Also, each game that they play at FedEx Field is among the top attended games in the NFL and tickets are difficult to get. You’ll need a good ticket broker.

The Washington Redskins joined the NFL in 1932 when they were still known as the Boston Braves. They were awarded the franchise under the efforts of George Preston Marshall. It was not an easy path towards glory for the franchise. It had its share of groping for form, needing competent coaches and players to be among the contenders in the NFL. Putting up a competitive team is never that easy, and this is what they experienced in the first few years of existence in the NFL.

Coaching changes were a key part in the success of the team. Past coaches include, George Allen (1971-77) and Joe Gibbs (1981-92 and 2004 to present). Redskins fans are waiting for Joe Gibbs to return the Redskins to some of their former glory.

Playing in the NFC East, the Redskins games against the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles are especially good ones to see thanks to very strong rivalries in this conference.

There are 23 galleries within the Museum that follow the history of aviation from the Wright Brothers to space exploration, highlighting the major advancements in technology and the exciting discoveries along the way. The Welcome Center gallery features the Voyager, the first airplane to fly non-stop without refueling around the world in 1986. Two large murals, the Space Mural: A Cosmic View by Robert McCall and Earth Flight Environment by Eric Sloane, cover the east and west walls of the two-level gallery.

The Museum collection consists of over 50,000 aviation and space related items, as well as NASA commissioned artwork of the early years in space. Some of the original collection remains, which includes the Stringfellow steam engine and the Chinese kites which were donated to the Smithsonian at the closing of the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Noteworthy artifacts include the Wright 1903 flyer, Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 Columbia space module, Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega 5B, an 11-foot model of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier, and Perot’s Spirit of Texas helicopter, the first to fly around the world. Numerous ongoing exhibits at the NASM include Treasures of American History, Milestones of Flight in the main entry hall, Explore the Universe, and Jet Aviation, as well as a new exhibition America by Air, which is scheduled to open in November 2007.

Other attractions at the NASM include the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and the 230-seat Albert Einstein Planetarium. The Planetarium received the Carl Zeiss VI planetarium instrument from Germany, giving it the unique distinction of the only automated spacequarium in the world. In addition, the NASM houses the National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor, a permanent memorial to the many people who have contributed to the nation’s history. Daily activities at the NASM include lectures by curators, discovery and explore stations, flight simulators and demonstrations. Detailed information and past exhibitions can be viewed online at the Museum’s website.

Further space exploration and innovations in aviation brought more items to the collection, far too many to be housed in one exhibit facility. Established by legislation in 1993 under former president Clinton, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center opened near the Dulles Airport on December 15, 2003 as an annex to the NASM. Named after its largest donor, construction of the facility was made possible by a $65 million gift from this Hungarian immigrant and co-founder of the International Lease Finance Corporation, world’s largest lessor of aircraft. Over a million people visit the facility each year where an estimated 100 aircraft and 122 space items of interest are on display in the McDonnell Space Hangar and on three levels in the Boeing Aviation Hangar. Visitors can trace aviation history through the exhibit stations of Korea and Vietnam, the Cold War, World War II, and present day technology. Boeing Aviation displays include the Enola Gay Super Fortress, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, and the deHavilland Chipmunk acrobatic plane. Other historical aircraft include the Piper Cub J-3, the Concorde, Northrop Black Widow, and the Goodyear blimp, Pilgrim. Display stations in the Space Hangar exhibit rockets and missiles, human space flight, and science in space, with featured attractions including the Gemini VII space capsule, Explorer and Pioneer satellites, a Redstone rocket, and the Mobile Quarantine Unit used on the return of the Apollo 11 crew.

