, you can use your phone’s camera to create stunning photographs.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264212?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/264212?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
CANCELLED - Historic Change: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Althea Gibson
One-Time Events
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: Free, Ticket Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/61ba0630-b193-05df-ee37-853ec2f42dad?tg=0d9b6243-b630-05d9-7940-91890c85f52c.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Teen Studio: Moonmadness
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–18. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
This October, we’re exploring sculpture—with a spooky twist. Get ready to encounter the most haunting artworks lurking in the Hirshhorn’s collection. This Saturday, check out Moonmad (1944) by Max Ernst, a Surrealist piece that blurs a recognizable face into something totally dream-like. Then we’ll use found objects to create unique sculptures.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing HMSGeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any time. Do this at home! Use found objects to create a…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Paint It Black like Louise Nevelson.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Night of the Living Zoo
Special Zoo Events
Get ready for a spine-chilling evening at the Night of the Living Zoo! The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is bringing its adults-only Halloween party back from the dead Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday Oct. 25.
Tickets will go on sale closer to the event date.
Guests must be 21 years of age or older with a valid ID to enter the event.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Lower Zoo (near the Great Cats exhibit). Cost: $80, including open bar and entertainment
(Members get a 15% discount!)
$30 parking per vehicle. Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/night-living-zoo.
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 7:00 PM – 11:00 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, October 26, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, October 26, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, October 26, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery's Eventbrite page.
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.
Sunday, October 26, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
One-Time Events
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. A Game of Thrones: The Assyrian Crown Prince
Resident Associate Program
Between about 900 and 630 B.C.E. Assyria (in today's northern Iraq) became an empire that dominated the Middle East from Iran to Egypt. Assyrian kings had magnificent royal palaces constructed whose internal walls were lined with huge stone reliefs that illustrate accomplishments of these rulers. The monarch is sometimes depicted accompanied by the crown prince, who was central to the empire’s future. Paul Collins, head of the Middle East department at the British Museum, explores some of the dramatic moments when the transfer of royal power threatened one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient world. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264591?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/264591?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
The End of Communism and the Rise of Putin: Insights from a Reporter in 1990s Moscow
Resident Associate Program
Russia’s transition from the collapse of Communism to the emergence of Vladimir Putin as its dominant leader is a complex story of political upheaval, economic chaos, and shifting social landscapes. Drawing on his five years spent as a journalist reporting for The Moscow Times and Reuters, Adam Tanner provides a window into the 1990s and offers a deeper understanding of the historical, political, and cultural forces that shaped modern Russia.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264767?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/264767?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Mixed Media Art Warmups
Resident Associate Program
Art warmups enable students to jump right into their projects knowing there are no wrong answers. Students work with positive and negative space, do quick sketches, go beyond the color wheel, and use mixed-media techniques to build layers and texture.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264213?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/264213?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
The Ten Greatest Westerns
Resident Associate Program
Historian Clay Jenkinson examines the history and future of the movie Western as a central expression of the American frontier. From a list of great films, he has chosen 10 standouts ranging from Red River and High Noon to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and the remake of True Grit by the Coen brothers.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264619?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/264619?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Beginning Oil Painting
Resident Associate Program
In this four-week class, students are introduced to materials and techniques for oil painting while laying a strong foundation for further artistic growth.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264214?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/264214?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM.
Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Bu!
One time events
Estudio de Cuentos is held one Tuesday per month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. The program’s English version, Storytime Studio: Boo! will be held on Wednesday, October 29. SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS
Estudio de Cuentos ocurre un martes al mes, a las 10 y 11 de la mañana, y está diseñado para niños desde recién nacidos hasta los 6 años y sus cuidadores. Los participantes son bienvenidos a nuestro estudio de arte para disfrutar de un hora especial de juego, lecturas en voz alta, y exploración artística. El programa es completamente en español, y se recomienda que por lo menos un miembro de su grupo (niño o cuidador) hable español.
Estudio de Cuentos tiene cupo limitado. La entrada es por orden de llegada. ESTA SEMANA
¡Celebra la Noche de Brujas y Día de los Muertos durante Estudio de Cuentos! Junto con amigos del Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense leeremos Gustavo, el fantasma tímido por Flavia Z. Drago y…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art in the A.M.
