Natural History Museum, Washington DC
November 2023
As of this writing, Tripadvisor rates the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History as the best museum in Washington, DC, with a 4.5/5 rating from 12,497 reviews. 8,409 people rate it “excellent.”
And indeed, from the iconic taxidermy elephant in the center rotunda, to the other taxidermy animals, the dinosaur skeletons, and the rare gemstones, there’s a lot to see.
However, I must admit that this visit left me less impressed than I was as a kid, and though I needed some reflection to realize why, I think it comes down to a few things:
The radial design (a central rotunda with exhibits radiating out from it, some of them connecting) gives the visitor a lot of options and flexibility, and it lets parents narrow down an itinerary that might overwhelm young children, but it prevents a sense of flow. Granted, the museum is dedicated to an impossibly large field: all of natural history under one roof. As a result, it lacks focus, which can make it feel more exhausting than other museums.
The constant crowds exacerbate this problem. As a popular museum, it gets tons of foot traffic, especially from kids running around, so you’re never going to be able to go at your own pace. It can feel suffocating at times, and you’ll probably have to wait a while to get food at the cafe.
The popular dinosaur exhibit in particular has been scaled back, I suspect partly to improve foot traffic. But it means fewer exhibits to see, which is a shame.
Unfortunately, in recent decades, the information provided with each exhibit has also been simplified to basic factoids, with an increased emphasis on engaging the visitor by asking them questions. As an educator myself, I appreciate the intent of this. We learn best when we reflect and incorporate information into our own ways of thinking, and ordinarily the best way to do this is by asking the learner probing questions. But when you’re shuffling along in a crowded museum and you don’t have to answer a question written on a placard, you ignore it and move on to the next exhibit. The questions become wasted space that could have been used for a memorable fact, which itself might have made the topic more memorable.
But now I fear I’m overemphasizing quibbles. To be clear, the Natural History Museum is absolutely worth a visit at least once for the exhibits alone. But that’s really all I can recommend about it at this point.
Fees: Free
Conditions: 67 Fahrenheit and clear; unseasonably warm