A special year-long exhibit at the Udvar-Hazy Center highlights Pan Am’s opening of Pacific routes, the pioneers, and the Japanese-American stewardesses of the Jet Age, with memorabilia from the recently closed Airborne Dreams exhibit in Hawaii. In addition, volunteers from the NASM operate the Donald D. Engen observation tower at the Center, where visitors can view airplane departures and arrivals at Washington Dulles International Airport. The tower is accessible by elevator, with entrance on the ground floor adjacent to the IMAX Theater. Major improvements and an additional wing are being planned to accommodate the increased attendance and growth of the collections in the Center. Phase Two will include a Restoration Hangar, a 30,000 square foot Archives facility, housing two million photographs and 20,000 film and video titles, a Collection Processing and Storage Unit, and the Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory.

Space and aviation films are scheduled year round at both IMAX theaters, with the calendar for 2007 including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Magnificent Desolation at the Hazy Center, and Space Station 3D at the National Mall. Cosmic Collision, the Stars Tonight, and Infinity Express are offered daily at various show times in the Einstein Planetarium. Tickets can be purchased online.

Hours: Daily (except December 25), 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., National Mall Building, Independence Ave & 4th Street, and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air and Space Museum, Chantilly, Virginia. Admission: Free.
Smithsonian Info: 202-633-1000, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tours: Docent guided, daily at 10:30 and 1 p.m., both locations. Group reservations: 202-633-2563
Parking: public lots nearby (none at museum), $12.00 public parking at the Hazy Center, annual parking passes available.
Handicap accessible. Museum stores and concessions at both locations.

The Museum features collections in every field of science including 30 million insects kept in boxes and four and a half million plants pressed on paper in the herbarium. It has the world’s largest vertebrate zoology collection of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and fish, with over 650,000 specimens of birds, another seven million fish in jars, and at least another two million artifacts. Permanent and temporary exhibits display everything from butterflies, orchids, and corals to sharks, gemstones, and moon rocks. The permanent Kenneth Behring Hall of Mammals exhibit alone has 274 specimens, and the Dinosaur Hall traces the history of these prehistoric creatures for over 225 million years.

Other attractions at the Museum include displays of the culture and religion of the Sikh people of Punjab, a part of India and Pakistan, the family and their environment in Africa, and the best of nature and wildlife photography, as well as a Korean Gallery of culture and history dating from the 6th to the 21st century, performances by Asian dance groups, and international arts and crafts. Additional interactive resources are available including numerous online exhibits, virtual tours, a discovery room, an insect zoo, and a fossil lab. In addition, there are discover carts stationed in various exhibit rooms, where visitors can meet with museum docents who assist in the interpretation and observation of selected items of interest. Schedules of these events and locations are usually available Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon.

Visitors can enjoy other activities at the National History Museum such as 3-D films at the Samuel Johnson IMAX Theater, adults - $8.50, seniors - $7.50, youth - $7.00; live jazz and dining at the Jazz Café, every Friday from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m., $10.00 cover charge.

Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (extended Spring and Summer hours to 7:30 p.m. on specific days. Closed December 25. Admission is Free.
Tours: Free. Tuesday – Friday, 10:30 & 1:30 p.m., entire tour lasts about 75 minutes, but visitors can leave or join at any time.
Dining: Atrium Café, Espresso Bar, Fossil Café, and outdoor food carts.
(Note: Smithsonian Information Center (The Castle), 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 a.m., Ph: 202-633-1000.)

Today, the vast wealth of material (over 530 miles of shelf space) is housed in three separate buildings on Capitol Hill - the Jefferson, which opened in 1897, the Adams, opening in 1939, and the Madison Memorial Building in 1980. The Library of Congress has over 134 million items, which includes over 29 million catalogued books and printed material in 460 languages, 50 million manuscripts, the largest collection of rare books in North America, and the world’s largest collections of films, legal materials, maps, sheet music, and sound recordings. The three buildings form an impressive “Temple of the Arts,” which is in keeping with Jefferson’s beliefs in universal knowledge. Their interior design holds as much significance, perhaps, as the material contained within. However, there is so much to include in the discussion of each building that only an overview will be provided in this article.

