Events in DC

Castle Docent Tours

Join us for an outdoor tour of the first two buildings in the Smithsonian Institution, the Smithsonian Castle and the Arts & Industries Building! Meet one of our volunteer docents by the sign outside of the north doors of the Castle, on Jefferson Drive, SW. Tours subject to volun

Castle Docent Tours

Join us for an outdoor tour of the first two buildings in the Smithsonian Institution, the Smithsonian Castle and the Arts & Industries Building! Meet one of our volunteer docents on the north side of the Castle, across Jefferson Drive, SW, by the statue. Tours subject to volunte

Vision to Learn

Sign up for no cost eye exams and prescription classes (if needed).

Baby & Toddler Story Time

These 20-30 minute story times are full of books, songs, rhymes and fingerplays for children from birth to three years old.

Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Poop)

Everybody poops, so let's learn about it! Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we learn about how poop can help scientists know more about animals. Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with ea

Friendship Bench at Mt. Pleasant Library

Having a tough time and would like someone to help you through it? Friendship Bench offers a safe and supportive environment for everyone who needs to connect, feel a sense of belonging, and be heard.

Pilates with Purpose

Strengthens your core, improves flexibility, and restores balance—both physically and mentally.

Estudio de Cuentos: Bailando con Duncan

Estudio de Cuentos is held the third Tuesday of every month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. The program's English-language version, Storytime Studio, takes place on Wednesdays and Thurs

Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface , the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art's popular Writing Salon, for a course of three online workshops that explore essential

Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom Highlights Tour

Converse with a docent. Learn how African Americans flourished in their own communities during the Era of Segregation 1876-1968 despite the turmoil around them. Under a time of intense pressure to take away their rights as citizens, African Americans not only survived the challen

Tech Time

Need extra help with your phone or tablet? Need help with a job application? Need extra help with a computer? Come to Tech time where you can get extra help from a librarian.

Tech Help

One-on-One help with basic technology every second & third Tuesday of the month.

Toddler Story Time

Story Time geared for toddlers, 3 to 5 years of age.

Gunboat Philadelphia: Save the Revolution! Virtual Reality Experience

Step back to 1776 in stunning virtual reality! Experience Gunboat Philadelphia: Save the Revolution! , where you'll discover how thousands of Patriots worked together to thwart a British invasion.

Interactive Programs

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs. Tours of the museum's highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on th

Highlights Tour - Sports: Leveling the Playing Field

Because sports were among the first and most high-profile organizations to accept African Americans on terms of relative equality, sports have a unique role in American culture. Go on a docent led tour. Hear about the contributions of athletes on and off the field.

Story Time Tuesday

Story Time Tuesday Fun

Family Story Time

These 30-40 minute story times are designed to be enjoyed by all ages.

Family Story Time

These story times are designed to be enjoyed by all ages.

Lego Hour

Join us to play with Duplos in the Children's Room! If you have any questions or would like to request an accommodation, please contact dcplaccess@dc.gov at least one week before the program.

Preschool Storytime

Join us for story time, songs, and other library fun for babies!

Story Time in the Enid Haupt Garden

Book Bike Story Times with the Smithsonian

Story Time

Story time program for children ages 0 to 12. Held in the reading area on the 2nd floor of the Francis Gregory Neighborhood Library at 10:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Building Stories Story Time

Enjoy listening to a visiting National Building Museum educator read books featured in the Building Stories exhibit, sing songs, and participate in a coloring craft and building activity afterwards!

Baby Lap Time

Come sing, talk and read with your pre-walking babies!

A Bear Necessity!

Please join us for a morning of bear stories and activities! Don't forget to bring your stuffed animal!

Family Story Time

Family Story Time is a great way to further your child’s lifelong love of reading and learning!

PreSchool Story Time

Early Summer Session

Zoom 101 for Beginners

Seats are limited to 16 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive a half-hour early to sign in for a seat at one of the 16 workstations.

Family Story Time at Goethe-Institut

Space is limited; admission is first-come, first-served.

Library on the Go-Go

Join Library on the Go-Go for story time in the Haupt Garden! The book bike, a functional pop-up library, will visit the Smithsonian as part of DC Public Library's mobile outreach program, designed to provide robust outreach and programming to communities that might not otherwise

Guided Tour: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa

Step into the rhythm of salsa on a guided tour of the Smithsonian exhibition ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia

ASL Story Time

Join us at the Northeast Library for American Sign Language Story Time!

