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Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
The Experience Band and Show Performance
One-Time Events
We Inspire through music, arts, and black excellence. As we continue our month of performances, we will have a curated playlist to engage guests with music encompassing the wide breadth of our audiences' interests. While having opportunities for audiences to engage in memory making moments to mark their museum experience as they celebrate Black History Month 2026 with us.
Featured Experiences:
The Experience Band & Show
Photobooth Activation.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Heritage Hall. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Masters and Mediums: Trois Crayon
Resident Associate Program
In this Masters and Mediums class, meet Botticelli, Michelangelo, Watteau, and other masters of trois crayon art and learn techniques that help you on your way to inspired three-chalk art.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265269?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/265269?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. City of Knowledge: Science, Power, and Place
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
City of Knowledge is a four-part, cross-institutional program series that contemplates Washington, D.C. as a center of scientific power, specifically how geography, politics, and Federal institutions—including the Smithsonian, founded with a bequest from a scientist—shaped American scientific identity. The series examines how institutions shape public trust, policy, and civic engagement in American science, as well as how scholars, communities, and cultural stewards influence the creation and circulation of knowledge. In the first program, panelists explore moments from the history of the physical sciences to ask: How did federal institutions and national priorities influence scientific research? , How did scientists, scholars, and institutions navigate the relationships among knowledge, power, and local politics and affairs? This is a conversation designed to spark dialogue among panelists and with the audience. The evening wraps with open Q&A, so questions are part of the program.
This project received…
Event Location: American Institute of Physics, 555 12th Street NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20004. Cost: Free, but registration required. Seating is limited. Get Tickets/Register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/j5gd69d. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.
Film Screening & Discussion: The Inquisitor
One-Time Events
ACM Beyond The Exhibition presents a film screening and discussion together with Indie Lens Pop-up, WETA, Allen Chapel AME Church, and The Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC).
Explore the life and legacy of Barbara Jordan in The Inquisitor. Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moral clarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impeachment to civil rights battles, her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced struggles few ever knew of. The film will be followed by a discussion. Light refreshments will be available before the screening from 5:30 to 6:30pm.
About ACM Beyond The Exhibition
Keeping engagement alive while our gallery transforms.
While we undergo an exciting exhibition installation from January through May of 2026, our work continues beyond the walls. Join us for a vibrant series based on History, Wellness and Culture hosted at partner locations throughout Ward 8, January through March 2026.
These free programs carry forward ACM’s program…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Allen Chapel AME Church 2498 Alabama Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-discussion-the-inquisitor-tickets-1979728027824?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Black-and-White Analog Photography
Resident Associate Program
Learn about using old school cameras, developing film, and creating images. Topics covered include inexpensive cameras, filters, film, and the developing and printing process.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265270?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/265270?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
John Brown and the Civil War
Resident Associate Program
John Brown, a devout Christian and fierce abolitionist, rose to prominence during “Bleeding Kansas, ” fighting to keep the state free of slavery. His 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry and subsequent execution made him an international symbol of the anti-slavery movement. Though best known for Kansas and Harpers Ferry, some scholars argue that the complicated Brown helped ignite the Civil War. Historian and author Stephen Engle, author of the upcoming Reckoning with Justice: The Execution of John Brown, explores Brown’s transformation from zealot to revolutionary.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265647?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/265647?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Magna Carta: 1215 to Today
Resident Associate Program
Magna Carta began as a failed 1215 peace treaty between King John and his barons. Over time, it became a symbol of citizens’ rights for America’s Founding Fathers. Thomas J. McSweeney, law professor at William and Mary, traces its evolution and debates: principle vs. self-interest, its rise as fundamental law, and its stance on property versus common rights. He concludes by questioning its effectiveness as a model for guaranteeing rights in a republic.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265757?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/265757?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Sicily: Art at the Crossroads of Civilizations
Resident Associate Program
The layers of history are vividly felt on Sicily. A crossroads of civilizations, it has been shaped over millennia by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Normans, each leaving a distinctive mark on the island’s art and architecture. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo leads a journey through Sicily’s extraordinary artistic heritage, revealing how each era left its mark across the island. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265758?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/265758?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 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 the ever-changing cultural landscape of the United States. Allison Bigelow, George Gurney Senior Fellow, discusses Cyrus E. Dallin’s Lafayette (model for colossal statue) (1889).
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cost: Free | Meet in G Street Lobby.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM.
Q?rius Open Late: Botany Specimen Preparation
One-Time Events
The doors are open in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center! Once a month, we’re welcoming you to explore the space from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, even after the rest of the museum is closed. All ages are welcome. As an added bonus, the NMNH botany department will be hosting a botany collections specimen mounting pop-up in February, March and April. Ages 15 and up are welcome to participate with adult supervision. Registration is free and encouraged. Space is filled by a first come first served basis.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, National Museum of Natural History (Ground floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/34058015/qrius-open-latebotany-specimen-preparation-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Live Art Series – The Earth Still Shakes
One-Time Events
On Friday February 27, join performance theorist, choreographer, and curator Jay Pather; performer nora chipaumire; and South African dancer, performance artist, and choreographer Nelisiwe Xaba as they discuss with moderator Ashleigh Coren how they as artists consider spirituality, healing, and connection in their practice, as well as precarity, loss, and a deeper understanding of trauma while working with the notion of love and care as action.
Plasticization sees Nelisiwe Xaba inside a plastic bag used by many migrant travelers. Xaba works through a variety of travelling shoes to foreground the various roles that women are called to play—from labor, to standards of beauty, to fragility. It ends as a comment on the hypocrisy of representation and the continued identities forced onto African women.
Nelisiwe Xaba began her vibrant career in dance almost 30 years ago. She received a scholarship to study at the Johannesburg Dance Foundation, as well as the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in…
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Mezzanine and Sylvia Williams Gallery, Sublevel 1. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-art-series-the-earth-still-shakes-tickets-1982973121988?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, February 27, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Open Studio: Let It Glow
One time events
Big things are happening in February at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll get inspired by our new exhibit Big Things for Big Rooms, where we’ll encounter pioneering installation artists such as Sam Gilliam, Olafur Eliasson, Paul Chan, and Spencer Finch.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Dan Flavin’s artwork “monument” for V. Tatlin (1967). Then we’ll experiment with glow sticks as we make our own glowing installations!
