Best Things to Do in Anacostia

Barry Farms

Penn Quarter

Penn Quarter

The Arts and Industries Building is the second oldest Smithsonian museum on the National Mall, located in Penn Quarter. It opened in 1881 and hosted an inaugural ball for President James A. Garfield.

Penn Quarter

The Capital Jewish Museum, officially the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, is a historical society and museum located in Penn Quarter that focuses on the history of Jewish life in Washington, D.C., and its surrounding metropolitan area.

Anacostia

Honfleur Gallery is located on Good Hope Road in the Anacostia Historic District neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and was established in January 2007 by the Action to Rehabilitate Community Housing group.

The Wharf

The International Spy Museum is an independent non‑profit history museum that documents tradecraft, espionage, and the contemporary role of intelligence. It holds the largest collection of international espionage artifacts on public display and moved to L'Enfant Plaza in 2019.

Penn Quarter

LabX is an attraction located in Penn Quarter.

Southwest Waterfront

The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., showcases artifacts spanning four millennia of biblical history.

Chinatown

The National Building Museum focuses on architecture and urban planning, offering temporary exhibits in its spacious Great Hall. Visitors can explore the design of buildings through curated galleries.

Downtown

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is an attraction located in Downtown. It opened its permanent home on the National Mall in 2016.

Penn Quarter

The National Museum of African Art in Penn Quarter displays a large collection of traditional and contemporary African works, including 9,000 pieces. Its photographic archive and library support research into African culture.

Penn Quarter

The National Museum of American History is located in Penn Quarter on the National Mall.

Penn Quarter

Located in Penn Quarter, the National Museum of Natural History offers free admission and operates nearly year‑round with only a single day off per year.

Penn Quarter

The National Museum of the American Indian is an attraction located in Penn Quarter that showcases the culture of Indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Navy Yard

The National Museum of the U.S. Navy is a flagship attraction located on the grounds of Washington Navy Yard, housed in the former Breech Mechanism Shop of the old Naval Gun Factory.

NoMa

The National Postal Museum is an attraction in NoMa, Washington, D.C., where visitors can explore extensive postal history from the United States and other countries.

The West End

Octagon House is an historic house located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., built in 1799 for John Tayloe III.

The West End

The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum located in The West End, showcasing American craft and decorative arts from the 19th to 21st century.

Southwest Waterfront

Capitol Hill

The Sewall-Belmont House and Museum is located on Capitol Hill and offers a look into the local history through its preserved architecture and curated exhibits.

Woodland

The Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum is an attraction located in the Woodland neighborhood.

The Wharf

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in The Wharf offers permanent and traveling exhibitions that explore the Holocaust through survivor testimonies and archival collections.

Penn Quarter

The U.S. National Archives in Penn Quarter preserves and documents key federal records, including acts of Congress and presidential directives.

Capitol Hill

Located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall, the United States Capitol serves as the seat of the United States Congress. This neoclassical building with a white exterior forms the origin point for Washington, D.C.'s street-numbering system and its four quadrants.

Downtown

In Downtown, the Washington Monument stands on the National Mall, honoring George Washington with its towering obelisk.

The West End

The World War II Memorial is a national memorial in Washington, D.C., situated in The West End on the Mall.

Capitol Hill

The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial is an attraction located in Capitol Hill.

Navy Yard

Penn Quarter

Arboretum

The National Capitol Columns are a monument in the National Arboretum, featuring an arrangement of twenty‑two Corinthian columns that were part of the United States Capitol from 1828 to 1958.

Penn Quarter

The National Gallery of Art sits on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets in Penn Quarter. It is open to the public for free and was established in 1937 with a substantial donation from Andrew W. Mellon.

Penn Quarter

The Smithsonian National Carousel is a popular attraction located in Penn Quarter.

The West End

The Art Museum of the Americas in The West End showcases modern and contemporary art from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Anacostia

Craig Kraft Studio is an attraction in the Anacostia neighborhood.

The West End

Decatur House is a historic house museum at 748 Jackson Place in Washington, D.C., located in The West End and named after its first owner, Stephen Decatur Jr.

Anacostia

The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site is located at 1411 W Street, SE in Anacostia and preserves the home of Frederick Douglass, who lived there from 1877 until his death in 1895.

Colebrooke

The Smithsonian Museum Support Center serves as a storage and conservation hub for collections that are not displayed in museums. It typically remains closed to the public due to security concerns, though special tours may occasionally be arranged.

Parkland Terrace

The Smithsonian NMAI Cultural Resources Center is located in the Parkland Terrace neighborhood.

Downtown

The Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain is a memorial fountain located in President's Park, Washington, D.C., dedicated in October 1913.

Capitol Hill

Emancipation Hall is an underground addition to the United States Capitol complex and serves as a gathering point for up to 4,000 tourists.

The Wharf

Jefferson Memorial is an attraction located in The Wharf that honors Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence.

The West End

The Lockkeeper's House is the oldest building on the National Mall, located at the southwest corner of 17th Street, NW and Constitution Avenue, NW, near Constitution Gardens. It dates back to 1837.

Navy Yard

Overlook is an attraction located in the Navy Yard.

Downtown

The Petersen House is a 19th‑century federal style row house in Downtown Washington, D.C., known for being the place where President Abraham Lincoln died on April 15, 1865 after being shot at Ford’s Theatre across the street.

Congress Heights

Arnold Heights

Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouse is an attraction located in Arnold Heights.

NoMa