Sitting across the Potomac River from Washington DC, the city of Arlington is just as much a haven for historical and cultural experiences.
As you look at Arlington real estate you’ll notice a variety of museums in the area, one of the biggest draws for those visiting the nation’s capital.
From a focus on black heritage to cracking open the secrets of spies, there’s an Arlington-area museum for everyone.
Smithsonian National Museum of History
This DC-based museum has everything from a look at eternal life in ancient Egypt to a study of gems and minerals throughout the centuries. The museum and its researchers ask the big questions about society, science, and nature, as well as our place in all three.
There are 147 million artifacts and specimens to view, many of which researchers are still gathering critical information from through their laboratory work.
There are interactive learning centers and educational programming available, as well as temporary exhibits in addition to the long-standing ones.
Planet Word Museum
Logophiles will revel in the education this museum brings to visitors, as it’s entirely dedicated to language.
This immersive exhibit is the world’s first voice-activated museum. Challenge your mind with a puzzle hunt along Lexicon Lane, learn about the origin of words, and deliver a famous speech of your choosing using a teleprompter.
National Gallery of Art
This art museum has a collection of over 150,000 paintings, sculpture, photographs, prints, and drawings that focus on Western art.
Notable works within its walls include a painting of David with the Head of Goliath from 1450, works from Georgia O’Keefe and Monet, and a sculpture garden.
International Spy Museum
The world of a spy is generally a secret one, but this museum pulls the curtain back on espionage and intelligence.
The Spy Museum tackles the historical importance of espionage, as well as the role it continues to play in today’s world.
There’s a briefing center that puts your spy skills to the test, a room of inventions to aid in undercover activities, and an exhibit explaining how collected intelligence is turned into something useful.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
NMAAHC is the only existing museum with the purpose to exclusively document African American history and culture.
There are a dozen permanent exhibits that outline culture, historical, and community themes in African American culture and aim to impart a better understanding of these subjects to visitors.
ARTECHOUSE
This is a way to experience art via exhibitions and experiences powered with cutting-edge technology.
The immersive exhibits aim to ignite all your senses, from giving the experience of walking through a lane lined by cherry blossom trees to experiencing the life of a neuron.
National Portrait Gallery
The Portrait Gallery showcases pictures of people with extraordinary character as well as life-changing achievements. This collection runs the gamut from politicians and athletes to scientists and activists.
It’s the country’s only complete collection of presidential portraits that sits outside the White House. Traveling portraits exhibits from around the nation are brought in in additional to the permanent collection
