by But other attractions have swung open the doors to their buildings and sculpture gardens. Safety is obviously a concern, with stringent social distancing precautions: Thou shalt wear a face mask is one of the Museum of the Bibles Covid Commandments, while the Spy Museum provides a spy gadget, or stylus, for use with touch screens, elevator buttons and any other surface that might spread germs. The National Gallery of Arts Sculpture Garden has designated entrance and exit gates to control crowd flow.
If youre looking to get the kids out of the house for a few hours, or just spend an afternoon enjoying art in the open air, one of these museums or historic homes could be the answer. Remember to check websites and social media, as some attractions are operating with shortened hours, and not all exhibits may be open.
This list will be updated as more institutions announce their plans.
Artechouse: The curators of Artechouse had planned the perfect installation for cherry blossom season: Hanami: Beyond the Blooms, from Japanese illustrator Yuko Shimizu, is an immersive, interactive combination of hand-drawn ink illustrations and digital animation. Hanami opened to the public March 13. Two days later, covid-19 forced Artechouse to close. But now the gallery has reopened, and Hanami will run through Sept. 7, giving weary Washingtonians a chance to experience a bit of spring. Expect some changes, including contactless check-in for visitors, limited capacity and shorter hours, to allow for sanitizing. Open daily. $19-$12 in advance, $5 more at the door.
Artechouse: Living at the corner of art and technology
B&O Railroad Museum: A museum known for hands-on activities, including actual train rides on the historic One Mile Express, might not be the first place you think of going right now, but Baltimores B&O Railroad Museum is working hard to keep the facility safe. Masks and social distancing are required, including limiting seating and arranging spacing on the train. The childrens area is cleaned throughout the day and is deep-cleaned each night, while high-touch areas are cleaned multiple times a day. Open daily. $12-$20.
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum: If youre planning a day trip to St. Michaels or the Eastern Shore, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has reopened. There are some modifications visitors can only enter the first floor of the restored 1879 lighthouse, and the interactive Sail the Seas exhibit is closed but many of the attractions at the park-like museum, such as Watermans Wharf and the display of historic ships, is open as usual. Open daily. $14-$4. Ages 5 and younger free.
Glenstone: The much-buzzed-about Potomac art museum reopened as an outdoor experience in early June, with visitors allowed to stroll the 300 acres of grounds and admire sculptures by Richard Serra, Michael Heizer and Jeff Koons. The indoor Pavilions reopened July 23 with limited capacity and admissions staggered every 15 minutes. The Gallery and Environmental Center are closed, as are the dining areas. Open Thursday through Sunday. Free, reservations required. Tickets can be reserved up to three months in advance. A new batch of tickets is released at 10 a.m. on the first of the month. (For example, tickets for the month of October are released on Aug. 1.)
Glenstone opened as a connoisseurs delight. Its reopening as an oasis for everyone.
Hemphill Fine Arts: If youve dreamed of having a visual art space all to yourself, the new Hemphill Artworks gallery in Mount Vernon Square is the answer. Hemphill, which closed its Logan Circle gallery last year, is operating by appointment only, scheduling private visits for individuals and small groups. On view is work by Linling Lu, whose bright, joyous color wheels bring the space to life. Open by appointment. Free.
Hillwood Estate and Gardens: Marjorie Merriweather Posts Northwest D.C. estate reopened to the public on June 27. Capacity will be limited to help with social distancing, so visitors are required to make separate timed-entry reservations for the 25-acre gardens, the mansion and exhibitions. (Theres no additional fee for admission to the mansion and exhibition.) Open Tuesday through Sunday. $5-$18. Ages 5 and younger free.
You’re finally able to get out of the house. Here’s where you can play, kayak and explore nature.
International Spy Museum: The museum, which moved to an expansive new building in LEnfant Plaza last year, has reopened with a limited capacity and extra distancing. (The museum now recommends a minimum of two hours to explore.) Many of the interactive elements have been modified to reduce contact, but some elements are temporarily closed including the sections in which visitors crawl through an air duct, and attempt to escape East Berlin by hiding in a Trabant. An interactive like the Air Duct is exceptionally difficult to transition to an appropriate touchless form, so we will not make it available at this time, Spy Museum media relations manager Aliza Bran explained in an email. However, staff members have created alternatives in the space: The Trabant on display has a mannequin demonstrating the contortions needed to fit into a hidden space in the car. Open daily. $16.95-$24.95. Ages 6 and younger free.
Museum of the Bible: Even beyond the coronavirus, its been a rough year for the Museum of the Bible, which forfeited a rare cuneiform tablet in May because federal authorities believe it entered the country illegally. In March, it was revealed that 16 texts displayed as fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls were actually modern fakes. But the museum is moving ahead. Most of its interactive exhibits are open, as is the Milk and Honey Cafe. (The Virtual Reality Tour of the Lands of the Bible and the hands-on childrens area are closed.) Procedures to limit contact are in effect: Visitors will receive styluses to use with touch screens, and are asked to download museum maps to their phones instead of picking up paper copies. Advance tickets are recommended. Open daily. $9.99-$19.99. Ages 6 and younger free.
