Editing Washington, D.C. (section)

=== Museums ===
{{See also|List of museums in Washington, D.C.}}
[[File:Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History (7508870948).jpg|thumb|The [[National Museum of Natural History]], the [[list of most-visited museums in the United States|third-most visited museum in the U.S. in 2023]], with 4.4 million visitors]]
[[File:National Gallery of Art.jpg|thumb|The [[National Gallery of Art]], the [[List of most-visited museums in the United States|fourth-most visited art museum in the United States]] in 2023 with nearly four million visitors]]
Washington, D.C. is home to several of the [[List of most-visited museums in the United States|country's]] and [[List of most-visited museums|world's most visited museums]]. In 2022, the [[National Museum of Natural History]] and the [[National Gallery of Art]] were the two most visited museums in the country. Overall, Washington had eight of the 28 most visited museums in the U.S. in 2022. The same year, the National Museum of Natural History was the fifth-most-visited museum in the world and the National Gallery of Art was the eleventh.<ref name=teacom>TEA-AECOM Museum Index 2022, published June 2023</ref>

==== Smithsonian museums ====
{{See also|List of Smithsonian museums}}
The [[Smithsonian Institution]], an educational foundation chartered by [[United States Congress|Congress]] in 1846 and the world's largest research and museum complex, is responsible for maintaining most of the city's official museums and galleries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 20, 2012 |title=Top 10 Museums and Galleries |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/museum-galleries/ |website=National Geographic |access-date=February 23, 2018 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032056/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/museum-galleries/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The U.S. government partially funds the Smithsonian, and its collections are open to the public free of charge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.si.edu/about/ |title=About the Smithsonian |access-date=May 27, 2008 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617164004/http://www.si.edu/About |url-status=live }}</ref> The Smithsonian's locations had a combined total of 30&nbsp;million visits in 2013. The most visited museum is the [[National Museum of Natural History]] on National Mall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsdesk.si.edu/about/stats |title=Visitor Statistics |access-date=February 20, 2014 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208195916/http://newsdesk.si.edu/about/stats |url-status=live }}</ref> Other Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries on the Mall include the [[National Air and Space Museum]]; the [[National Museum of African Art]]; the [[National Museum of American History]]; the [[National Museum of the American Indian]]; the [[Arthur M. Sackler Gallery|Sackler]] and [[Freer Gallery of Art|Freer]] galleries, which focus on Asian art and culture; the [[Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden]]; the [[Arts and Industries Building]]; the [[S. Dillon Ripley Center]]; and the [[Smithsonian Institution Building]], which serves as the institution's headquarters.<ref name="SI">{{cite web |url=http://newsdesk.si.edu/factsheets/ |title=Museum and Program Fact Sheets |access-date=August 13, 2011 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |archive-date=August 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826102406/http://newsdesk.si.edu/factsheets |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Smithsonian American Art Museum]] and the [[National Portrait Gallery (United States)|National Portrait Gallery]] are housed in the [[Old Patent Office Building]] near Washington's [[Chinatown, Washington, D.C.|Chinatown]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Goodheart |first=Adam |title=Back to the Future |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/back-to-the-future-122460718/ |work=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=September 9, 2012 |year=2006 |archive-date=May 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520013421/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/back-to-the-future-122460718/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Renwick Gallery]] is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is located in a separate building near the [[White House]]. Other Smithsonian museums and galleries include [[Anacostia Museum|Anacostia Community Museum]] in Southeast Washington, the [[National Postal Museum]] near [[Washington Union Station]], and the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoo]] in [[Woodley Park, Washington, D.C.|Woodley Park]].<ref name="SI" />

==== Other museums ====
[[File:National law enforcement officers memorial.jpg|thumb|The [[National Building Museum]]]]

The [[National Gallery of Art]] is on the National Mall near the Capitol and features American and European artworks. The U.S. government owns the gallery and its collections. However, they are not a part of the Smithsonian Institution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/about.html |title=About the National Gallery of Art |access-date=April 28, 2013 |publisher=National Gallery of Art |archive-date=September 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922015956/http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/about.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[National Building Museum]], which occupies the former Pension Building near [[Judiciary Square, Washington, D.C.|Judiciary Square]], was chartered by Congress and hosts exhibits on architecture, urban planning, and design.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbm.org/about-us/about-the-museum/ |title=About the National Building Museum |publisher=National Building Museum |access-date=November 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104214726/http://www.nbm.org/about-us/about-the-museum/ |archive-date=November 4, 2010}}</ref> The [[United States Botanic Garden|Botanic Garden]] is a [[botanical garden]] and museum operated by the U.S. Congress that is open to the public.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usbg.gov/ |title=United States Botanic Garden |publisher=USBG |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 6, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020806200311/https://www.usbg.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are several private art museums in Washington, D.C., that house major collections and exhibits open to the public, such as the [[National Museum of Women in the Arts]] and [[The Phillips Collection]] in [[Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.|Dupont Circle]], the first museum of modern art in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phillipscollection.org/about/about-the-phillips/index.aspx |title=About The Phillips Collection |access-date=December 2, 2012 |publisher=The Phillips Collection |archive-date=November 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130212702/http://www.phillipscollection.org/about/about-the-phillips/index.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref> Other private museums in Washington include the [[O Street Museum]], the [[International Spy Museum]], the [[National Geographic Society]] Museum, and the [[Museum of the Bible]]. The [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]] near the National Mall maintains exhibits, documentation, and artifacts related to the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/faq/details.php?lang=en&topic=06 |title=Frequently Asked Questions |access-date=May 27, 2008 |date=January 14, 2008 |publisher=U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum |archive-date=April 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407224922/http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/faq/details.php?lang=en&topic=06 |url-status=live }}</ref>