Baby and Toddler Story Time

These 20-30 minute story times are full of books, songs, rhymes and fingerplays for children from birth to three years old.

Toddler Story Time - For children aged 18-36 months

Move, shake, play, and have fun! Space is limited; admission tickets are first-come, first-served, starting when the MLK Library opens on the event day.

Castle Docent Tours

Join us for an outdoor tour of the first two buildings in the Smithsonian Institution, the Smithsonian Castle and the Arts & Industries Building! Meet one of our volunteer docents by the sign outside of the north doors of the Castle, on Jefferson Drive, SW. Tours subject to volun

NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots

Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural know

Art Workshop with Lindsay

Explore a variety of mixed-media approaches to art!

Mixed Media Approaches with Chinedu

Explore a variety of mixed-media approaches to art!

AI Fundamentals

In this 4-part Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence course, we'll review tools, use cases, limitations, ethics, and practical skills to use it effectively.

Come Play Mahjong!

We'll learn Hong Kong style, as it’s the most versatile and makes it easier to transition to other styles later. Beginners are highly encouraged! Our group is growing... Join us!

Flights of Fancy Story Time: Amazing Airplanes by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker

Learn about airplanes and air travel in this book by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker. Follow animal characters as they become pilots, baggage handlers, and more. Children will learn parts of the airplane like the cockpit and landing gear. Children will also learn about the many differ

Broad Stripes and Bright Stars

Meet Mary Pickersgill, seamstress of the enormous garrison flag that inspired the lyrics to America's national anthem and later became known as the Star-Spangled Banner. What was it like to live in a nation defending its sovereignty? Learn about the War of 1812, considered Americ

Highlights Tour with the Postal Museum’s Director or Deputy Director

On this extra special tour with the Postal Museum's Director or Deputy Director, explore the wonders of our museum like never before! Meet at the Information Desk for an exclusive 45-minute tour.

Tech Tuesdays

Learn How To Use Your Devices

Floor Yoga for Seniors

Align the muscular and skeletal structures, along with breathing techniques using both held and moving postures. Modifications are offered by the instructor to accommodate all participants.

Tours | Arts of Japan

As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum's renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600-1630), Japan, mid-17th century,

Film Discussion

Enjoy watching a short film with others and then engage in a friendly chat afterwards. Share your point of view and socialize with new people. Films aren't listed.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Register to join the sessions . Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum's collections. All are welcome! No previous experience

Meet the Wheelwoman

Meet a cyclist pursuing Life, Liberty, and Happiness in the rapidly changing world of the 1890s. The explosive popularity of the safety bicycle at the turn of the century led to more personal mobility and independence for women, empowering them to advocate for change-whether it b

Sketching the Smithsonian: Weekly Lunchtime Daytime Series

Travel the world with the summer edition of Sketching the Smithsonian as you take an artful break and explore the fascinating, vast collections of this extraordinary museum.

Chesapeake Baysox vs. Erie Sea Wolves

Baby Lap Time

Songs, bounces, scarves, shaker eggs, and parachutes every Tuesday

Travel Fiction Book Club

Travel around the world right from your living room. Each month we will read and discuss a novel set in a different country.

Meet the Wheelwoman

Meet a cyclist pursuing Life, Liberty, and Happiness in the rapidly changing world of the 1890s. The explosive popularity of the safety bicycle at the turn of the century led to more personal mobility and independence for women, empowering them to advocate for change-whether it b

Meet the Expert: Cryptocurrency

Stop by this informal session to meet curator Ellen Feingold and learn about a famous cryptocurrency heist.

Meet the Expert: Cryptocurrency

Stop by this informal session to meet curator Ellen Feingold and learn about a famous cryptocurrency heist.

Permanent Collection Tour

The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.

ONLINE |American Revolution: Haudenosaunee Perseverance (NK360° Educator Professional Development)

Join the staff of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian education initiative, Native Knowledge 360° and featured speakers for an in-depth look at the newest classroom-ready resource for middle school teachers and students: American Revolution: Haudenosaune

DC | Welcome to a Native Place

Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Pre