One-Time Events
Inspire early childhood creativity with SAAM during Art in the A.M. Children ages up to 5 years and their caregivers are invited to the museum before hours to learn, connect, and create in the galleries. During this program, participants will take a journey through the seasons by exploring the exhibition Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work. Afterward, participants will craft their own Grandma Moses-inspired greeting cards.
Due to the government shutdown, program registrations are paused temporarily. Please check si.edu for updates or email saamprograms@si.edu.
Image credit: Grandma Moses, Halloween, 1955, oil on high-density fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment © Grandma Moses Properties Co. NY.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zZmf. Related Exhibition: Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 10:30 AM.
CANCELLED: Play Date at NMNH: Bats!
One-Time Events
UPDATE: Play Date for Tuesday, October 28th is cancelled.
Tuesday, October 28th, is all about bats! Families can celebrate Bat Week by making observations of different bat species for our specimen collection, explore different elements of play related to bats, and learn why almost all bat species hang upside down! Come and join us for a fun time learning through play and exploration!
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 Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Bu!
One time events
Estudio de Cuentos is held one Tuesday per month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. The program’s English version, Storytime Studio: Boo! will be held on Wednesday, October 29. SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS
Estudio de Cuentos ocurre un martes al mes, a las 10 y 11 de la mañana, y está diseñado para niños desde recién nacidos hasta los 6 años y sus cuidadores. Los participantes son bienvenidos a nuestro estudio de arte para disfrutar de un hora especial de juego, lecturas en voz alta, y exploración artística. El programa es completamente en español, y se recomienda que por lo menos un miembro de su grupo (niño o cuidador) hable español.
Estudio de Cuentos tiene cupo limitado. La entrada es por orden de llegada. ESTA SEMANA
¡Celebra la Noche de Brujas y Día de los Muertos durante Estudio de Cuentos! Junto con amigos del Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense leeremos Gustavo, el fantasma tímido por Flavia Z. Drago y…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.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.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Houseplants: The Science Behind the Scenes
Resident Associate Program
By understanding how plants work, you can be more successful at caring for them, since knowledge of basic plant biology can be a valuable tool for indoor gardeners fascinated by plants and their unique characteristics. Virginia Velez Thaxton, a horticulturist with the Interiors Section of Smithsonian Gardens, explores the essential factors plants need from their environment and offers an overview of the physiological processes at play.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264768?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/264768?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Storytime Studio: Boo!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Celebrate Halloween and Day of the Dead at Storytime! We’ll go on a ghost hunt in the galleries to investigate Annette Lemieux’s painting Nomad (1988), read Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, and create our own ghostly artworks. Costumes are encouraged, but please don’t bring large appendages, masks, or weapons.
Featured book: Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, October 29, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Essence Over Detail: Expression and Sketching in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Discover how to capture your subject with expressive, sketch-like painting that emphasizes the most essential elements over excessive detail.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264215?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/264215?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264964?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264964?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Storytime Studio: Boo!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Celebrate Halloween and Day of the Dead at Storytime! We’ll go on a ghost hunt in the galleries to investigate Annette Lemieux’s painting Nomad (1988), read Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, and create our own ghostly artworks. Costumes are encouraged, but please don’t bring large appendages, masks, or weapons.
Featured book: Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264965?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
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.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265020?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265020?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Volunteer Recruitment Information Session
American Latino Museum
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) is recruiting volunteers for its upcoming exhibition, ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa. Volunteers will support educational programs by engaging in hands-on activities and tours in the museum’s Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History. This information session will help you learn about NMAL’s volunteer program, requirements, and application process.
For questions, please contact nmalvolunteer@si.edu
For ASL interpretation, please email us at nmalvolunteer@si.edu at least one week in advance.
*Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and must be able to volunteer in person at the Molina Family Latino Gallery in Washington, D.C. .
