Museums

Maryland Science Center

Light Street and Key Highway at the Inner Harbor, Baltimore. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. Imax Theater and exhibits. $12 -$15.50. 410/685-5225.

• Imax: “The Lion King,” “The Human Body,” “Bears,” “Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man,” “Space Station 3D,” and “The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition,” “Ghosts of the Abyss.” Call for times.

• Planetarium shows: “The Sky Live,” “Live from the Sun,” “Star Bazaar” and “The Sky Above Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Call for times.

• “Dino Digs.” A simulated dig, real dinosaur fossils and the footprint of a sauropod.

• “Outer Space Place.” More than 20 original hands- and minds-on activities, videos, thermal imaging, 3-D models and high-resolution images from the land beyond.

Meridian International Center

1624 Crescent Place NW. 202/939-5568. 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday except holidays.

• “The Chesapeake Bay” exhibit. Running indefinitely.

Montpelier

11407 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, Va. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily except holidays. 540/672-2728.

• “James Madison: Secretary of State in an Age of Expansion & Exploration.” Through Jan. 4, 2004.

• “Discovering Madison.” Video, audio tour, photographs and more about James Madison’s life. Continues indefinitely.

National Academy of Sciences

2101 Constitution Ave. NW. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday except holidays. 202/334-2436.

• “An Intimate View of Flowers: Photographs by Amy Lamb.” Through June 29.

• “The Beauty of Phenomena.” Through Sept. 14.

• “Under Antarctic Ice.” Photography by Norbert Wu. Through Sept. 12.

National Air and Space Museum

Independence Avenue and Sixth Street SW. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. Metro: L’Enfant Plaza. 202/357-2700. Imax theater schedule: 202/357-1686.

• Planetarium shows: “Infinity Express.” Every half-hour 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (except noon).

• Lockheed Martin Imax shows: “Space Station 3D,” 11:05 a.m., 1:05 p.m. and 3:05 p.m. daily; 5:45 p.m. Friday-Sunday; “To Fly,” 10:25 a.m. daily; 5:05 p.m. Friday-Sunday; “Straight Up: Helicopters in Action,” 12:10 p.m., 2:10 p.m., 4:10 p.m. Through March 13. $6-$7.50.

• “Voyage: A Journey Through Our Solar System.” Outdoor exhibition model. Running indefinitely.

National Building Museum

401 F St. NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. Metro: Judiciary Square. 202/272-2448.

• “Do It Yourself: Home Improvement in 20th Century America.” Through Aug. 10.

• “Big & Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century.” Through June 22.

• “Saving Mount Vernon: The Birth of Preservation in America.” Through Sept. 21.

• “Picture This: Windows on the American Home.” Through Aug. 11.

• “Building Images: Seventy Years of Photography at Hedrich Blessing.” Through July 27.

• “Kids’ View of the City.” Through July 6.

National Gallery of Art

Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Metro: Judiciary Square or Archives-Navy Memorial. 202/737-4215.

• Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1880-1938. Through June 1.

• “Jean-Antoine Houdon(1741-1828): Sculptor of the Enlightenment.” Through Sept. 7.

National Geographic Society

17th and M streets NW. Metro: Farragut North. Explorers Hall open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. 202/857-7588.

• “Sir Edmund Hillary: Everest and Beyond.” Through Sept. 1.

National Guard Memorial Museum

1 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free. 202/789-0031.

• The nation’s only museum devoted to the National Guard.

National Museum of African Art

950 Independence Ave. SW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 202/357-2700.

• “Ethiopian Icons: Faith and Science.” Through Oct. 5.

• “Journeys and Destinations: Contemporary African Artists on the Move.” Through Nov. 30.

• “Ethiopian Passages: Dialogues in the Diaspora.” Through Oct. 5.

National Museum of American History

14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 202/357-2700.

• “September 11, 2001: Bearing Witness to History.” Personal stories and photographs from September 11. Through July 6.

• “Bon appetit: Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian.” Runs indefinitely.

• “History in the News: Ensuring the Safety of Millions.” Runs indefinitely.

National Museum of the American Indian

On the Mall between Third and Fourth streets SW. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 202-287-2020.

• Visitor center offers information on design and exhibits for the museum opening in 2004.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine

48 E. Patrick St., Frederick, Md. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. $4.50-$6.50. 301/695-1864.

• Exhibits focusing on all aspects of Civil War medicine, the story of care, healing and devotion during the war.

• “The Art of Embalming the Dead During the American Civil War.” New permanent exhibit.

National Museum of Natural History

10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through summer; occasional closings at 5:30 p.m. Metro: Federal Triangle. 202/357-2700.

• Samuel Johnson Imax Theater: “Galapagos in 3D,” 10:20 a.m. daily; “Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West,” 11:10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3:50 p.m. daily; “T-Rex (3-D),” 12:05 p.m., 1:05 p.m., 2:55 p.m., 4:45 p.m. daily; “Star Wars Episode 2 — Attack of the Clones,” 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Friday, Saturday.

• Imax and Jazz Cafe. 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday.

• “El Nino’s Powerful Reach.” Running indefinitely.

• “A Korean American Century.” Through May 31.

• “A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Art from the Sherwood Collection.” Through Sept. 2.

