A Note to Constituents with Upcoming Visits to Washington, DC
Greetings!
As you have probably heard by now, budget negotiations are continuing here in D.C. but if they are not completed by Friday at midnight the government will be shutting down. Unfortunately, this means that all the Smithsonian museums will be closed and all White House tours will be canceled. For a list of other ways the shutdown will impact tourists in D.C., check out this link to the Washington Post: http://goo.gl/tPdDi
You may be curious about what will happen to your Capitol tour, as well. At this point, we have been informed that we will not be able to conduct tours during the shutdown. The Capitol, including the Capitol Visitors Center, will be closed to visitors. I wish there was something more we could do because I know you are traveling a great distance and you deserve to see all the wonderful things our Capital has to offer!
To that end, though most of the attractions in D.C. will be affected by the shutdown, it is still a major city with plenty of other things to see and do. Please find a list of things to do in D.C. that will not be affected by the shutdown below. I encourage you to still go to the National Monuments at the National Mall or walk around the tidal basin and see the cherry blossoms!
Hopefully this information will not be necessary, but please feel free to contact our office with any questions you may have.
Patricia
Staff Assistant
Congressman Adam Schiff
Corcoran Gallery
Summary: The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest non-federal museum in Washington, focusing on American art. Guided tours available.
Address: 500 17th St NW
Metro:Farragut West (Blue, Orange), Farragut North (Red)
Hours: 10am-5pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 10am-9pm Thursday, CLOSED Monday and Tuesday
Costs: $10 adults, $8 seniors/students, children under 12 free
Daughters of the American Revolution Museum
Summary: The DAR Museum is comprised of 31 period rooms and 2 galleries.
The collection consists of over 30,000 decorative and fine arts objects spanning the 18th and 19th centuries.
Tour Length: 45 minutes.
Address: 1776 D Street, NW. Two blocks from the White House.
Closest Metro Stop: Farragut West (Blue and Orange Lines)
Hours: GUIDED TOURS: Groups of 9 or less: Free tours on the hour and half-hour Monday through Friday 10 AM to 2:30 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Groups of 10 or more: Reservations are required with a fee of $3 per person. Tours are on the hour and half-hour Monday through Friday 10 AM to 2:30 PM.
SELF -GUIDED TOURS: Anytime Monday through Friday 9:30 AM to 4 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM. Self-guided groups of 10 or more are asked to notify the museum of their planned visit at 202-879-3341 or email museum@dar.org.
Notes: For more information call (202) 628-1776 or visit http://www.dar.org/museum/.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Tour Summary: Home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection.
Address: 201 East Capitol Street, SE
Closest Metro Stops: Union Station (Red Line) or Capitol South (Blue and Orange Lines)
Hours: The library is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM, but is closed on all federal holidays. Docent tours of the building and the current exhibition are available Monday through Friday at 11 AM -3 PM and on Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. Docent tours of the Elizabethan Garden are available every third Saturday of the month, from April through October, at 10 AM and 11 AM.
Costs: Free.
How to Request a Tour: Group tours are available for both school groups and adult groups, and must be arranged in advance. Please call the Education department at (202) 675-0395.
Notes: If you have any questions call (202) 675-0309 before 8:45 AM and (202)544-4600 from 8:45 AM - 4:45 PM. To learn about a performance or event, call (202) 544-7077.
Website: www.folger.edu
George Washington Masonic Memorial
Summary:A massive memorial and museum to George Washington dedicated by the Freemasons.
Address: 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria
Metro: King Street
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9-4, Sunday 12-4. Guided tours available
Cost: Free
International Spy Museum
Tour Summary: The only public museum in the world solely dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage. The Museum’s permanent exhibition presents the tradecraft of espionage through the stories of individuals and their missions, tools and techniques. Exhibits feature the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever on public display – many for the first time.
Address: The entire city block between 9th and 8th Streets at 800 F Street, NW
Closest Metro Stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro (Green, Yellow, & Red Lines)
Hours: All tickets are date and time specific. Advance tickets are highly recommended and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.
Costs: Adult (ages 12-64): $18, Seniors (55+) and Active Duty Military & Intel Community: $17, Children (ages 5-11): $15, Children age 4 and under are free.
How to Request a Tour: Groups of 20 or more qualify for Group Admission and require advance reservations which can be made by calling (202) 393-7798
Notes: The Museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. On occasion the Museum closes earlier than regular visiting hours. Such early closings will be posted at www.spymuseum.org.
Kreeger Museum
Summary: The National Museum of Crime & Punishment, located in downtown Washington, D.C., includes a crime scene lab, the filming studios for Americas Most Wanted
Address: 2401 Foxhall Rd NW
Metro: .75 miles to D5/D6 Metrobus stop.
Hours: Guided Tours, Tues. - Fri. at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm (reservations required). Open hours are Saturday from 10 am - 4 pm, no reservations required.
Cost: $10, $7 students
Mount Vernon
Tour Summary: A privately owned estate and garden, once the home of George and Martha Washington. In the 18th century the estate, gardens, and farm totaled 8,000 acres. Today, 500 acres have been preserved. Visitors can see 20 structures and 50 acres of gardens as they existed in 1799. In addition, one can see the tombs of George and Martha Washington, Washington’s greenhouse, a memorial to the accomplishments of 18th century slaves and a museum.
Address: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121. About 16 miles south of Washington, DC.
Closest Metro Stop: Huntington Station (Yellow Line) to Fairfax Connector Bus.