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…
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: Sculpture Spotlight.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 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, February 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations: Stoic Wisdom for the Modern World
Resident Associate Program
Written nearly 2, 000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations remains one of the most profound, practical guides to living with integrity, resilience, and perspective and cultivating one’s self. Philosopher Samir Chopra leads an exploration of this foundational text of Stoicism through a historically embedded reading of passages, with a view to developing a practice of Stoic principles.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265683?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/265683?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
White-Line Woodblock Printing: Advancing Your Techniques
Resident Associate Program
Learn a variety of advanced techniques as you create multiple prints from your favorite white-line woodcut block.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265271?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/265271?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
From Frustration to Flow: Harnessing Wet Techniques in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Wet techniques are more than a method—they’re a mindset, inviting you to embrace spontaneity and let go of precision. Through guided practice, learn when and how to use wet techniques to create an array of effects.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265272?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/265272?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
Art & Me | Family Workshop: New Year Animals
Kids and Family
Celebrate Lunar New Year by exploring ancient Chinese bronzes in the form of animals! In this workshop for children ages 3–8 and their caregivers, families will discover how art conservators care for bronze objects with delicate metal and stone inlays. Then, kids will craft animal artworks by arranging and attaching shapes, inspired by the techniques used in ancient China. Image: Pair of terminal chocks from a chariot; China, 5th–4th century BCE; bronze with gold and silver inlay; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1932.15a–b and F1932.16a–b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1978661296201?aff=oddtdtcreator. Related Exhibition: Art and Industry: China’s Ancient Houma Foundry. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Art & Me | Family Workshop: New Year Animals
Kids and Family
Celebrate Lunar New Year by exploring ancient Chinese bronzes in the form of animals! In this workshop for children ages 3–8 and their caregivers, families will discover how art conservators care for bronze objects with delicate metal and stone inlays. Then, kids will craft animal artworks by arranging and attaching shapes, inspired by the techniques used in ancient China. Image: Pair of terminal chocks from a chariot; China, 5th–4th century BCE; bronze with gold and silver inlay; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1932.15a–b and F1932.16a–b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1978661296201?aff=oddtdtcreator. Related Exhibition: Art and Industry: China’s Ancient Houma Foundry. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM.
Live Art Series – The Earth Still Shakes
One-Time Events
On Saturday, February 28, don’t miss performances by nora chipaumire and Nelisiwe Xaba! 2:00PM acontinua by nora chipaumire, Sublevel 3 Gallery , 3:30PM Plasticization by Nelisiwe Xaba, Mezzanine (S1) , 4:00PM Event Concludes, acontinua- an obituary , a manual for a life lived chasing LIFE by nora chipaumire, nora chipaumire presents acontinua- an obituary, a manual for a life lived chasing LIFE—a work born from the artist’s refusal to participate in retrospective practices. Rooted in the urgency of the now and the live, the work embraces liveness as the only possible mode of creation. As chipaumire states, “as all our experiences become muscle, breath, footfall, backbend, knowledge is shared through proximity to other bodies.” The title “acontinua” is both a declaration and a dedication: a celebration of the continued work of essayist and curator André Lepecki on liberatory choreographies, and a homage to the revolutionary thought of Eduardo Mondlane, the Zapatistas, and the countless unsung women whose…
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Mezzanine (S1) and Sublevel 3 Gallery (S3). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-art-series-the-earth-still-shakes-tickets-1982978035685?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Teen Studio: In the Shadows
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Art School is exploring the big ideas in the Hirshhorn’s newest exhibition: Big Things for Big Rooms. This exhibition explores large-scale sculpture and installation art (or immersive artworks that wrap the viewer in a multisensory experience). This Saturday, we’ll experience artist Paul Chan’s installation 3rd L̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ (2006). Then we’ll make paper puppets and tell a story using shadow puppetry!
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any time. Do this…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: Big Things for Big Rooms.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra - Jazz With a Cuban Tinge
Resident Associate Program
In the 1940s, Cuban musicians such as Mario Bauzá Francisco “Machito” Grillo, and Luciano “Chano” Pozo electrified jazz by fusing it with Afro-Cuban musical elements and simultaneously wove jazz improvisation into Cuban popular music, pioneering a groundbreaking style dubbed Afro-Cuban jazz. The concert honors this enduring legacy of "Cuban Tinge" with selections by these and other artists.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265444?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:30 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.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
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, March 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Kokuho
Films
Watch the Trailer
Introduced by University of Maryland professor Dr. Jyana Browne, an expert on Japanese performance traditions.
Japan’s biggest ever box office hit begins in 1964 in Nagasaki. When 14-year-old Kikuo’s yakuza gangster father is murdered, a famous Kabuki actor takes him under his wing. Along with the actor’s only son Shunsuke, Kikuo devotes his life to this demanding form of traditional theater. The film follows the two men over the decades, from wild success to abject failure, from brotherhood to betrayal, as they push one another to become the greatest living masters of the art.
Epic in scale and sumptuously beautiful, Lee Sang-il's film is about the price of sacrificing everything for one’s art, a fascinating look behind the scenes of this ancient form of theater, and “a stunning tale of art, ambition, and bloodlines” (Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter).
Directed by: Lee Sang-il. Country: Japan. Released: 2025. Length: 175 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles. …
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://icymi.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 3:00 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, March 2, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Monday, March 2, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Impressionist Painting in America
Resident Associate Program
In the late 19th century, American artists studied in Paris, embracing Impressionism’s bright palette and broken brushwork. Returning home to exhibit and teach, they formed “The Ten, ” exhibiting for 20 years. By 1918, shifting art movements and global events rendered Impressionism outdated. Art historian Bonita Billman explores these artists’ defining style, subjects, and masterpieces that contributed to American art history. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265648?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/265648?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, March 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, March 2, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Mineral Rainbow
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday we will be exploring color with minerals! Come play, make art, and make up-close observations of colorful mineral specimens.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please call (202) 633-5238 or e-mail NMNHAccessibility@si.edu. Image: Tectosilicate Mineral Amethyst
Image copyright: Smithsonian.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Orchids for Beginners
Resident Associate Program
Learn from an orchid-care expert how orchids grow in their native environments and beginner care instructions to keep your orchids blooming.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265273?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/265273?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Ephrata: A Town Like No Other: A Radical Utopian Experiment in Early America
Resident Associate Program
The Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a living testament to William Penn’s “Holy Experiment, ” his ambitious vision of a society built on religious freedom, tolerance, and communal living. Founded in 1732 and dissolved in 1934, the cloister’s legacy is remarkable: over 1, 000 hymns, intricate Germanic calligraphy, and striking buildings that still stand. Brad Smith, curator at the Ephrata Cloister, leads a journey into its rich history. He explores the radical theology of this unique religious community and discusses how its members’ preservation of faith, culture, and architecture continues to resonate today.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265701?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/265701?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM.