At the entrance to the main Jefferson building, we find Roland Perry’s sculpture of the fountain and scene of Neptune’s court, the sea gods, and creatures from the sea. Thirty-three heads, representing various ethnic groups, surround the first floor windows of the building. Once inside the Great Hall, we walk across marble floors and the centerpiece of the sun with inlaid brass Zodiac symbols to the double staircase. The figures of Minerva at War and Minerva at Peace stand on marble pillars at the base, and cherubs, representing occupations and pursuits of daily life, adorn the railings. Names of famous authors are inscribed on tablets above the windows and on the walls, while famous quotations, paintings, poetry and mosaic panels, and medallions are displayed along the corridors, in the lobbies, and above the entrances to reading rooms. Eight statues of the main reading room symbolize the eight categories of knowledge -philosophy, art, science, religion, law, history, and commerce - with inscriptions of famous quotations relative to the subject. Adding to this are 16 bronze statues of men who represent accomplishments in each field of knowledge, and forty-eight state seals are displayed in the stained glass windows of the reading room. Highlighting the interior dome are Edward Blashfield’s murals of the 12 major countries or eras that had an effect or contributed to American civilization.

Much of the more modern interior of the Adams building reflects the Art Deco period introduced at the 1925 Paris Exposition with formica, glass tubing, and metal work. Figures at the entrance doors depict various heroes and gods from historical writings, and Ezra Winter’s murals on the walls of the North Reading Room display the characters from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The Madison building is recognized as a permanent memorial to our 4th President James Madison, as the father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Inscribed on panels throughout the building are the famous words and quotations from Madison.

There are a number of research centers and reading rooms in the Library, which focus on a variety of subjects from poetry, art, and children’s literature to international collections, newspapers, and rare books. The Manuscript Division is visited frequently by researchers and students, where over 50 million items are kept in 11,000 separate collections. Featured collections include the papers of 23 presidents, from Washington to Coolidge, the Gutenberg Bible on parchment, and Buddhist scripture from 770 A.D. In addition to Washington’s inaugural address, Lincoln’s Gettysburg, the paper tape of the first telegraphic message, and Bell’s sketch of the first telephone, there are over 800,000 items in the rare book collections. There are important military and Congressional documents, as well as papers from reformers and other people and groups who played a part in our non-political, scientific, and cultural history.

Other areas of interest in the Library of Congress include the Africa and Middle East Division and the American Folklife Center. Exhibitions at the Library have included American Treasures from history, and ongoing such as Bob Hope, Gerry Mulligan and his jazz, and an extensive collection of Maps in our Lives. Free to the public throughout the year are symposiums, film screenings, and lectures on these exhibits and various subjects. The Library sponsors a season of performing arts events, the Screening Shakespeare series in the Mary Pickford Theater in the Madison building, and American Folklife Concerts in the Coolidge auditorium of the Jefferson, in addition to appointing the Poet Laureate of the United States each year.

Upcoming events open to the public include the annual Book Festival on September 29 at the National Mall, hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Festival will have presentations by over 70 authors, illustrators, and poets, interactive activities in various Pavilions, and feature stories and interviews from the Veterans History Project.

Building Hours: Madison & Adams - Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays, Madison - 8:30 to 6:30, Adams – 8:30 to 5:30. Jefferson – Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Reading room hours vary – Ph: 202-707-5387.
Free admission. Closed stack system – material must be requested – cannot be checked out.
Visitors Info: Ph: 202-707-8000. Handicap accessible and assistance available.
Tours: Monday – Friday, 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30; Saturday – 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, and 2:30. Visitors Center, Ground Floor, Jefferson building. Ph: 202-707-9779
Dining: Located primarily in the Madison Building.

The Museum today houses more than 40,000 works of art, covering a period of over 300 years in U.S. history. From colonial portraits, American impressionism, and New Deal projects to 20th century realism and contemporary art, more than 7,000 artists have contributed their talent to the original collection. In addition to Latino, African American, and folk art, SAAM has extensive galleries and exhibits of sculpture, photography, drawings, and crafts. Some of the artists represented here are Sargent, Hopper, O’Keefe, Copley, and Puryear.

