Smithsonian Museum Tours

How do you get to the Smithsonian? (With DC By Foot, of course!)

In reality, it depends – which one do you want to go to? There are 20 museums AND the National Zoo. You can’t possibly see everything there is to see.

In fact, if you spent 1 minute at each exhibit it would take more than 258 years to see them all, but we’re to help make sure you see the highlights.

We offer 90-minute tours that highlight an individual Smithsonian museum exploring the highlights on the National Mall in our enthusiastic and entertaining way.

We do NOT see everything… but we will endeavor to show you the coolest things on display. This is not a standard museum tour – expect intrigue and laughter (inside voices, though!)

Or book a combo tour that visits more than one!

Important Information:

These tours are available as a private tour only for small groups (maximum of 12 people)

We cannot guarantee to see any specific exhibit/item but we’ll try!

You will have to go through security to enter each museum. There is no skip the line option.

Contact us for rates and availability – info@dcbyfoot.com

Smithsonian Museum Tours

Air & Space Museum Tour



Houston, we have a problem – too many artifacts related to our aviation history to see on one tour! We’ll fly through the most visited of the Smithsonian museums, the Air & Space Museum, to see such gems as the Wright Brothers’ 1903 flyer, the command module from Apollo 11, and the Spirit of St. Louis!

Note: From April 2019 there are rolling exhibit closures. For this reason we are not offering Air and Space Museum tours as much of the museum will be closed and we may not be able to tour the certain exhibits.



Natural History Museum Tour



The T.Rex from Night at the Museum? Yeah, that’s in NYC but we have an elephant in the rotunda! But never fear, the Natural History museum has fossils galore.

If bones aren’t your thing, we’ll take you to see the Hope Diamond and the largest collection of vertebrates!

For private tours rates and availability, please contact us at info@dcbyfoot.com – note this tour runs as private tour and is available to small groups only.

American History Museum Tour



Referred to loving by DC guides as the “Museum of Pop Culture”, American History isn’t all that old, so our history museum has things like: Muppets, Julia Child’s kitchen, Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz! But it has one great historic artifact that everyone should see – the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry and inspired… well, the star-spangled banner!

For private tours rates and availability, please contact us at info@dcbyfoot.com – note this tour runs as private tour and is available to small groups only.

National Gallery of Art Tour



(technically, this one isn’t a Smithsonian but we love it anyways!)

Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh, Monet, Titian – the National Gallery of Art has works from some of the most well-known artists. With ever changing exhibits, this highlight tour explores the traditional art of the West Wing (of the Art Gallery, not the White House!).

The main draw of this stop – the only work of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Americas – Ginevra De’Benci.

Your guide will also explore the outdoor sculpture garden with you.

For private tours rates and availability, please contact us at info@dcbyfoot.com – note this tour runs as private tour and is available to small groups only.

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National Portrait Gallery Tour



Learn insider secrets about the history of the building before it became the National Portrait Gallery and then explore the stories of the people inside with our expert guide.

From Presidents to pop stars, you’ll see some of the most popular works of art and get to know the people they portray.

For private tours rates and availability, please contact us at info@dcbyfoot.com – note this tour runs as private tour and is available to small groups only.

National Archives Tour

Also, not a Smithsonian but it’s nearby and we can include it in the combo tours. Discover the founding documents of the United States – the Bill of Rights, Constitution and Declaration of Independence as well as a few of the hidden items on display.

We can help arrange timed tickets to skip the line with advance notice.

For private tours rates and availability, please contact us at info@dcbyfoot.com – note this tour runs as private tour and is available to small groups only.

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