On Art and History: Black Art Legacies at HBCUs
One-Time Events
In celebration of At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs, join us for a panel discussion exploring the artistic heritage and evolving future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) alongside other key centers of Black cultural preservation. For generations, HBCUs have served as incubators of Black artistic expression, nurturing generations of visual artists and shaping and safeguarding aesthetic traditions. Similarly, institutions such as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture have built renowned collections that document and uplift the breadth of African American culture. Together, these sites form a landscape of creativity, scholarship, and stewardship. This conversation will highlight the collections, key figures, and institutional histories that underscore their roles as enduring hubs of American artmaking, collecting, and exhibition. Panelists will examine how these institutions preserve and advance African American cultural heritage, ensuring its continued…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Concourse, Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4dc58bdf-197b-1283-dc1f-3e02c5c6d03e?tg=c8f13ab8-6537-c4fe-72d3-f53715ac58e6. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Wellness Wednesdays
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and wellness expert Aparna Sadananda for mindfulness programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. On the first Wednesday of each month, join us for an artful meditation, where we will practice slow looking and experience portraiture through breath and slow movement. On the third Wednesday of each month, join us for a wellness program that inspires the senses and includes sound baths and musical meditation. These programs are for ages 18+ and are suitable for all skill levels. No experience is necessary.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-wellness-wednesdays-tickets-1982011714392?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Storytime Studio: I See a Shadow
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
In March, we’ll continue exploring our new exhibition Big Things for Big Rooms, which showcases 10 large-scale installation artworks. This week, we’ll experiment with light and shadow while learning about artist Paul Chan’s artwork 3rd Light (2006).
Featured book: I See a Shadow by Laura Breen, 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 is required.
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. Once the 10 AM session reaches capacity,…
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: Sculpture Spotlight.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art and Human Origins
One-Time Events
Interested in how an artist sees human evolution? Curious about how to bring fossils to life? Come to the Hall of Human Origins to speak with Lynn Sures, DC-based artist and research associate in the Human Origins Program, to discover how art contributes to an understanding of hominin fossils. Bring your artistic and inquisitive mind!
Photo credit: Jennifer Clark.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Hall of Human Origins. Cost: Free and open to the public. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Rivals and Inheritors: The Goths
Resident Associate Program
Between 350 and 750, western Europe underwent a profound transformation. The Roman empire, which had dominated the ancient world for more than half a millennium, collapsed. The last Western Roman emperor was deposed in 476, while new peoples competed with the Roman population and with each other. Historian David Gwynn traces the entangled stories of the Goths, Huns, Franks, and Anglo-Saxons, who interacted in different ways with the Roman empire and its legacy and together shaped the history of Christian Europe and Western civilization.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265673?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/265673?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Growing Community: Perfect Little Plants
One-Time Events
ACM Beyond The Exhibition presents a Growing Community Series together with Martha's Table
Join ACM’s Growing Community at Martha’s Table Healthy Happy Hour, a free weekly community gathering that brings neighbors together for connection and wellness. Stop by the Commons to enjoy refreshing healthy mocktails, nutritious snacks, music, gardening activities, and hands-on wellness activities for all ages.
Discover the best plants for tough spaces—windowsills, desktops, balconies, and front stoops. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore low-maintenance, high-impact plants that thrive with minimal care, whether you have a large outdoor space or none at all.
Participants will create a combination planter featuring 2–3 complementary plants, thoughtfully paired for texture and visual interest, including both flowering and non-flowering varieties. Along the way, we’ll cover the essentials for plant success; proper light exposure, watering techniques, placement, and why plants sometimes don’t thrive, so you can gr…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Martha's Table at The Commons- 2375 Elvans Rd. SE, Washington, D.C. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-perfect-little-plants-tickets-1983553188984?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM.
Palmyra
Resident Associate Program
During the first several centuries of the first millennium, the Syrian desert oasis of Palmyra was a crucial link in an overland trade network that stretched from Rome to India. The profits of this trade were invested in stunning monuments and works of art that fused Western and Eastern sensibilities. Historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the history of UNESCO World Heritage Site Palmyra, its monuments and sculptures, and its fate during the Syrian civil war.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265677?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/265677?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
From Farmhouses to Cozy Homes: Create Your Own Toothbrush Basket or Rug
One-Time Events
Join us for a beginner-friendly workshop where you will learn the art of no-sew crafting and create your very own toothbrush basket or rug to brighten your home. This cultural preservation workshop is part of the Save Our African American Treasures initiative, which inspires preservation efforts across the nation by empowering individuals, families, groups, and organizations to protect and share their history.
About the Workshop, This hands-on experience pays homage to the history of home economics programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Early domestic science classes and extension schools taught vital skills such as sewing, table setting, healthy cooking, and other practical practices that supported economic independence and entrepreneurial opportunities. Traditional crafts like rug making and basket weaving not only enhanced home life but could also provide an additional source of income.
Today, crafts such as rug hooking and rag weaving continue to offer meaningful benefits,…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: $50. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/019c0fbc-813b-41e2-2474-3a9c639e6047. Related Exhibition: At the Vanguard | National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:00 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.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Music from the Hearts of America - U.S. Navy Country Current (Bluegrass)
One-Time Events
The United States Navy Band Country Current is the Navy's premier country-bluegrass ensemble. The group is nationally renowned for its versatility and "eye-popping" musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass. The United States Navy Band Country Current is the Navy's premier country-bluegrass ensemble. The group is nationally renowned for its versatility and "eye-popping" musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass.
Formed in 1973, the band has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, for Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, and overseas in Stockholm, Nova Scotia, and Beijing.
This seven-member ensemble employs musicians from diverse backgrounds with extensive high-profile recording and touring experience in the music scenes of Nashville, New York, New Orleans and more. In the tradition of country music, each member is a skilled performer on multiple instruments.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: 3 East The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Music from the Hearts of America - U.S. Navy Country Current (Bluegrass)
One-Time Events
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: 3 East The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
First Thursdays: Come Look with Us
One-Time Events
Wind down after work with the National Portrait Gallery’s educators as they share their favorite portraits with you. Participants will enjoy close looking and engaging in conversations about artworks in the galleries.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-first-thursdays-come-look-with-us-tickets-1233093649299?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Wild Wood: True Tales of Trees
Resident Associate Program
Trees, the longest-living organisms on Earth, can communicate to one another through intricate underground soil networks, and even thermoregulate, all while rarely dying from old age. Liana Vitali, a naturalist and educator at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Maryland (and self-proclaimed tree-hugger), leads an immersive journey into the fascinatingly complicated and connected life of trees.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265759?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/265759?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Philadelphia Flower Show: Rooted: Origins of American Gardening
Resident Associate Program
A celebration of gardening origin stories inspires the theme of this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show, “Rooted: Origins of American Gardening.” Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the show is both the nation's largest and the world’s longest-running horticultural event, known for acres of beautiful displays. Experience memories and magnificence in a day spent at the show with horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey.