• “Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness.” Through July 27.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

New York Avenue and 13th Street NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Metro: Metro Center. $5-$8. Free first Sunday and Wednesday. 202/783-5000.

• “In Focus: American Indian Pottery.” Through July.

• “An Imperial Collection: Women Artists from the State Hermitage Museum.” Through June 18.

National Portrait Gallery

Eighth and F streets NW. 202/357-2700.

Closed for renovations.

National Postal Museum

2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily except Christmas. Metro: Union Station. 202/357-2700.

• “The 1847s: America’s First Stamps,” featuring a 5-cent stamp depicting Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster. Through May.

Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center

Pennsylvania Avenue NW between Seventh and Ninth streets. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed holidays. Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial. 202/737-2300.

• Free screenings of the film “At Sea” at various times during the week.

Navy Museum

Building 76, Washington Navy Yard, Ninth and M streets SE. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Metro: Navy Yard. 202/433-4882.

• Open only by appointment.

• “Spanning Three Centuries: Museums on the Washington Navy Yard.” Through Sept. 26.

The Octagon

The museum of the American Architectural Foundation. 1799 New York Ave. NW. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday except holidays. $5, $3 seniors and students. 202/638-3221.

The Phillips Collection

1600 21st St. NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. Weekend admission $4-$7.50. Weekdays by contribution. Metro: Dupont Circle. 202/387-2151.

• “Margaret Bourke-White: The Photography of Design, 1927-1936.” Through May 11.

Pope John Paul II Cultural Center

3900 Harewood Road NE. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission free. Donation requested. 202/635-5400.

Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street NW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily, except Christmas. 202/357-2700.

• “Light Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wright.” Through July 20.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

1050 Independence Ave. SW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. Metro: Smithsonian. 202/357-4880.

• “After the Madness: The Secular Life, Art and Imitation of Bada Shanren.” Through July 27.

• “AutoFocus: Raghubir Singh’s Way into India.” Through Aug. 10.

• “The World at our Feet: A Selection of Carpets from the Corcoran Gallery of Art.” Through July 6.

• “Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics.” Through Sept. 7.

Sewall-Belmont House

144 Constitution Ave. NE. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; noon-4 p.m. Saturday. Closed holidays. 202/546-3989.

• A collection of women’s suffrage memorabilia in an early American home.

Lillian and Albert Small Jewish Museum

701 Third St. NW. Metro: Judiciary Square. Noon-4 p.m. Sunday-Thursday except major Jewish and federal holidays. 202/789-0900.

• Tours of the first Adas Israel synagogue.

• “Power Lunches: Milton S. Kronheim Sr.’s Washington.” Running indefinitely.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Eighth and G streets NW. 202/357-2700.

Closed for renovations.

Smithsonian Institution

Arts and Industries Building, 900 Jefferson Drive SW. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 202/357-4500.

• “Nature’s Jewels: A Living Exhibit of Orchids and Butterflies.” Through May 26.

• “Double Helix — a Genome Preview.” Through Jan. 5.

Smithsonian Institution

The Castle, Constitution Avenue and 10th Street NW. 202/357-2700.

• “West Wing: A Chronology.” New permanent exhibit.

The Textile Museum

2320 S St. NW. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays. $5 voluntary donation. 202/667-0441.

• “Hold It! Textiles as Containers.” Through June 8.

• “Carpets of Andalusia.” Through Aug. 10.

• “Mamluk Rugs from Egypt.” Through Sept. 7.

Tudor Place

1644 31st St. NW. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday except holidays. 202/965-0400.

• Tours of this historic house, which belonged to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, at 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and on the hour 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Reservations suggested for individuals, required for groups. $6 for docent-led tours.

USDA Forest Service Information Center

14th Street and Independence Avenue NW. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. 703/205-1680.

• Rustic lodge hosts videos and hands-on displays. On permanent display.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW (near 15th Street and Independence Avenue SW). 202/488-0400. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Metro: Smithsonian. Certain attractions, such as “Daniel’s Story: Remember the Children,” do not require special passes. Entrance to the museum’s permanent exhibition is by timed entry passes, available at the museum (free) or through ProTix ($4.50 service charge), 800/400-9373.

Walters Art Museum

600 N. Charles St., Baltimore. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. the first Thursday of each month. $5-$8. 410/547-9000.

• “Everyday Life and Love in Dutch and Flemish Painting of the 17th Century.” Through September.

• “A Magnificent Age: The Walters’ 19th-Century Collection.” On permanent display.

• “Origins of the Russian Avant-Garde.” Through May 25.

• “The Faberge Menagerie.” Through July 27.

• “Cross and Crescent.” Through May 18.

• “A Selection of Prints by El Lissitzky from a Private Collection.” Through May 25.

• “Osaka Prints III.” Through July 13.

• “The World of Jerry Pinkney.” Second half of exhibit. Through July 27.

Woman’s National Democratic Club

At the Historic Whittemore House. 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW. 202/232-7363.

• Antique furnishings and presidential memorabilia, including rotating art exhibits. Call for tours.

Women in Military Service for America Memorial

Memorial Drive, Arlington. 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Metro: Arlington Cemetery. 703/892-2606.

• “In Defense of a Nation” film runs every 10 minutes.

• “A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces.” Photography. Through July 8.