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Visitor Information
FREE admission:
  • Smithsonian museums & the National Zoo (DC, VA)
  • American Indian Museum Heye Center (NYC)
  • Note: Tickets are not used for general admission.
Entry fee:
Information for
PDF Download Visitor Survival Guide Visitor Guide (PDF)Download Adobe Reader for PDF files at get.adobe.com/reader.
Smithsonian Mobile

Maps and Directions

The Smithsonian Visitor Center in the Castle is centrally located at 1000 Jefferson Dr., SW, Washington, D.C. Ten of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., span an area from 3rd to 14th Streets between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km).

Parking

The Smithsonian does not operate any parking facilities except at the National Zoo, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, and the Anacostia Community Museum.

  • There are numerous commercial parking lots and garages located within several blocks of the museums on and near the National Mall. See parking map (PDF).
  • Parking at the Zoo is a flat fee of $22. Free for FONZ members at Premier Level and above.
  • Parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center costs $15 per vehicle; parking is free after 4:00 p.m. Tour and school buses park free.
  • Parking is free at the Anacostia Community Museum.

Smithsonian Museums on and Near the National Mall

Click on the name to view on the map

Tips for Visiting

The use of public transportation, including taxis, in Washington is recommended.

Washington's Metrorail subway system and Metrobus link the city with nearby communities in Maryland and Virginia. Metrorail is conveniently located near many Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo.

Mall Museum Map (PDF) »

Parking map (PDF) »

Metrorail Subway System »

Capital Bikeshare »

DC Circulator National Mall Service Map »

Bicycle Racks

Bicycle racks are located outside the following museum entrances:

  • Air and Space Museum
  • American Indian Museum
  • American History Museum
  • Castle east and west ends of building
  • African Art and Sackler Gallery outside garden gates on Independence Ave.
  • Hirshhorn Museum
  • Natural History Museum Constitution Ave. entrance
  • Postal Museum 
  • Udvar-Hazy Center
  • National Zoo near Conn. Ave. entrance and Zoo police station on Lion/Tiger Hill

Elsewhere in Washington, D.C. and Virginia

Click on the name to view on the map

National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., approximately 30 minutes by car or public transportation from the National Mall. Public parking is available for a fee.
View Zoo on map »

Anacostia Community Museum
1901 Fort Place, SE, Washington, D.C. Free public parking is available.
View Anacostia Community Museum on map »

Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia, near the intersection of Rts. 50 and 28. Public parking is available for a fee.
View Udvar-Hazy Center on map »

Museums in New York City

Click on the name to view on the map

American Indian Museum New York
One Bowling Green, near Battery Park in lower Manhattan. It is adjacent to the Bowling Green station of the East Side IRT and close to the Whitehall Street station of the BMT and the South Ferry station of the West Side IRT.
View American Indian Museum New York on map »

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Located on Museum Mile, at the corner of 91st Street and Fifth Avenue.
View Cooper Hewitt on map »