Event Location: Departs Mayflower Hotel, DeSales St side 1127 Conn. Ave NW; Fringe: DoubleTree. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265627?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 9:00 AM – 8:30 PM.
Preservation Workshop: Create An African Crazy Quilt
One-Time Events
Join us for a dynamic quilting experience celebrating the time-honored tradition of crazy quilting with an Afrocentric twist! Led by renowned Quilter Artist, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this intermediate-to-advanced class invites you to piece together stunning African fabrics using free-flowing patterns and embellished stitching to create a striking 9-patch quilt (47" x 47") or versatile tote. Immerse yourself in a quilting technique that embodies resilience, ingenuity, and cultural storytelling. Historically, African American crazy quilting has been an art of improvisation—transforming fabric scraps into meaningful works of beauty. The colors, patterns, and textures woven into these quilts often reflected personal histories, spiritual beliefs, and community narratives. For generations, quilting has been a source of warmth, creativity, and fellowship, offering a space for shared stories and artistic expression. This class offers an extraordinary opportunity for intermediate to advanced quilters to connect…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: $75. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/019c24a5-ee9f-cf0d-cafe-21b5c4f49370. Related Exhibition: At the Vanguard | National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Interactive Craft Demonstrations
One-Time Events
Since the 1890s the students and faculty of the Berea College Student Crafts Program have worked to help keep traditional crafts alive in Appalachia. The tradition continues today as Berea students create pottery, woven goods, brooms, and woodwork that is sold online by the college to offset the cost of their tuition free education.
On March 6 and 7, stop by Coulter Plaza in 1 West to make a broom or try your hand at weaving.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 West, Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
What’s So Critical about Critical Minerals?
One-Time Events
We hear a lot about “critical minerals” in the news. What does this mean and why is it important? The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is mapping the Nation to understand where the critical mineral resources are located. Come talk to geologist Jane Hammarstrom about the work that USGS is doing on critical minerals.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Cellphone Exhibition Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Related Exhibition: Cellphone: Unseen Connections. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Curator's Tour: Revolutions
One time events
FREE
Meet at the Information Desk in the Lobby
Hirshhorn curators Marina Isgro and Betsy Johnson will walk visitors through the exhibition Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960, which surveys one of the most revolutionary periods in art history and which recently had 50 works rotate onto view.
About the Exhibition
Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection highlights works from the early half of the Museum’s collection.
During this period, artists in both Europe and North America—working in light of new technologies, groundbreaking scientific discoveries, and rapidly expanding cities, while also responding to World Wars I and II—invented dramatically novel approaches to art-making. These years saw the development of abstraction in Western art, the increased use of nontraditional materials, and the rise of conceptualism, the notion that the idea behind an artwork is more important than the art object itself. Many artists used their work to comment on social and political issues;…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Information Desk in the Lobby. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Artful Movement | SEL Webinar for Students K–3
Kids and Family
Get ready to observe, chat, and move with art! In these webinars, students (grades K–3) will look carefully at a work of art through facilitated exploration. Then, they will breathe, stretch, and flow through a guided mindful movement. This month’s theme is “Cherry Blossoms.”
These sessions are perfect for families, homeschool groups, virtual schools, and teachers who may want to review a recording with their students after the live session. Everyone who registers gets a link to the recording. Each session includes American Sign Language interpretation. Sessions take place on Fridays from 1 to 1:30 p.m. We present these webinars in partnership with Create Calm. Negoro Raizan 根来莱山; Ueno Takenodai 上野竹之だい; Japan, 1922; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Robert O. Muller Collection, S2003.8.1588.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vo7A2om5RNC8jni0szo3BA. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Open Studio: Uniquely You
One time events
Big things are happening in March at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll get inspired by our new exhibit Big Things for Big Rooms, where we’ll encounter pioneering installation artists such as Spencer Finch, Richard Long, Rashid Johnson, and Lygia Pape.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Johnson’s installation The Changes (2025). Johnson is often known for incorporating his cultural identity into his work. Inspired by his artistic practice, we’ll use everyday objects and other art-making materials to explore the things that make us unique!
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…
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: A World in a Box.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 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, March 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Painting in the Key of Color: A Streamlined Approach to Color in Painting
Resident Associate Program
Much like a musical composition follows a specific key, this watercolor-based workshop—also adaptable to oil and pastel—aims to simplify the painting process using color harmony.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265274?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
The Declaration of Independence: America's Birth Certificate
Resident Associate Program
The Declaration of Independence is a peculiar document: a literary masterpiece that was written jointly by a committee of 5 people. In a full-day seminar, historian Richard Bell, a specialist in the American Revolutionary era, explores its origins, creators, purpose, and global influence. He examines how contemporaries perceived it, what transformations it triggered, and why it continues to hold significance.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265649?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/265649?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Embroidery 101 Workshop - In Person
Resident Associate Program
In this workshop, students learn the basics of hand embroidery with a simple project and leave the class feeling confident in their ability to finish it with all they have learned.
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/265275?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:15 AM – 2:15 PM.
Interactive Craft Demonstrations
One-Time Events
Since the 1890s the students and faculty of the Berea College Student Crafts Program have worked to help keep traditional crafts alive in Appalachia. The tradition continues today as Berea students create pottery, woven goods, brooms, and woodwork that is sold online by the college to offset the cost of their tuition free education.
On March 6 and 7, stop by Coulter Plaza in 1 West to make a broom or try your hand at weaving.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 West, Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
Sweet Home Café Chef’s Table & Book Signing with Author Carolyn Quick Tillery
One-Time Events
Visit Sweet Home Café to enjoy a special menu curated by five-time published cookbook author and Tuskegee University alumna, Carolyn Quick Tillery. Her African American Heritage Cookbook series explores the history and heritage of Historic Black Colleges and Universities through recipes, narratives, diary excerpts, and vintage photographs. Tillery uses food and recipes as a tangible link to the past by highlighting traditional dishes to tell the story of HBCU's.
Copies of her cookbook, The African-American Heritage Cookbook: Traditional Recipes and Fond Remembrances From Alabama’s Renowned Tuskegee Institute will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises. For more details visit Sweet Home Café's webpage. Timed-entry passes are required to enter the museum.
Schedule
Book Signing, Meet & Greet at 10:30am - 11:30am (C-Level)
Feature menu available at 11:00am (Sweet Home Café).
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Concourse Level. Cost: Free to attend. Menu items vary in price.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit nmaahc.si.edu. DC | Women's History Month: Native Women Leading the Way
One-Time Events
Spend the day celebrating the strength, creativity, and leadership of Native women through vibrant performances, meaningful conversations, and family-friendly activities throughout the museum. From Haudenosaunee traditional dance to hands-on artmaking and powerful stories of resilience, this program invites visitors of all ages to experience how Native women have led—and continue to lead—the way.
