Best Washington DC Hidden Gem Attractions
THE 10 BEST Hidden Gem Attractions in Washington DC
Best Washington DC Hidden Gem Attractions
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Travellers' Choice Awards winners (including the "Best of the Best" title) are among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor, according to the reviews and opinions of travellers across the globe.
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- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.
Religious Sites • Churches & Cathedrals
Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
Cleveland Park
Speciality Museums • Art Museums
Cleveland Park
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Georgetown
Speciality Museums • Historic Sites
Cleveland Park
Military Museums • Speciality Museums
Cleveland Park
Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
Cleveland Park
Monuments & Statues
Cleveland Park
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Gardens
National Mall
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What travellers are saying
- emptynestingnowLouisville, CO36 contributionsFun experience and beautiful displays. All ages can enjoy and great for families with little kids. The poinsettia displays and the architectural exhibits were amazing.Written 8 December 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Judy BoycePasadena, TX51 contributionsOH THE ORCHIDS!!! And that was the clue that this was going to be something special!! Marjorie Merriweather Post split her year between this mansion, a home in the Adirondacks in New York, and the Florida estate Mar-A-Lago, which she had built!
Went with a group of 6 family adults and we (age 31 to 85) all enjoyed it. We went to the greenhouse while waiting for our docent tour of the mansion to start. The orchids were beautiful and the greenhouse included other colorful plants.
Highly recommend a docent tour. Even the employees whom we encountered after the tour were very knowledgeable and answered our questions. After the docent tour we had a rest and a lovely lunch in the Merriweather Café and then toured the gardens seeing the Friendship Walk, Putting Green, Lunar Lawn, Japanese-style Gardens and Vista Terrace. The Japanese Gardens were at a lower altitude, so some of us passed on that--because what goes down must come back up.
If possible, plan your docent tour for later in the afternoon. We had a late morning tour and the sun streaming into the French Drawing Room kept us from kept us from seeing it well. We all went back later and just wandered through the mansion seeing things we didn't notice the first time around.
When you arrive you are given a booklet about everything and it was helpful during our walk. There is also an audio tour available. Although the roses weren't blooming, the greenhouse made up for it.
We spent most of the day here and didn't regret a minute of it. Wear comfy shoes.Written 24 January 2025This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - NatParkTravelersAlexandria, LA154 contributionsIt is a beautiful shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. We were glad that we registered for the tour. We had a limited amount of time and it is such a large church, with so much to see. We did have a little time to walk around after the tour, but wished that we would have dedicated the day to attend mass and explore the church and grounds. The church has a cafeteria that is open on Saturday and Sunday.Written 5 November 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Marilu B202 contributionsA small, well curated collection of modern and contemporary works of art. You can walk it all within 90 minutes.
From one of El Greco’s version of St Peter and Monet’s later works to Rothko and Tamayo, there is a little bit for everyone.
I think $20/person is a bit stiff for such a quick visit specially when several areas of the house/gallery were not accessible to guests during my visit.
But, if you have a couple of hours to spare in DC, this gallery is worth visiting.Written 26 January 2025This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Carmen S1 contributionI can’t believe I’ve lived my whole life without viewing baseball through a “uniquely postal lense!” The exhibits are super cool. Five stars.Written 24 November 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Robert DBrooklyn, New York5,375 contributionsThe National Museum of Asian Art has two parts. The Sackler Gallery is underground and features rotating temporary exhibits. "The Print Generation" featured Japanese prints made during the mid-20th century. One interesting print was a portrait of James Michener, 1957, by Hiratsuka Un'ichi. The artist surrounded Michener with Japanese artworks, including his own at the upper right. The museum has this work in its collections and displayed it to the right of Michener's portrait. It is titled Bunraku Puppet "Yaoya Oshichi", 1952.
"Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork" featured 17 vessels that were made out of hammered metal. The one in my photo by Hagino Noriko (2016) is comprised of over 300 metal strips, hammered together.
The other museum of Asian Art is the Freer Gallery. When Charles Lang Freer donated his collection to the Smithsonian, he attached the conditions that no loan objects could be exhibited and no additional items could be purchased. Hence the Sackler Gallery hosts the temporary exhibitions and the Freer Gallery shows exclusively items from Freer's collection.
One of the treasures of the Freer Gallery is the Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler. It was painted in 1876-77 for the London townhouse of Frederick Leyland. The mural illustrates the quarrel between Whistler and Leyland. Freer purchased the room in 1904 and brought it to his home in America in order to display his collection of porcelain. It is an experience to go inside the room and admire Whistler's painting and the porcelain displayed on the shelves.Written 21 January 2025This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - William T6 contributionsThe park is so huge and we only had a couple of hours. Will definitely have to go back during the different growing seasons!Written 18 March 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Explorer590534585161 contributionThe place is in need of somebody living inside and enjoying that beautiful estate as co-owner or free renter (U.S President alike) . You did a good 360 photography job. Where did you find that red antique royal car?Written 5 December 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Emily MUnited States1,456 contributionsWe thought the tour was well done and worth the trip. Parking was easy and plentiful, it's to the left after you enter the gate. We enjoyed learning about the history of the veteran's home and the house that presidents used. No pics are allowed in the house, and there's almost no furniture inside, but the tour guide gave good descriptions of what the rooms were used for. The Visitors Center also has nice exhibits. Definitely recommend if you have some extra time in the DC area.Written 26 August 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- bluejeanfoodPhiladelphia, PA864 contributionsA little something for everyone. Had DanDan, Creamery, On Toast, and few other places. Prices were average and the good was all decentWritten 13 December 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Gill OAscot, UK727 contributionsWe did this instead of the Monument on advice. Check first that it’s open (although I think it’s open pretty much every day). It’s a two lift journey to the top for spectacular views over DC with very knowledgeable guides. And you find out about the old Post Office too!
Doesn’t take too long. On the way up you also see the amazing inside of the Waldorf Astoria which is a sight in itself!Written 5 October 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - JJacobs2015Washington DC, DC63 contributionsBoth the permanent collection and special exhibitions were excellent, helping us learn about artists that we hadn't previously known, although we were surprised by some of the absences of artists we do know (e.g., no Mary Cassatt?). The renovated building feels extra-luxe with ample restrooms, good signage, etc. The library has a terrific collection of artist monographs. We were, however, let down by the gift shop, which seems to lack both distinctive NWWA items and a meaningful collection of books about specific women artists, including those actually featured in the exhibitions.Written 12 August 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- ElaineAndGregChesterland, OH3,089 contributionsThis attraction is a solid "4", and I mean that in a good way.
The National Building Museum was originally built as a pension-related structure some time after the Civil War. Congress designated it as a museum in 1980.
This museum is really two or three things. First, for free, you can walk around the outside. it is just a few blocks from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and National Portrait Gallery. It is maybe a 10-minute walk north of the National Art Gallery. It is a beautiful building surrounded by a 1200-foot frieze of a long line of Union troops. On a nice day, it's a wonderful sight.
Again for free, you can walk and see the enormous lobby inside. It is dramatic. It is popular as a venue for events, so it may or may not be open when you visit, but even if it is closed just go up a level or two and you can view it from above.
The museum shop is really a cut above and, again, entrance is free. The shop is full of all kinds of books and items related to architecture and design. It is almost an attraction in and of itself.
This is an enormous structure and everything I've listed so far is free. The museum itself costs something like $10 and it is kind of mixed. Still, I would come here.
It is mixed because for all of the building's huge size and scope, the museum itself is in rooms around the periphery and totals perhaps fewer than 10 galleries. They are fun, but the amount of content does not quite match the building's scope.
When I visited there were several exhibits, all worthwhile in their own way. One was a review of Brutalist architecture and its presence in Washington, DC. While I dislike that style of architecture (for 15 years I had to look at one outside of my office window), they provide a balanced critique of it. The exhibit politely advocates for preservation, but has some amusing quotes, including one about the FBI headquarters being the ugliest building in America. I think there are worse, and wouldn't mind the wrecking ball ending most, but I appreciated the effort.
Another, more whimsical, exhibit related to futuristic city plans by Frank Lloyd Wright, primarily of Pittsburgh. They've taken his plans and turned them into attractive animations. If you have seen the videogame "Starfield" you will see common elements.
Kids will like the Lego architecture, complete with Lego versions of famous buildings and an area where kids can use Legos to build their own.
This is an off-the-beaten attraction in DC, but has its own charms and is well worth a visit.Written 10 November 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - NoraatcSudbury, MA40,708 contributionsOn a rainy morning I headed to the the Anderson House, the home of the Cincinnati Society, the nation’s oldest patriotic organization founded in 1783 by a group of officers of the Continental Army who served together in the American Revolution. Its mission is to promote knowledge of the achievement of American independence and to foster fellowship among its members. I read about the Cincinnati Society in Tom Chaffin’s book “Revolutionary Brothers” and this is what sparked my desire to visit its home. Luckily I managed to be there on the last day before the holidays: starting today Anderson House is closed.
A nice surprise was waiting for me: there was a temporary exhibition “Fete Lafayette”, which presented very interesting historical documents about the involvement of the Marquis de Lafayette in the American Revolution war and his stride to include the French fighters for the American Independence in the Cincinnati society.
Larz and Isabel Anderson built their gorgeous mansion, “Florentine villa in the midst of American independence” in 1905, so it serves dual purpose: it educates visitors about the Cincinnati Society and its importance as well as allows access to its gorgeous interior. The decor is a pinnacle of taste. Stunning, just stunning! The ball room alone with its beautiful piano is a treasure, but what about the library, the second floor private rooms, the walled garden, the terrace? Everything is magnificent!Written 21 December 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - MrMrsHappyRLiverpool, UK1,472 contributionsA bit if a walk from The Lincoln Memorial but still worth it if you are inspired by Science and this statue is a fitting tribute to the great man. If you get your photo taken with him, you can send it on social media via the tag #PhotoswithAlbertWritten 10 September 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.