The cream of Washington DC's remarkable panoply of historical artifacts and fine art works comes under the general auspices of the Smithsonian Institution , which holds the US national collections of everything under the sun. Endowed by an Englishman - James Smithson, illegitimate son of the first Duke of Northumberland, who never even visited the US - the Smithsonian was established in 1846 "for the increase and diffusion of Knowledge." This broad brief is reflected in its impressive range of research centers and museums. Nine line up along the Mall, four more are just north, and the zoo is a few miles north beyond Rock Creek.

The original home of the Smithsonian, the 1849 Norman-style Smithsonian Institution Building, known as The Castle , stands on the Mall halfway between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. It was at first devoted to scientific research but, as the Smithsonian became more of a museum, the sheer accumulation of items necessitated the construction of the various other buildings along the Mall. The old Castle is now the Smithsonian headquarters and main visitor center , 1000 Jefferson Drive SW (daily 9am-5.30pm; tel 202/357-2700), with the latest details on all the galleries available from the high-tech information desk. The ornate tomb of James Smithson (after death, he finally made it to the US) is in an alcove just off the Mall entrance, and the lovely flower-filled Enid A. Haupt Garden (daily: summer 7am-8pm; winter 7am-5.45pm) fronts the Castle on the south side. You can still get a feel for the days when the Smithsonian was known as "the nation's attic" by visiting the adjacent Arts and Industries Building , DC's first "National Museum," which once displayed the hundreds of objects sent here for safekeeping after the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Although some of the Victoriana artifacts remain on display, the building's main focus now is temporary exhibitions by the African-American History Center and the American Indian and Anacostia museums.

Smithsonian Institution

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Explore Smithsonian Institution

• Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
• Freer Gallery of Art
• Hirshhorn Museum
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Museum of African Art
• National Museum of American History
• National Museum of Natural History
• National Zoo
• Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery

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