SCHEDULE, Level 1, Potomac Atrium 11 AM, 1:30 PM, and 2:45 PM | Haudenosaunee Cultural Experience Join Michelle Schenandoah (Oneida), founder of the nonprofit Rematriation, and the Schenandoah Family Dancers as they share the living traditions of their family and their dedication to protecting and passing forward cultural knowledge. At the heart of this work is a recognition of the enduring physical, emotional, cultural, and political strength of Haudenosaunee women. Grounded in the principle of “returning the Sacred to the Mother,” Michelle’s work in Rematriation calls us to move…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium. Cost: FREE.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Community Day at The Warehouse at Turkey Bend—Houston, Texas
American Latino Museum
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino at the Warehouse at Turkey Bend for a FREE, fun-filled afternoon to celebrate community storytelling and the preservation of family histories. The community day will feature a pop-up preview of the Latino Museum’s exhibition “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa,” reading and story time opportunities with the Houston Public Library’s Mobile Library, music, hands-on activities, and a Reflections audio booth to leave your Houston history memories. Learn how the National Museum of the American Latino can build a museum that honors the dreams, challenges, and triumphs of U.S. Latinos, elevating our stories within the nation’s narrative. This program is co-hosted with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the Houston Public Library.
Schedule Coming Soon!
Registration is highly recommended through Eventbrite.
For questions, contact nmalevents@si.edu.
By signing up for this program you will be signed up to receive the National Museum…
Event Location: The Warehouse at Turkey Bend (5803 Navigation Blvd. Houston, Texas 77011). Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-day-at-the-warehouse-at-turkey-bend-houston-tickets-1981946219495?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Visual Journaling Creativity Workout
Resident Associate Program
In an afternoon of artistic experimentation designed to strengthen creative muscles and deepen skills in visual expression, explore five distinct modes of visual thinking—memory, observation, imagination, narrative, and experimentation—to complete eight expressive journaling exercises using the marking and mapping approach.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265276?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/265276?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Smartphone Photography
Resident Associate Program
Learn how to take great 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/265277?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/265277?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
Teen Studio: Rest Is Restorative
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
This month, Art School is continuing its exploration of the big ideas in the Hirshhorn’s newest exhibition: Big Things for Big Rooms. The show explores installation art, meaning large-scale artworks that wrap the viewer in a multisensory experience. This Saturday, we’ll experience Rashid Johnson’s The Changes (2025). Then we’ll DIY our own shea butter lotion in Art School!
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time. Do this at home! Create…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Olafur Eliasson: Rainbow Reflections.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 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.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Beyond the Studio Workshop: Papercutting with Annie Howe
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Learn basic techniques of papercutting with local artist Annie Howe. Howe’s intricate papercuts have been used for a variety of story-telling projects for local businesses around DC and Maryland. During this hands-on workshop, participants will create a finished papercut from one of Annie’s custom-designed templates and leave with the confidence to continue practicing the skill at home.
Please note that space is limited for this program. The activity will require the use of sharp blades; may not be suitable for children.
Photo by Laura Chase De Formigny.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: MacMillan Education Center. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2skzB.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Magellan
Films
Watch the Trailer
In this historical drama, acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz retells the story of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s 16th-century voyage to Southeast Asia. But this retelling radically upends traditional European narratives of conquest.
Diaz foregrounds the stories of the people Magellan sought to colonize—especially his personal slave, a Malay named Enrique. The film reveals how Magellan’s obsession with power led to mutiny, rebellion, and ultimately an apocalyptic clash between two societies previously unknown to each other.
Meanwhile, this tale of human strife contrasts with “visually intoxicating, at times gasp-out-loud ravishing” cinematography (The New York Times) as Diaz highlights the otherworldly beauty of the Malay Archipelago.
Intended for mature audiences.
Director: Lav Diaz. Regions: Portugal, Spain, Philippines, France, Taiwan. Released: 2025. Length: 163 min. Format: DCP. Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Cebuano, and French with English subtitles. Image…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://icymi.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Captioning. Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 2:00 PM – 5:00 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, March 9, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Monday, March 9, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Coming to America: European Musical Artists Meet the United States
Resident Associate Program
Beethoven never made it to the United States, but hundreds of important musicians and composers did. From early touring megastars like Adelina Patti and Paderewski to successful later refugee émigrés such as Rachmaninoff and Kurt Weill, America has long welcomed great artists. In a four-session series filled with musical excerpts, speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the siren call of America to musicians.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265760?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/265760?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, March 9, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, March 9, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Historically Speaking – Faith Over Fear: A Conversation with Michael Leach
One-Time Events
Michael Leach is a distinguished leader whose journey spans the South Side of Chicago, the NFL, and the White House. Across roles in professional sports, national politics, and public service, Leach has become a trusted voice on faith, leadership, and resilience in uncertain times. He previously served in the White House during the Biden administration and is the Founder and CEO of BridgeTrust Partners. In his book Faith Over Fear, Leach reflects on how faith is formed through practice, trust, and perseverance rather than certainty. Moderated by Justin Tinsley, senior culture writer for Andscape, the conversation will explore the inspiration behind the book, Leach’s writing process, and how purpose, calling, and connection shape the way we live and lead with courage today. Book sales will be available courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: Free, Registration Needed. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/019c8bad-ac3b-674f-f0ff-b8729d83bab9.
Monday, March 9, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Save a Spider Day!
One-Time Events
Join us for special family Tuesday play date with museum educators!
This Tuesday is all about spiders! Come join us as we have an early celebration of "Save a Spider Day" and learn the many wonderful ways spiders help our planet. Families will be able to explore through play, art, and select specimens from our collection.
Want even more spider and arachnid fun? Join us on Saturday, March 14th for our annual "Save a Spider" The World & Me program!
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, March 10, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Drawn to Figures
One-Time Events
Join us for a sketching session in our galleries! Create, connect and sketch with fellow artists while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. All materials will be provided. Participants are also welcome to bring their own sketchbook.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-drawn-to-figures-tickets-1977612892397?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Converse with a Conservator Gallery Talk: How We Care for Digital Video
One-Time Events
Join Time-Based Media Conservator Dan Finn for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Smithsonian American Art Museum cares for digital artworks. This program explores the preservation of time-based media, including the single-channel HD digital animation, The Last Post by Shahzia Sikander, and examines the strategies used to ensure these works remain accessible as technology evolves.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the G Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2sgab.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Behind the Science: What Was the Real “Paleo” Diet?
One-Time Events
The modern "paleo" diet movement makes many assumptions about what ancient humans ate. Are these assumptions accurate based on what we know about past diets? Paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner explores the significant changes in the evolution of human diets over time, with a focus on meat-eating, through a variety of lines of evidence for prehistoric human diets including living human and chimpanzee diets, fossils of early humans, animals, and plants, and ancient stone tools and DNA.