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/Ia3dWC8uQWezZXIV2TDHiw.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
A History of Fantasy
Resident Associate Program
Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on pulp fiction writer, Robert E. Howard.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264587?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/264587?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, October 30, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 30, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264966?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264966?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264967?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265021?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265021?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Sketching the Smithsonian: Weekly Lunchtime Drawing Series
Resident Associate Program
Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing objects from vast, fascinating collections. The theme is inspired by the shifting of the seasons and heavily features nature and objects that speak to the changing colors of fall.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264425?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/264425?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
The Mystical Core of Traditional Religions
Resident Associate Program
Mysticism—the awareness and the conscious unmediated experience of an ultimate reality, divinity, or God—captures the essence of religious experience. Comparative religion scholar Graham Schweig surveys the role mysticism plays in world religions and considers if there is a core mystical experience among these traditions or if each is shaped by unique cultural, linguistic, and religious contexts.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264652?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/264652?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 6:30 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. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, October 31, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Enjoy a fall Friday in the Enid A. Haupt Garden and join one of our knowledgeable volunteers or staff for a free garden tour! Tours are offered each Friday in October at 10:00 a.m. and run approximately 40 minutes.
Meet at the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW (between the Smithsonian Castle and the S. Dillon Ripley Center). No reservation is required. Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264968?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264968?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264969?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265022?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265022?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Psycho-Analysis: A Look Inside Hitchcock’s Horror Masterpiece
Resident Associate Program
Alfred Hitchcock often called Psycho “a big joke” and was horrified to discover that audiences “were taking it seriously.” But his flip attitude can’t disguise what made his 1960 film a landmark in movie history. Working without his usual menu of big budgets, big stars, and glamorous locations, Hitchcock crafted a masterful study of fear and anxiety that still has the power to shock. Media historian Brian Rose explores this achievement.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264592?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/264592?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
CANCELLED: Ocean Hall-o-ween
One-Time Events
Visitors beware, you're in for a scare! Join us for an eerie educational experience in the Ocean Hall, where costumed scientists will share curious creatures, and spooky specimens in the spirit of the season!
Photo of Chimaera by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
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.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Preparing For Winter
One-Time Events
In this workshop, we will reflect on what we have learned this season. We will also explore how the climate and advances in technology alter or affect winter gardening and revisit the relevance of past techniques as we challenge ourselves to be better urban gardeners in the future.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Community Garden. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-preparing-for-winter-tickets-1248558986539?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Open Studio: Mysterious Constructs
One time events
Step into the strange and unexpected this fall at Open Studio.
Each week, we’ll dive into the mysterious and unsettling, exploring works by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Nicolas Party, Max Ernst, and more.
This week, we’ll be inspired by artist Aleksandra Exster’s Harlequin. We’ll explore Constructivist art, in which artists think and practice like engineers to build their works. Bring your imagination to life and build your own puppet!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No reservations or tickets are required.…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: In Suspense!
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, November 1, 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Poetry Reborn: Reading Dante’s Purgatorio
Resident Associate Program
Even though it was written seven centuries ago, Dante’s Divine Comedy is essential reading today. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi explains why as he leads three all-day seminars focusing on each of the Divine Comedy’s three canticles: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He highlights the originality and brilliance of Dante’s poetic vision, explaining how this great poem became one of the most influential works in literary history. This session focuses on Dante's Purgatorio.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264073?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/264073?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 3:00 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. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Take this drawing fundamentals class as your first step in learning to draw. You learn to translate that stunning image in your mind or what you see in front of you onto paper, building a strong foundation for your drawing or painting practice.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264217?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:15 AM – 1:15 PM.
Starting Simple: What You Need to Begin Oil Painting
Resident Associate Program
For those getting started in oil painting, the array of available materials can feel overwhelming. This lecture offers an introduction to the basics needed to create a streamlined, effective setup.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264216?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/264216?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Joy of African Movement
One-Time Events
Mentally and physically recharge with our Joy of African Movement series using a variety of dance movements from the African diaspora, including Capoeira, Contemporary Dance, Stepping, Hip Hop, and Traditional West African Dance.
