Despite being the capital of one of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful nations, Washington DC’s stature as a cultural hub is often dwarfed by the vibrant reputations of  sister cities such as New York and Los Angeles. However, the 600,000-plus-strong city of DC is actually home to a plethora of experiences that pay homage to the country’s history, art and culture. Nowhere is this more evident than in the treasure trove of museums that punctuate its acreage. Below we outline five must-see DC museums that should feature on any itinerary.

National Air & Space Museum

Officially the world’s fifth most popular museum in the world by visitors, the National Air & Space Museum welcomed 6.2 million guests in 2018 alone. Built in 1976 and overseen by the Smithsonian Institute, it traces the evolution of flight, starting with the original 1903 Wright Flyer – the first successful airplane, built by the Wright brothers – to artefacts from the Apollo 11 moon landing and beyond.

National Gallery of Art

Perched near the US Capitol Building lies the National Gallery of Art. Constructed in 1937, the museum comprises two wholly separate wings – the West Building, modelled after the Pantheon in Rome, and the East Building, designed by notable architect IM Pei. Within their expansive walls, art aficionados can discover a seemingly never-ending parade of masterpieces by such majestic maestros as Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt, Picasso and more.

National Museum of African American History & Culture

The latest addition to the DC museums list, the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) stands as a tribute to the bittersweet African American experience. Thoughtfully organised in a chronological fashion, the tour begins in the basement by outlining the start of the slave trade and its subsequent spread throughout colonial US. It then proceeds upwards through the building, concurrently tracking the subsequent rise of African Americans during the civil rights movement towards emancipation and equality, and ultimately concluding on the triumphant appointment of the country’s first black president.

Newseum

Standing as a physical ode to freedom of press, speech and religion, the Newseum’s arresting facade features a 75ft slab of pink marble engraved with the words of the First Amendment, which canonised these precepts into the United States Constitution back in 1791. Within its seven storeys reside memorials to some of the most iconic moments in journalistic history, be it the 9/11 gallery – replete with a portion of the communications antenna that was salvaged from the ruins of the World Trade Centre – or the Berlin Wall exhibit, which boasts the largest segment of the original wall outside of Germany.

International Spy Museum

Unlike the more sombre DC museums, the International Spy Museum – forefronted by a huge, completely non-clandestine neon sign that reads “Spy” – offers a fun and light-hearted romp through the history of spycraft. Rather aptly, each visitor is issued a cover identity upon entering the International Spy Museum. From there, they can explore the nearly 10,000 espionage-related artefacts on display, uncover the lives of such notorious spies as Mata Hari, or even test their own spy skills in a series of interactive quizzes.

Text: Tenzing Thondup