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About the Series: Behind the Science
A monthly after-hours series featuring NMNH scientists and researchers, Each month, join the National Museum of Natural History for the new series, Behind the Science, where NMNH researchers share insights into their latest discoveries and explore the fascinating questions driving their work—from the origins of life to the future of our planet. Come learn what’s happening behind the scenes and how science shapes our understanding of the natural world. Programs take place…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/53305807/behind-the-sciencewhat-was-the-real-paleodiet-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Liguria: From Genoa’s Palazzi to the Riviera’s Timeless Charm
Resident Associate Program
Liguria is best known for its idyllic seaside towns along the Italian Riviera, from such famed locales as Portofino and Rapallo to humbler fishing towns like Camogli. Art historian Sophia D’Addio surveys the history of the capital city of the region, Genoa, as one of the major maritime powers of the Italian peninsula during the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. She also celebrates its chief culinary achievement: pesto. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265482?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/265482?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
Through the African American Lens – Floyd Norman: An Animated Life
One-Time Events
Floyd Norman: An Animated Life chronicles the extraordinary career of the first African American animator at Disney and a legendary storyteller whose influence spans decades of animation history. Directed by Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkey, the documentary blends original animated sequences with interviews and archival footage. The documentary traces Norman’s journey as an artist, innovator, and cultural trailblazer. Now in his 90s, Norman’s work continues to inspire and shape new generations of animators.
Immediately following the screening, there will be a conversation with Floyd Norman and the museum’s Supervisory Curator of Photography and Film and Director of the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts. Run time: 1 hr 34 min
Rating: PG.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/019c9001-a68e-782c-f50c-56e78d3faf76?tg=019c9001-a693-b72e-ce9e-ca7990c48dbb. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:35 PM.
Storytime Studio: Spider’s Web
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
We’re teaming up with the National Museum of Natural History to discover how spiders spin their silky, super-strong webs. We’ll investigate Lygia Pape’s shimmering installation made of delicate golden threads, Ttéia 1, A (1979/2025), on view in Big Things for Big Rooms, and make our own wonderful webs to take home.
Still curious about our eight-legged friends? Crawl on over to the National Museum of Natural History at 10 AM on Saturday, March 14, for a celebration of “Save a Spider Day!”
Featured book: Walter’s Wonderful Web: A First Book about Shapes by Tim Hopgood, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.…
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: Weave It Together.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Walloping Weather!
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265047?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Walloping Weather!
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265047?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Walloping Weather!
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265048?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Walloping Weather!
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265048?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Expert Is In: Growing Orchids at Home
Smithsonian Gardens
Meet an orchid expert from Smithsonian Gardens or the United States Botanic Garden and learn more about this incredible plant family!
This week, George Guenthner, Collections Gardener (Advanced) at the United States Botanic Garden will share tips for caring for orchids at home, including how to repot an orchid. Drop in at any time during the program and be sure to bring your orchid questions.
This program is offered in conjunction with the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, open during museum hours through April 26, 2026.
Notes:
Free tickets are available for this program here.
Visitors are welcome to drop in at any time during the program, however free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: FREE. Event tickets or museum timed entry passes required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/7accede4-d3b3-cd15-7a2d-2a5984eccc39?tg=ee2fa8f8-68e2-1aaa-9e41-be2209801e08. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
Rivals and Inheritors: The Huns
Resident Associate Program
Between 350 and 750, western Europe underwent a profound transformation. The Roman empire, which had dominated the ancient world for more than half a millennium, collapsed. The last Western Roman emperor was deposed in 476, while new peoples competed with the Roman population and with each other. Historian David Gwynn traces the entangled stories of the Goths, Huns, Franks, and Anglo-Saxons, who interacted in different ways with the Roman empire and its legacy and together shaped the history of Christian Europe and Western civilization.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265674?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/265674?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Lady Snowblood
Films
Gory revenge is raised to the level of visual poetry in Toshiya Fujita’s stunning Lady Snowblood, set in late nineteenth-century Japan. A major inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill saga, this endlessly inventive film charts a young woman’s single-minded path of vengeance after her parents die at the hands of a gang of brutal criminals. Fujita creates a wildly entertaining action film of remarkable craft—an effortless balancing act between beauty and violence. Description adapted from Janus Films.
Director: Toshiya Fujita. Country: Japan. Released: 1973. Length: 97 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Janus Films.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/schedule/6949664f20c97b81d9ac4631. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
The Jewish History of Washington, DC
Resident Associate Program
Discover the deep-rooted and multifaceted history of Jewish life in the nation’s capital during a tour of key landmarks and institutions led by Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours. Highlights of the day include visits to the Capital Jewish Museum; a guided walking tour of the 7th Street corridor, once a bustling center of Jewish-owned businesses; the historic Sixth & I Synagogue, one of the city’s oldest Jewish houses of worship; Arena Stage; and the Museum of American Jewish Military. And enjoy a stop for lunch at a classic Jewish deli.
Event Location: Departs Mayflower Hotel, DeSales St side 1127 Connecticut Ave NW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265628?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:30 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, March 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Walloping Weather!
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265049?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Walloping Weather!
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265049?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Walloping Weather!
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265050?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Walloping Weather!
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265050?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Music from the Hearts of America - The United States Air Force Singing Sergeants
One-Time Events
Join members of the United States Air Force Band’s Singing Sergeants for an afternoon of crowd-pleasing musical theater selections! The soloists will perform timeless classics from Guys and Dolls, On the Town, and Hercules as well as more contemporary selections from The Notebook and Hamilton. There’s something to please everyone on this eclectic program for musical theater enthusiasts and novices alike.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: 3 East - The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Music from the Hearts of America - The United States Air Force Singing Sergeants
One-Time Events
Join members of the United States Air Force Band’s Singing Sergeants for an afternoon of crowd-pleasing musical theater selections! The soloists will perform timeless classics from Guys and Dolls, On the Town, and Hercules as well as more contemporary selections from The Notebook and Hamilton. There’s something to please everyone on this eclectic program for musical theater enthusiasts and novices alike.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: 3 East - The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
America InSight: Verbal Description Tours
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a docent-led tour designed for participants who are blind or have low vision. Discover highlights from the collection through rich verbal descriptions that invoke a multisensory experience.
Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2vUUr.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 5:30 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.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. 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=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Artist Talk: Arlene Shechet
One time events
We strongly recommend claiming a ticket to ensure your seat. This in-person program is expected to be at capacity.
