Tuesday, February 20, 2007

The Smithsonian group of museums in Washington, DC, is worth a trip of its own to the nation's capitol. The Smithsonian Museums feature guided tours, activities, and special programs in a range of interests, from art to space to history to science to nature and animals.

The Smithsonian group of museums includes: the Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as The Castle), which houses the Smithsonian Information Center; the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, the largest collection of air and spacecraft in the world; the Smithsonian Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, featuring modern and contemporary art; the Smithsonian Freer Gallery, featuring a world-renowned collection of art from the East (Japan, Korea, China, South, and Southeast Asia); the Smithsonian Sackler Gallery, connected to the Freer, and exhibiting Chinese, ancient Near Eastern, and Asian art; the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, featuring contemporary and ancient art from Africa; the Smithsonian Natural History Museum (a favorite with families), featuring dinosaur, whale, and shark displays, as well as the legendary Hope Diamond; the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, exhibiting Native American objects from ancient pre- Columbian civilizations through current times; the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum featuring famous portraits and the largest collection of American art in the world; the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery, exhibiting American crafts and contemporary arts from the 1860s and 1870s; the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, focusing on African-American culture; the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, displaying the largest stamp collection in the world; and the National Zoo, featuring over 400 different species of animals. Two other Smithsonian Museums are currently closed for renovations (due to reopen in Summer 2008): the Smithsonian American History Museum and the Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building.

Admission to the Smithsonian Museums is free (yes, free), and most are open daily 10:00 am - 5:30 pm (except December 25). Some events and exhibits (such as the IMAX theater at the National Mall Building) require reservations and/or ticket fees. Many of the museums feature gift shops and cafés, so you can easily spend the day without leaving to search out a restaurant.

If you are headed to Washington, DC, CRSHotels.com has the perfect hotel for you. Choose the Phoenix Park Hotel, offering Irish hospitality and style and its critically-acclaimed authentic Irish pub, The Dubliner, The Washington Plaza Hotel, located on Thomas Circle, The Four Points by Sheraton Downtown, located in the historic business district, the State Plaza, in fashionable Foggy Bottom, the Henley Park Hotel, in the heart of Washington's metro center, or the Hotel Lombardy on Pennsylvania Avenue. In historic Georgetown, famous for its restaurants and clubs, choose the Georgetown Hill Inn, an all-suite hotel.