Hours: Open every day of the year. April - August 8 AM - 5 PM; March, September, October 9 AM – 4 PM; November - February 9 AM – 4 PM.
Costs: Adults $15, Seniors $14 (62+), Children (ages 6-11) $7, Children 5 and under are free. A shuttle to the Pioneer Farm Site is available from March 11 to November.
Restrictions: No food or drink except for bottled water is allowed. Gum, strollers and motorized scooters are not allowed in the mansion. Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash.
How to Request a Tour: Contact (703) 780-2000 or www.mountvernon.org.
National Cathedral
Tour Summary: One can see the dramatic art and Gothic architecture of the Cathedral.
Address: Wisconsin Ave
Directions: Metro directions: Exit on the west side of Wisconsin Avenue. Take any 30 series bus going south. Ride approximately one and one-half miles south on Wisconsin Avenue to the Cathedral. Driving directions: From Downtown DC take Massachusetts Avenue north to Wisconsin Avenue. Turn right onto Wisconsin Avenue. The Cathedral is on your immediate right.
Closest Metro Stop: Tenleytown/AU (Red Line).
Hours: Monday-Friday 10 AM - 5:30 PM with tours 10 AM - 11:30 AM and 12:45 AM-4 PM. Saturday open 10 AM - 4:30 PM with tours 10 AM – 11:30 AM and 12:45 PM - 3:30 PM. Sunday open 8 AM - 6:30 PM with tours 1 - 2:30 PM.
Costs: Guided tour fees: Adults $5, Seniors $3, Children $1, $5 for Family. Audio tour fees: $5 per person. Tour and Tea fees: $25 per person.
How to request a tour: Visit www.cathedral.org to see the options.
National Building Museum
Summary: Exhibits change yearly and range from Shakespeare for the 21st Century to years of Domestic Architecture to America’s World’s Fairs.
Tour Length: 45 minutes.
Address: 401 F St, NW, between 4th and 5th Streets.
Closest Metro Stop: Judiciary Square (Red Line).
Hours: The National Building Museum is open to the public Monday - Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM. The Museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. On rare occasions, the Museum may close for a special event. Walk-in public tours are offered Monday through Wednesday at 12:30 PM, and Thursday through Sunday at 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and
Costs: Free, but there is a $5 suggested donation.
Notes: Groups of 10 or more must make a reservation by contacting the group coordinator at grouptours@nbm.org. Fees may apply to group tours for 10 or more. Wheelchair access is available through the G Street entrance. For more information call (202) 272-2448 or visit http://www.nbm.org/.
National Capital Trolley Museum
Summary: Ride a collection of working trolleys from around the world and from Washington, DC before the end of service in 1962.
Address: 1313 Bonifant Road, Colesville, MD
Metro: Difficult to access. Glenmont (Red Line), then Ride On #26, about a mile walk from the stop. No sidewalks for most of walk.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 12-5
Cost: $7 adults, $5 children/seniors
National Geographic Society Museum at Explorers Hall
Summary: The Hall features permanent interactive geography and science exhibits, as well as changing displays to give visitors opportunities to share in recent archaeological finds, the latest in photography, and expositions of exotic cultures.
Address: 17th and M Streets NW
Closest Metro Stop: Farragut North (Red Line).
Hours: Open Monday – Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM; Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM
Costs: Free
Notes: No guided tours are available. For more information call (202) 857-7588 or visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/museum/.
National Museum of Crime and Punishment
Summary: Includes a crime scene lab, the filming studios for Americas Most Wanted, and exhibits on CSI and crime-fighting.
Address: 575 7th St NW
Metro: Gallery Place (Red, Green, Yellow)
Hours: 10-7 Sun-Thurs, 10-8 Fri-Sat
Cost: $21.95 adults, $16.95 seniors, military, and students, $14.95 children. Online discount available.
Newseum
Summary: This museum, which opened in April of 2008, is devoted entirely to the history and development of everything involving news. It has seven levels of galleries, theatres, and hands-on exhibits that take visitors behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.
Address: Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street NW
Closest Metro Stop: Judiciary Square (Red Line) or Penn Quarter Station (Yellow and Green Lines)
Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM daily, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day
Costs: Adults (13–64) $20, Seniors (65 and older) $18, Youth (7-12) $13, and Children (6 and younger) Free, for large groups call 888-639-7386
Website: www.newseum.org
Phillips Collection
Summary: Private collection with selections of impressionist and modern works.
Address: 1600 21st St NW
Metro: Dupont Circle (Red)
Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10am-5pm; Thurs. extended hours to 8:30 pm; Sun. 11am-6pm
Cost: By donation. Additional fee for special collections.
Segway Tour
Tour Summary: Tours begin with a thirty minute training session. Stops along the tour include the National Mall, Smithsonian, US Capitol, and J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building.
Tour Length: 4 hours.
Address: Willard Hotel, 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Directions: Tours depart from the lobby.
Closest Metro Stop: Metro Center (Blue, Orange, and Red Lines).
Hours: Reservations are needed. Tours available April 1-November 30. Day Tours (10AM-2PM) and Night Tours (6PM-10PM).
Costs: $70 per person.
Restrictions: Segway tours are only available for people 16 or older.
How to request a tour: Tours can be made via their Website, www.citysegwaytours.com/washington
United States Memorial Holocaust Museum
Summary: Memorializing the Holocaust.
Address: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl SW
Metro: Smithsonian (Orange, Blue)
Hours: 10-6:20 Mon-Fri, 10-5:20 Sat-Sun
Cost: Free
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