Questions? Email Hirshhornexperience@si.edu
Hirshhorn Insiders, email HMSGdevelopment@si.edu
Join us for an intimate conversation with sculptor Arlene Shechet, whose vanguard practice has developed over decades of consistently experimental, insistently rigorous, and wildly inventive work. Shechet, along with Hirshhorn curator Anne Reeve, will celebrate the installation of her sculpture Maiden May (2023) on the Hirshhorn Plaza and discuss the work’s origins and evolution. Created for the landmark 2024 exhibition Girl Group at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, New York—Shechet’s largest exhibition of outdoor sculpture to date—the work offers avenues to engage the artist’s ceramics practice as well as her concurrent expansion into large-scale metalwork. On the Hirshhorn’s outdoor campus, it will further testify to Shechet’s longstanding concerns with art history and gender, her astute humor,…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Ring Auditorium. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/51604887/artist-talkarlene-shechet-washington-hirshhorn-museum-and-sculpture-garden.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Oaxaca: Crossroads of a Continent
Resident Associate Program
Cultural historian George Scheper explores Oaxaca, Mexico—a vital crossroads from pre-Columbian times to today. He highlights the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, Spanish colonial legacy, and Oaxaca’s evolution into a global arts center. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts well-preserved colonial churches and palaces and a dynamic cultural life that reflects centuries of rich heritage and creative expression.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265650?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/265650?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Soar Together at Air and Space: Blast Off! All about Rockets
One-Time Events
Enjoy activities like videos and hands-on demonstrations learners of all ages can do at home. This month's theme is all about rockets as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the liquid-fuel rocket by Robert Goddard, known as one of the founding fathers of modern rocketry.
Sign up HERE to receive reminder emails when the Soar Together at Air and Space webpage launches!
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free.
Friday, March 13, 2026 – Sunday, March 15, 2026.
For more info visit mailchi.mp. Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Walloping Weather!
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265051?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Walloping Weather!
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265051?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Walloping Weather!
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265052?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Walloping Weather!
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
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/265052?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Author Talk: Alexandra Sellassie Antohin
One-Time Events
Join Heran Sereke Brhan, Deputy Director of the National Museum of African Art, in conversation with Alexandra Sellassie Antohin, author of The Covenant's Veil - Ethiopian Orthodox Tradition of Elaboration (Fordham University Press, 2024). The book explores how contemporary Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity preserves and protects sacred ideas and relationships.
Dr. Alexandra Sellassie Antohin, anthropologist, has been an educator at George Washington University, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Middlebury College, Westchester Community College, and University of Alaska Fairbanks. Dr. Antohin's research has focused on ethnographic studies with Orthodox Christian communities in Ethiopia and the Russian Far East, as well as historical research on the Russian Church in Alaska. Her expertise in community-based qualitative research and her commitment to heritage advocacy enhance her role in supporting cultural institutions and educational initiatives.
Don't miss a book signing with Sellassie Antohin following the…
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Sylvia Williams Gallery, Sublevel 1. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983814876699?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
NY | Women's History Month: "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 pictures
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. Support for this program is provided by The Walt Disney Company.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Lower Level, Auditorium. Cost: FREE.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Open Studio: Between the Lines
One time events
Big things are happening in March at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll get inspired by our new exhibit Big Things for Big Rooms, where we’ll encounter pioneering installation artists such as Spencer Finch, Richard Long, Rashid Johnson, and Lygia Pape.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Pape’s artwork Ttéia 1, A (1979/2025). Pape was a teacher, and the inspiration for Ttéia came from a lesson she used to teach her students about lines of perspective. Inspired by her artistic practice, we’ll use materials like string, thread, and styrofoam to create our own woven installations!
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…
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: Weave It Together.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Soar Together at Air and Space: Blast Off! All about Rockets
One-Time Events
Enjoy a rocket-themed day of hands-on building, make-and-take activities, and family-friendly science. Make and launch straw rockets. , Explore how fins, mass, and noses affect flight. , Enjoy Meet an Expert stations, a kids book talk, and story time. American Sign Language interpretation available for kids book talk and story time.Soar Together at Air and Space Family Days are free to the public. Timed entry passes are required for entry into the museum. Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC. Cost: Free. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit tickets.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, March 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
The World & Me: Save a Spider!
One-Time Events
Let's celebrate SPIDERS!
Join us Saturday, March 14th, for a celebration of "Save a Spider Day"! See spider specimens and other arachnids up close, make observations at live tarantula feedings, and learn about the amazing diversity found within the different spider and arachnid species. Scientists from our museum will also share about the science they do to learn more about spiders and will help us debunk common spider myths. 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 than two-weeks advanced notice.…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Ground Floor, Q?rius: The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
DC | The Art of Quillwork
One-Time Events
Indigenous peoples of the Americas have long decorated clothing and objects with porcupine quills to show care, respect, and love. Quillwork is a creative and skillful tradition passed down through generations. Learn how the art of quillwork is used to create something special at the National Museum of the American Indian. Join artists Joe Big Mountain (Mohawk, Cree, Comanche), Sunshine Big Mountain (Oneida of Wisconsin), and Anthony Hernandez (Northern Paiute) as they share their stories and demonstrate quillwork techniques. Curator Anya Montiel (Mestiza/Tohono O'odham descent) will be on hand for a tour of the special installation Making a Statement, which features work by Joe Big Mountain. Young visitors and their families can stop by the imagiNATIONS Activity Center to learn how deer hide becomes clothing and accessories. Then, design your own rawhide artwork with colorful floral patterns inspired by objects in the National Museum of the American Indian collection. SCHEDULE, ALL EVENTS ON LEVEL 3, …
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, various locations. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Making a Statement.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Family Fun | Nowruz Scavenger Hunt, Story Time & Crafts
Kids and Family
Look toward the coming of spring and celebrate Nowruz with the family! Enjoy a scavenger hunt and storytelling in the galleries and coloring and crafts in the North Corridor. No reservation needed.
Our annual festival is made possible by the Jahangir and Eleanor Amuzegar Persian Cultural Celebrations Fund. National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. Photo by Colleen J. Dugan.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Gallery 3, Gallery 4. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Nowruz Family Festival
Kids and Family
Honor the new year at our annual Nowruz Family Day. Come dressed in your Nowruz best and welcome spring with free attractions for all ages, including storytelling, hands-on activities, and more. Persian sweets and food will be available for purchase. Learn about Nowruz.
Register in advance to make sure you get the best experience. Some activities have a limited capacity, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis.
Performances
All performance locations have limited capacity. No one may enter when the theater is full/at capacity. Storytelling with Xanthe
12, 1, 2:20, and 3:30 p.m.
Ripley Center, Discovery Theater, level B3, Activities
Special thanks to the Family Fun team and our backgammon community players. Haft Sin Table
11 a.m.–4 p.m.
