National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History is a great place to visit--it has hours of interesting exhibits about evolution, rocks and minerals, dinosaurs, and other fossils. A huge perk--like all of the other Smithsonian museums, admission is completely free. It's a great place to take your kids--but also a great place to visit on your own--it will always hold a special place in my heart, because I went there on my first date with my fiance. They also have some interesting (sometimes unrelated) exhibits that change from time to time--for example, when we visited that time, they had an exhibit on the history of baseball. more

The National Museum of Natural History is probably the best most interesting museum for children, as it includes a variety of animal exhibits. There are many hands on activities offered as well, which makes it a step above many of the other museums in Washington, DC that involve only looking at the exhibits. more

By far one of the best Smithsonians, the museum houses a range of amazing life-size animal models, including gigantic dinosaurs. There are exhibits on mammals, insects, reptiles... almost everything imaginable! An interesting exhibit on rocks/gemstones is also available. Be warned that the museum is popular with visitors, so expect swarms of young children to be running around. more

This is probably one of the best of the Smithsonians (though they're all good). This museum is really large with so many cool and lifesize displays of ancient and extinct animals from different eras. There's insects, modern animals, an aquatic section - all with animal displays. Aside from that, there's a large display of minerals and fossils, with the most notable being the Hope Diamond - the largest blue diamond found. This museum is located right on the National Mall and is very close to many of the other Smithsonians. It's also close to many of the memorials, so it's a great place to stop and take a look around. Be warned though, because it's got lots of displays and things you can touch, there's lots of kids and families running around. more

I love this museum. When I was in DC last summer, I literally went 3 times because the exhibits are just so much fun. I loved looking at the dinosaurs and the natural gemstone/mineral exhibits. It was also fun to go to the Asian culture area and see artifacts from different countries/cultures. Try your very best to ignore the annoying tourists and you'll have a great experience! more