After six years and $300 million of extensive renovation, this historic building reopened to the public in 2006. Many of the architectural details were kept from the original Patent Office building, designed by Robert Mills, including the curving staircase, vaulted galleries, and the original marble tiles of the Lincoln Gallery. New additions were made, as well, including the Luce Foundation Center and the Lunder Conservation Facility, where visitors can observe conservators at work through floor to ceiling glass windows. The Luce Center features over 3,300 objects enclosed in glass cases, paintings hung on screens, shelves of crafts and folk art, and drawers of miniatures and medals, as well as large sculptures and interactive computer kiosks providing detailed information on the displays. An additional feature to the building is the Robert and Arlene Kogod glass-canopied, landscaped courtyard that serves as a year-round venue for visitors to SAAM and the National Portrait Gallery. Another unique attraction is the 33-foot installation by Nam June Paik, Korean born video artist, which portrays the states in popular images on TV monitors; e.g., The Wizard of Oz for Kansas.

Current exhibitions include The Prints of Sean Scully, the Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark, honoring the 170th anniversary of the building’s construction and the recent renovation of one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the U.S. Among the upcoming exhibitions planned for the Museum in 2007 are Over the Top: American Posters from World War I, John Alexander’s A Retrospective of neo-expressionist landscape artistry, and the watercolors of Yosemite by Japanese artist Chiura Obata. In addition, exhibits for 2008 will include Color As Field: American Painting 1950 – 1975, a modern abstract collection represented by artists such as Poons, Stella, and Frankenthaler; African American art by Aaron Douglas, and 40 paintings and 50 photographs of Natural Affinities by O’Keefe and Ansel Adams.

SAAM has sponsored traveling exhibitions since 1951, and current displays include the prints and serigraphs of William Johnson’s World On Paper, and Eliju Vedder’s drawings and designs for the 1880 edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The Museum shares the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium with the National Portrait Gallery, where lectures, films, and performing arts presentations are held for the public. In addition to tours and gallery talks, visitors enjoy summer jazz, craft workshops, sketchbook artistry, and other events and programs.

Hours: Daily (except December 25), 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Docent tours: 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. Admission – Free. Handicap accessible, wheelchairs available.
Museum store and dining facilities on premises.
Parking: On street metered and parking lots nearby.

The interior of the Renwick Gallery is one of Victorian grandeur, with a Grand Salon designed to represent the elegant living room of a private art collector. Refurbished in 2000, the 4300 square foot Salon features custom draperies, rose colored walls, and gilded décor, along with the modern technology of laylights, or unexposed skylights. Over 170 paintings and sculptures from the American Art Museum are artfully displayed in the Grand Salon. The collections throughout the Gallery, however, are primarily contemporary exhibits of American crafts, unique objects made from clay, fiber, glass, metal, and wood. Displays on a rotating basis from the Renwick’s permanent collections include unusual crafts such as Larry Fuente’s Game Fish, a sculpted trophy fish covered with colorful dice, toy soldiers, yo-yos, poker chips, and ping pong balls. The grandfather Ghost Clock, draped in a sheet and tied with a rope, is a modern illusionary sculpture of Honduran mahogany created by Wendell Castle. Other exhibits include Albert Paley’s award-winning wrought iron Portal Gates, Marioni’s handblown glass, ceramic sculpture by Voulkos, Schmahmann cabinetry, and Maloof’s Double Rocking Chair.

The Renwick Craft Invitational through July 2007 is a biennial event at the Gallery with exhibits by glass artist Paula Bartron, paper artist Jocelyn Chateauvert, and the ceramics of Beth Cavener Stichter. George Catlin’s Indian Gallery is featured indefinitely in the Grand Salon. This impressive exhibit consists of several hundred portraits and scenes painted by Catlin from 1830 to 1836 on his visits to over 50 Indian tribes living west of the Mississippi. The Indian Gallery, a permanent part of the American Art Museum collection, is probably the best representation of the culture of the Plains Indians ever created. After advocating Indian rights and lobbying Congress for years to purchase the collection, Catlin failed to convince them of the value and significance of his efforts. He eventually went bankrupt and died in1852, leaving his legacy behind. Fortunately, for visitors to the Renwick today, a Philadelphia industrialist paid off Catlin’s debts, purchased the Indian Gallery, and donated it to the Smithsonian a few years later.

The Renwick Gallery is also sponsoring a number of other exhibits including Going West! Quilts and Community from October 2007 to January 2008, highlighting over 50 quilts, considered necessities in the days of the covered wagon. Beginning in March through July of 2008, the avant-garde jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt collection will be on display. The exhibit will include 275 pieces of jewelry, 20 drawings and watercolors, and five sculptures. Throughout the year, the Renwick hosts crafts demonstrations, lectures, receptions, and musical performances in its dedication to the collection and preservation of the finest in American crafts.

Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed December 25.
Admission: Free. Tours and General Info: 202-633-8550. Special event scheduling: 202-633-8534. Museum shop on 1st floor.

Today, the National Zoo is considered one of the largest and best in the world, where hundreds of animals and bird life provide hours of entertainment, fun, and education for the thousands of people who visit each year. Wildlife, native to North America, roam freely through the grounds, while wild birds gather to make the Zoo their home. Indoor and outdoor exhibits include the big cats such as lions, cheetahs, and the rare Sumatran tigers in an African habitat, elephants on the Asian trail, giraffes, sea lions, reptiles, and amphibians. Gorillas and orangutans live in the Great Ape House, while other primates such as the rare golden lion tamarins, howler monkeys, lemurs, and gibbons are kept in a smaller habitat. The Bird House is filled with birds of every type, from flamingoes, herons, and sarus cranes to ducks, pigeons, vultures, and hawks. In addition, education is offered through the Think Tank, where visitors can observe scientists work, train, and interact with the many different animals.

Highlighting the many attractions at the Zoo are the giant pandas, a rare and endangered species. Approximately 1600 of these remain, living in the bamboo forests of central China, while some 160 are kept in zoos where research is ongoing to protect these unusual animals. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were brought to the zoo in 2000 on a 10-year loan from China for extensive study and breeding purposes. Tai Shan made the headlines in 2005 as the first giant panda bred in captivity, a major achievement by the National Zoo. Their efforts have been so successful and attracted so much of the public’s attention that April was designated Panda Month at the Zoo by the mayor of DC. Other animals bred in captivity at the Zoo include the nine cheetah cubs born in 2004 and 2005 (three males are named Draco, Granger, and Zabini from the Harry Potter books). Further along the Asian Trail, new additions in October 2006 include sloth bears, otters, clouded leopards, small fishing cats, Japanese giant salamanders, and the smaller red pandas.

The Amazon River exhibit features the spectacled bear, native only to South America, tropical birds from the rain forests, and giant anteaters in a natural habitat of avocado and cocoa trees, as well as a 27,000 gallon aquarium featuring piranha and other marine life. The Reptile Discovery Center houses turtles, tilapia, and the gharial, the largest of the crocodile species that lives primarily in India and Nepal. This creature is extremely rare, reportedly less than 1,000 remain. The Kids Farm in 2004, is an educational site where kids can interact with the animals, learn to care for them, and for those from the cities, discover that many of our food products come from the farm.

The National Zoo has grown with dedicated community and private support, allowing numerous acquisitions for the exhibits, as well as extensive refurbishment and improvement of the grounds and facilities. In addition to enjoying the natural beauty of the surroundings, visitors can enjoy the variety of free programs sponsored by FONZ that are held throughout the year. These include training and feeding demonstrations, wildlife and migratory bird celebrations, Earth day, African American family day, free summer evening concerts, a Latin American fiesta, and beer tasting, as well as special holiday festivities. ZooFari is an annual fundraising event, featuring music, food, and entertainment, which brings in thousands of dollars for the continued operation and maintenance of the Zoo.

Hours: Open daily, except December 25. October 30 – April 1, grounds from 6:00 a.m., to 6:00 p.m., buildings from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 2 – October 29, grounds from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., buildings from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission: Free. Parking: $4.00 – 1 hour; $12.00 – 2 to 3 hours; $16.00 – over 3 hours +. Free for FONZ members. Street parking nearby is free.
Food concessions, snack stands, and gift shop on premises.

(Note: The official website. http://nationalzoo.si.edu provides online webcams for exploration of each of the exhibits at the Zoo.)

The Gallery complex consists of two separate buildings, the East Wing and the West Wing, linked by an underground passage. Each building is unique in its design, the West Wing resembles the classic architecture of the Pantheon, and the East Wing presents a more modern faceted design by I.M. Pei. The East Wing opened in 1978 under President Carter, and includes modern art, sculptures, and the large research Center for the Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. Sculpture halls, marked by marble urns crafted by Clodion, extend from the central rotunda. The architecture within each of the numerous galleries is designed to reflect the time period of the artwork it displays.

The Gallery houses extensive collections of art including American, Italian, British, Flemish, French, Dutch, and Spanish artists from the 16th century to the present. Extensive collections in the West Wing feature the great European masters from medieval times through the 19th century such as Monet, Vermeer, Van Gogh, and da Vinci, as well as a few American artists from the pre-20th century. The East Wing houses more contemporary art in works by Matisse, Picasso, Pollock, Warhol, and Calder. The Gallery also features collections of French and Italian furniture, ceramics, Brussels tapestries, and tin-glazed earthenware, or maiolica. In addition, there are religious vessels from the medieval period such as the onyx chalice used by Abbott Suger in the 12th century, and over 2,000 objects and gifts from the Widener family including Chinese porcelains from the Qing dynasty.

Six rooms of artwork by Claude Lorrain, the French landscape painter of the 17th century, are on display through August 2007. These 80 paintings and etchings feature separate themes including nature, the countryside, shipwrecks, and biblical and mythological subjects. Rembrandt’s famous painting of his son Titus will be on display in the West Wing through September of this year. The Gallery is also exhibiting panoramas depicting mythological journeys to distant places, and a collection of 100 paintings representing 85 famous international artists from the 16th – 20th century. The Collections Committee of the Gallery recently acquired Alfred Jensen’s Twelve Events in a Dual Universe, and Robert Morris’ Untitled felt wall hanging. Visitors can view photographs and etchings by Scully, a panorama exhibit by Sam Taylor-Wood, and silver prints from Ana Mendietta’s silhouette series of carvings. A special attraction, now on display at the Gallery, is the restored terracotta bust of Lorenzo de’ Medici by an Italian renaissance artist. In 2007, the East Wing of the Gallery will feature 40 paintings by Eugene Boudin, and 63 works in lead, lithography, etchings, and screen prints created by Jasper Johns from 1960 - 1982. The artist has focused on six very ordinary things: Ale Cans, Paint Brushes, Flag, Light Bulb, Flashlight, and 0 through 9.

Visitors may enjoy the six-acre Sculpture Garden, across 7th Street, west of the West Wing, which is easily accessible through six separate entrances. Enclosed by a metal fence, the Garden has a central fountain that becomes an ice rink in the winter, beautifully landscaped grounds, marble benches, and numerous sculptures including ones by Joan Miro, Hector Guimard, Mark di Suvero, Sol LeWitt, Alexander Calder, and Louise Bourgeois

The Gallery is an affiliate, not an actual part of the Smithsonian Institute, and although the Federal Government appropriates funds for its operation and maintenance, the collections and special events are privately donated. Tours, interpretive lectures and programs in several different languages, and children’s films are offered to visitors several times a day. Chamber music, piano, vocalist, and other musical concerts are sponsored at the Gallery each year. Jazz in the Garden is a popular summer evening event every Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. These free concerts are held outdoors through August in front of the Pavilion Café, next to the reflecting pool and fountain.

Gallery Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Closed Christmas and New Years Day. Ph: 202-737-4215
Admission is free.
Sculpture Garden: Monday – Thursday, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Dining: East Building – Cascade Café, Espresso & Gelato Bar; West Building – Garden Café; Sculpture Garden – Pavilion Café.
Bookstore, gift shop, and children’s shop on premises.
Handicap accessible. Online exhibits at the National Gallery website.

The 75,000 square foot Museum has 23,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 6,000 square foot research library, a stamp store, and a gift shop. Escalators take visitors to the floor level of the Museum, which features a 90’ atrium where a railway mail train has been re-created, and five galleries of permanent exhibits. Binding the Nation highlights the progress of mail delivery within the colonies to the westward expansion. As the population grew and spread beyond the urban areas, the needs of customers and communities changed, as well. Mail was often delivered to the local general store by stagecoach and the Pony Express, as rural mail delivery (RFD) was non-existent until 1896. At the same time, the catalog industry arrived to fulfill the needs of farm families living on rural routes. From the past to the present, visitors can research, learn, and participate in the interactive gallery of demonstrations, films, computer stations, and displays.

Another gallery features exhibits along the Star Route, created in 1845 to bring mail across the country by any possible means from snowshoes and dog sleds to canoes and horseback. Mail service gradually changed and improved with the railroad, the automobile, and use of the mail trucks we still see today. Beginning in 1832 and for some time, mail sorting was done enroute from town to town by rail. By the 1900’s and during wartime, the airlines brought cards and letters from overseas, and progress continued to be made in the postal service. The main Philatelic gallery features stamp collections through the years and a vault housing the rare and exceptional ones that are placed in rotating exhibits in the Museum.

Temporary exhibits include the Queen’s Own: Stamps that Changed the World., from Queen Elizabeth II’s personal collection beginning with George V in 1910 through her coronation. In addition, there are stamps from the Jenny Class Reunion and Down with the Fraud, investigations by postal inspectors of crimes against the mail. Mail to the Chief is a collection of drawings made for the U.S.P.S. by FDR. Currently on display through January 31, 2008, Out of the Mails traces the journey of Hugh Finlay, a postal inspector in 1773, as he explored the problems of mail delivery in colonial times. The Trailblazers and Trendsetters exhibit includes the original artwork in stamps designed for notable persons, inventions, and events. In addition, the Museum is featuring the large, impressive Benjamin Miller stamp collection now on display for the first time in 30 years. Donated by Miller in 1925 to the New York Public Library, the collection had been locked and stored after a theft occurred in 1977. It is being presented in two parts due to its size, both at the Museum and online. The first exhibition, ongoing through October 2007, covers rare and unusual stamps such as the 1-cent Z grill that were issued by private companies until 1894. The second part, from November 5, 2007 through January 12, 2009, will include stamps from 1894 to the 1920’s.

Hours: Open 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., every day except December 25. Free admission, and handicap accessible.
One-hour Group Tours: 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m., 7 days a week, for 10 or more, Ph: 202-633-5534. Guided Student Tours: 10:30 a.m., September through May, Ph: 202-633-5535. Walk-in Tours: 30 minutes, as docents are available. Self-guided tours: Maps and pamphlets available at the kiosk by the entrance.
Parking: On-street, and all-day paid parking at Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave.

(Note: Other items of interest to collectors and the general public can be found at the Museum’s online website - Arago: People, Postage & the Post )

The diversity of the collections in the National Portrait Gallery is represented with over 20,000 portraits, photographs, sculpture, and caricatures of the presidents, famous sports figures, celebrities, and national leaders of significance to American history. The Gallery houses several permanent exhibits including “America’s Presidents,” the most complete collection of portraits outside the White House. Considered one of our nation’s treasures and a main attraction of this exhibit is Gilbert Stuart’s lifesize Lansdowne portrait of George Washington, painted some 205 years ago and reflecting unique symbolism and artistry. It was commissioned in 1796 by a wealthy American, Senator Bingham, as a gift for the Marquis of Lansdowne, who displayed it at his home until 1805. This remarkable portrait also resided with the 5th Earl of Rosebury, the Dalmeny House in Scotland, and was eventually loaned to the Portrait Gallery in 1968. Ultimately, this famous work of art, valued at over $20 million, was purchased by the Reynolds Foundation as a permanent gift to the Gallery. Along with a video presentation of FDR through Clinton, the exhibit places special emphasis on the presidents who had the most influence on our nation’s history such as Washington, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

“American Origins 1600-1900” traces U.S history in 17 galleries from the time of the colonists through the Civil War. From Pocahontas and Henry Clay to Nathaniel Hawthorne and Harriet Beecher Stowe, the galleries include photographs, original negatives, and portraits, as well as a special collection of daguerreotypes of many early Americans. Other permanent exhibits at the Gallery include fourteen bronze sculptures of important persons from the 20th century, with emphasis on social justice and worldwide freedom; Bravo, a collection of portraits of noteworthy composers and entertainers in the performing arts, and Champions, the artifacts, photographs, and other memorabilia of our nation’s famous sports figures and their influence on America.

Temporary exhibits ongoing this year include Gifts to the Nation, featuring the people who gave through music, science, and culture, and the Presidency and the Cold War, with video and narration about historical figures such as Stalin and Churchill in the latter part of the 20th century. Portraits of living persons are featured in Americans Now, those who are contributing or influencing our nation through sports, entertainment, politics, science, and art. Other exhibitions scheduled for 2007 include 60 portraits of famous figures from British history such as Henry VIII, Oliver Cromwell, Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher on loan from the National Portrait Gallery in London. In addition, the exhibit has portraits of Darwin and Newton, scientists who shaped much of both countries’ history, renowned portrait painters, and digital video portraits by Sam Wood. The Gallery is also presenting Alexander Talbot Rice, one of the youngest artists to be commissioned for royal portraiture, in a first public exhibition of Queen Elizabeth II’s 2002 Golden Jubilee and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on loan from the Ironmongers historic guild and Windsor Castle.

Being There, an exhibit by photojournalist Harry Benson, includes photos of newsworthy events from around the world, from Jackie Kennedy meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace to the funeral of Martin Luther King. Portraiture Now is a collection of memorable faces and events by five contemporary artists including Alfredo Arreguin, Brett Cook, Kerry James Marshall, Tina Mion, and Faith Ringgold. The artists have created paintings, wall installations, quilts, and other visual art to enhance the public’s awareness of the role each individual played in history such as Cesar Chavez, Frida Kahlo, and Josephine Baker.

The Gallery houses a historical archive of over 6,000 documents and three generations in the family papers of Charles Willson Peale, famous artist, soldier, and naturalist. The Paul Peck Presidential awards, named after the Gallery’s largest individual donor and philanthropist, are presented each year to individuals who have provided outstanding achievement in support of the presidency. Since the founding of these awards in 2002, recipients have included former Ambassador Howard Baker Jr., journalist Hugh Sidey, former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, and Arthur Schlesinger, author and professor.

Hours: Open daily, 11:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Closed December 25. Free admission. Ph: 202-633-8300
Dining: Upper West Side Café, 3rd floor, and Portico Outdoor café.
Walk-in Tours: Weekdays – 11:45 a.m., 1:00 and 2:15 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays – 11:45 a.m., 1:30 and 3:15 p.m. (1st and 3rd Saturday of the month also offered in Spanish). No reservations required. Guest speakers, curators, and historians present lectures and special programs throughout the year.

(Notes: A unique feature within the museum is the Lunder Conservation Center, where visitors can view the curators at work in preserving the Gallery’s treasures.)
(Many current and past exhibitions are available for viewing online at the National Portrait Gallery website.)