West Building, Lobby (Mall Entrance) , Scavenger Hunt and Storybook Reading
11 a.m.–2 p.m.
West Building, Galleries 3 and 4 , Calligraphy by Alibaba Awrang
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
East Building, B1 Lobby , Children’s Book Reading with Rashin Kheiriyeh
11:30 a.m. 1:30…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Asian Art Museum, West Building. Event Location: National Museum of Asian Art. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nowruz-family-festival-tickets-1982298341702?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Portraiture Festival
One-Time Events
Celebrate art, identity and creativity at the National Portrait Gallery. Explore portraiture through educator-led tours, art-making activities and workshops for all ages. Stay until the end for an original performance by Moveius Contemporary Ballet, commissioned by the Portrait Gallery and choreographed by artist Diana Movius.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/portraiture-festival-tickets-1981957870343?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Music from the Hearts of America - David and Ginger Hildebrand
One-Time Events
This program concerns some of the important events, themes, and both famous and anonymous people of Revolutionary America. Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, and their military and political activities all figure in–as do unnamed authors of several songs.
Arranged from period sources, you will hear songs and patriotic tunes enjoyed not just by soldiers and officers, but by all classes of people. This music includes marches, ballads, and theater songs as well as pieces from the concert hall and dancing assembly. The instruments used in this performance include the harpsichord (spinet), violin, English guitar, Spanish guitar, hammered dulcimer, and flutes. T.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
ONLINE | Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In
One-Time Events
Teachers play a crucial role in advancing the museum’s work to transform popular understandings of Native histories, cultures, and contemporary lives. The annual Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In, hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in collaboration with Teaching for Change, is an opportunity for educators around the world to access classroom resources from the NMAI’s Native Knowledge 360° online education portal, Teaching for Change, the Zinn Education Project, and more. This event will be hosted ONLINE via Zoom.
Teachers will be able to select two workshop breakout sessions that include resource-rich experiences to support effective use of American Indian-focused classroom lessons. The goal of the Teach-In is to support awareness of the museum’s Native Knowledge 360° national education initiative to promote improved teaching about American Indian communities.
Professional development credit and ASL interpretation will be available. $15 | Registration required.
Event Location: Online via ZOOM. Cost: $15 | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://teachingforchange.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/teachingforchange/eventRegistration.jsp?event=11&. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Portrait Signs: A Tour in ASL
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-signs-a-tour-in-asl-tickets-713964475967?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Music from the Hearts of America - David and Ginger Hildebrand
One-Time Events
This program concerns some of the important events, themes, and both famous and anonymous people of Revolutionary America. Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, and their military and political activities all figure in–as do unnamed authors of several songs.
Arranged from period sources, you will hear songs and patriotic tunes enjoyed not just by soldiers and officers, but by all classes of people. This music includes marches, ballads, and theater songs as well as pieces from the concert hall and dancing assembly. The instruments used in this performance include the harpsichord (spinet), violin, English guitar, Spanish guitar, hammered dulcimer, and flutes.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Invisible String
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
This month, Art School is continuing its exploration of the big ideas in the Hirshhorn’s newest exhibition: Big Things for Big Rooms. The show explores installation art, meaning large-scale artworks that wrap the viewer in a multisensory experience. This Saturday, we’ll experience Ttéia 1, A (1979/2025) by Lygia Pape.Then we’ll stitch thread to paper to create unique works of string art!
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time. Do this…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Olafur Eliasson: Rainbow Reflections.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Forever is a Feeling
One-Time Events
Diana Movius, the National Portrait Gallery’s choreographer-in-residence, returns with an original contemporary ballet performance inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. Movius is the founder and artistic director of Moveius Contemporary Ballet and its flagship arts center, Dance Loft on 14. Movius’s choreography has been presented by the Kennedy Center, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Dance Place and other venues. She trained at Charlotte Ballet with Patricia McBride and earned degrees in anthropology and dance at Stanford University.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forever-is-a-feeling-tickets-1981958444059?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. The Road to Nashville
Resident Associate Program
If the Ken Burns documentary Country Music sparked an appetite to learn more about the form’s roots and influences, this tour led by arts journalist Richard Selden offers the perfect way to do it. On the road to Nashville, explore the roots of country music with stops at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and Patsy Cline’s Historic House. In Nashville, participants enjoy the best seats at the Grand Ole Opry, a backstage tour of the Ryman Auditorium, and access to the exclusive Circle Room lounge. The itinerary includes visits to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Johnny Cash Museum, Hatch Show Print, and architectural landmarks. Travelers also savor Nashville’s renowned Southern and contemporary cuisine.
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/265629?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 8:00 AM – Thursday, March 19, 2026, 6:00 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.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. The Smithsonian Consort of Viols: Music of John Ward & Henry Purcell (Masterworks of Three Centuries)
Resident Associate Program
The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of John Ward and Henry Purcell with the Smithsonian Consort of Viols.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264862?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, March 15, 2026, 6:30 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.
Monday, March 16, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Monday, March 16, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, March 16, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
The Princess and the Pirate: Elizabeth I and Grace O'Malley
Resident Associate Program
As Queen Elizabeth I tightened England’s grip on Ireland, Grace O’Malley—one of the most famous woman sea captains of all time—led her country’s fight against English rule. In 1593 these powerful women met in an encounter that shaped the fate of Ireland. Historian and author Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger traces O’Malley’s remarkable life—from gaining wealth and land through marriage and battle to continuing to resist English authority.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265651?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/265651?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, March 16, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Estudio de Cuentos: ¿Quién Soy Yo?
One time events
Estudio de Cuentos is held the third Tuesday of every month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. This program’s English-language version, Storytime Studio: Who Am I? will be held Wednesday, March 18. SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS
Estudio de Cuentos ocurre el tercer martes de cada 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 una 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
Nos acompañará una artista docente de Inspired Child, Melissa Strova-Valencia, para compartir un proyecto de arte y lectura especial. Exploraremos lo que nos hace…
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: Mixed-Up Portraits.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Teeth in the Ocean
One-Time Events
Join us for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday is all about ocean animal teeth! Families can make close observations of different sizes and shapes of ocean animal teeth and learn about how different shaped teeth help animals eat. Come and join us for a fun time learning through play, art, 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 (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families.
Location: This program is held in the Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Ocean Hall is on the 1st floor. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy other areas of the museum and try again later in the program.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Analog Nights
One-Time Events
Slow down, unwind, and take a break from doomscrolling with a screen-free night of creativity and community at the Portrait Gallery. Bring your favorite analog hobby and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the Kogod Courtyard. Need inspiration? Think needlepoint, knitting, sketching, watercolor, junk journaling, mahjong, and more. Each Analog Night will feature a spotlight activity inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Come solo or with friends! For ages 18+.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/analog-nights-tickets-1982549304338?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com.