On Saturday, November 1 from 10:30am-11:45am in the Sylvia Williams Gallery, join KanKouran West African Dance Company, the premier West African Dance Company in the U.S. KanKouran preserves and promotes traditional West African culture by providing quality entertainment and educational programs to local and national audiences to facilitate cross-cultural enrichment.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Sylvia Williams Gallery (Sublevel 1). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joy-of-african-movement-tickets-1778156858029?aff=oddtdtcreator%29. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit africa.si.edu. DC | Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
One-Time Events
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for commemorating our ancestors. Rather than a period of mourning, it is an occasion for celebrating with family—both living and dead—and honoring the cycle of life. Enjoy family-friendly activities throughout the day, including coloring activities, and paper marigold and mask making. Visitors are invited to leave photos and mementos of their loved ones on the ofrenda (altar), or commemorate them by writing their names on a butterfly to attach to the memorial arch. Papel picado demonstrations will be presented by David Amoroso. Learn about the significance behind the traditions of pan de muerto (bread of the dead), and tin milagros (miracle or surprise). Visitors of all ages can enjoy dance performances by Grupo los Tecuanes (Mixtec) at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium. Cost: FREE.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
NY | Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
One-Time Events
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for honoring our ancestors and remembering those we have lost. Learn about the ofrenda (altar), and take the opportunity to commemorate a loved one who has passed with a note or memento.
Family-friendly activities include making paper marigolds and butterfly masks will be available while papel picado artist Blanca Amezcua leads demonstrations from 11 AM-4 PM.
New York-based Aztec dance group Cetiliztli Nauhcampa will present traditional dances around the community ofrenda to honor ancestors at 11 AM and 2:30 PM.
Visitors can experience Mixtec musical traditions with a performance by Pasatono Orchestra at 12:30 PM.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Rotunda. Cost: Free.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
WILD Nature Play Club
One-Time Events
Presented as a pilot program by the National Zoological Park’s Little Critters: Nature Play, our WILD Nature Play Club will meet on the first Saturday of every month at the Anacostia Community Museum where we will explore the half-mile loop trail right next to the museum. Join us for unstructured play time in nature as well as a child-directed hike through the George Washington Carver Nature Trail. At the end of the hike, we will gather together for a story and nature activity then head back to the museum. Come prepared for our time together by dressing for the weather, bringing an extra pair of clothes, closed-toe shoes, water, and a snack!
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-nature-play-club-tickets-1685498805299?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Coffee and Critiques: Artworks in 2-D Media
Resident Associate Program
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join Smithsonian Studio Arts instructor Nick Cruz Velleman for a small-group feedback conversation focusing on artwork in 2-D media. Receive kind constructive feedback and ideas, ask questions, and engage in discussion on art theory and practice with the goal of producing the artwork you are working towards.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264218?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/264218?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Masterpieces of the Middle Ages: A Romanesque Reawakening
Resident Associate Program
The year 1000 sparked a remarkable revival of artistic expression, particularly in 11th- and 12th-century France. From that renewal emerged the Romanesque style, which reshaped the spiritual and cultural landscape of medieval Europe. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton explores this vibrant period through its cathedrals, churches, cloisters, and monasteries?beautiful spaces created to instruct and inspire. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264738?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/264738?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Introduction to Pointed-Pen Calligraphy
Resident Associate Program
This elegant script, commonly known as copperplate, is unmatched in its usefulness for social stationery. Beginning with basic tools and mechanics, students discover how to develop their skills and to recognize the small details that make this style of writing so appealing.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264219?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/264219?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
Figure Drawing - In Person
Resident Associate Program
In this intermediate level class, students revisit fundamentals of human anatomy and experiment with techniques and approaches.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264220?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 2:15 PM – 5:15 PM.
Teen Studio: Pulling Strings
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–18. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
This fall, we’re exploring sculpture—with a spooky twist. Get ready to encounter the most haunting artworks lurking in the Hirshhorn’s collection. This Saturday, we’ll take inspiration from Aleksandra Exster’s marionettes, on view in the exhibition Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960. Then we’ll use found objects to create our own marionettes.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing HMSGeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any time. Do this at home! Transform…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Alien Build with Huma Bhabha.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu.