Exploring the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

One thing that's very notable of Washington DC are the museums. Most of the museums happen to be right next to each other around the Smithsonian area of Washington DC and surrounding the National Mall which is a large strip of grass in between the United States Congress and the Washington Monument.

If you want your vacation to be very educational, the best place to start would be Smithsonian. You can take the blue metrorail line and get off of the stop known as Smithsonian. Once you exit the stop, you'll find yourself in the National Mall. Surrounding the National Mall would be the Smithsonian Institution which is the world's most famous museum complex.

The Smithsonian Institution is a collective of all sorts of museums. However, not all of the museums are all in one spot. You might have to take a few metrorail lines to get to the others. But using the metrorail is very reliable and very cost friendly. The best bet would be to visit all the museums around the Smithsonian area.

Currently, you cannot go into the Art & Industries Building because it's preparing to undergo major renovations. The date of the renovation and the completion date hasn't been given. Chances are it's not going to get renovated anytime soon. You can cross that off the list of museums and facilities to visit during your trip to Washington DC.

The National Museum of American History is currently closed at the moment as well. It's also undergoing renovations and will reopen the summer of 2008.

However, the other museums are open for you to check out and explore.

The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery has two outstanding collections of Asian art along with works of American artists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Expatriate James McNeill Whistler's only surviving example of interior design is in the form of the opulent Peacock Room.