National Aquarium: Sharks, puffins and golden lion tamarins continue to delight generations of visitors at the National Aquarium in Baltimores Inner Harbor. The aquarium reopened July 1 with new social distancing policies: Capacity is limited to 25 percent of the buildings occupancy, admission is by timed-entry tickets, and some exhibits, such as the touch pools, are temporarily closed. Visitors must wear masks and have their temperatures checked. Open daily. $29.95-$39.95. Ages 2 and younger free.
National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center: While the National Air and Space Museum on the Mall remains closed, the much larger Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly reopens to the public on July 24. Some amenities, such as the IMAX theater and the observation tower, will be closed for social distancing requirements, while portions of the museum are closed for repairs to the roof. Still, many highlights, such as the Space Shuttle Discovery, are on view as usual. Masks are required for visitors aged 6 and older. Free, timed-entry passes are required for entry, and can be reserved through the Smithsonians website up to 30 days in advance. Open daily. Admission is free; parking costs $10.
National Museum of Women in the Arts: A maximum of 200 people will be allowed inside the National Museum of Women in the Arts when it reopens Saturday, making this the perfect time to explore the museums collection of paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs. Graciela Iturbides Mexico, which opened in February, is back on view, and a new pop-up exhibition, Return to Nature, draws inspiration from humankinds yearning to experience the outside world, particularly after a period of confinement, making it particularly relatable right now. New procedures include limiting the use of elevators to one family or group at a time, and moving all maps and guides, including the interactive See for Yourself cards, online. Tickets are available for the month of August, while tickets for September dates will be made available in mid-August. Open daily. $10-$8; Ages 18 and younger admitted free.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Richmonds Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States, and it has multiple attractions that will appeal to culture-starved Washingtonians. Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities draws on enormous statues, magnificent jewelry and other artifacts discovered by underwater archaeologists exploring two Egyptian cities that disappeared into the Mediterranean in the 8th Century. This is the touring exhibitions only appearance on the East Coast. Meanwhile, the protests on Richmonds Monument Avenue have put the spotlight back on Kehinde Wileys Rumors of War, a monumental equestrian sculpture of a young African American man wearing a hoodie and Nikes, modeled after the citys statue of Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart. All of the VMFAs permanent collection and sculpture garden are also open. Open daily. Free admission; special exhibition tickets $10-$20.
The region’s history comes alive in these immersive guided tours
Maryland Zoo: For the first time in more than three months, visitors can once again gaze at the Maryland Zoos lions and elephants, and the animals seem ready to welcome people back. On the first day, the penguins were all lined up against the glass, zoo spokeswoman Claire Aubel told the Baltimore Sun. The chimps were lined up, too. I think visitors provide them a little entertainment. Among the Zoos new precautions: Requiring timed-entry reservations to prevent overcrowding, closing indoor habitats, and mandating a one-way flow through the grounds. Open daily. $18-$22.
Mount Vernon: George Washingtons historic estate became one of the first major attractions to reopen in the Washington area on June 21, though, for now at least, social-distancing rules mean visitors cant enter the mansion its just too tight a squeeze for groups on the mandatory guided tours or the distillery. Still, the family-friendly museum is open, minus the theaters and hands-on history area, and all 160 acres of the grounds are open, including the gardens, slave cabins, farming demonstrations and the first presidents tomb. Capacity will be limited, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Open daily. $10-$18. Ages 5 and younger free.
National Gallery of Art: The National Gallery of Art became the first museum on the Mall to reopen to visitors on July 20. Only the ground floor of the West Building is currently open, which includes the temporary exhibitions Degas at the Opéra and True to Nature: Open-Air Painting in Europe, 1780-1870. Free, timed passes are required for entry; dates for the following week are released every Monday at 10 a.m. Open daily. Free.
Going to the reopened National Gallery of Art? Heres what you need to know.
National Zoo: Four months after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, the National Zoo begins to reopen on July 24. The Zoo has plenty of outdoor space for the 5,000 guests allowed daily, though social distancing may prevent some exhibits from reopening the Zoos Giant Panda House is closed, though Tien Tien and Mei Xiang might be visible in their yards. Of the indoor areas, only the Elephant Outpost and the Great Ape House are currently open. Masks are required for visitors aged 6 and older. Free, timed-entry passes are required for entry, and can be reserved through the Smithsonians website up to 30 days in advance. Open daily. Admission is free. Parking at the Zoo costs $30 per vehicle, which includes six passes.
To expand dining options, restaurants take to the streets
Please note that access to facilities, such as restrooms and cafes, is limited. Check before going.
Baltimore Museum of Art: The museums two sculpture gardens, spread over three terraced acres, include pieces by Alexander Calder, Auguste Rodin and Elsworth Kelly. A cellphone tour with commentary is available. Open Tuesday through Sunday. Free.
Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden: After five months of closure, the Hirshhorns sunken Sculpture Garden reopens on the National Mall on Aug. 17. Two new works have joined more than 30 pieces already on display: We Come in Peace, a female figure with five faces that stands more than 12-feet-tall by Huma Bhabha whose title references the 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still and Sterling Rubys Double Candle, a pair of monumental bronze candles. As with the National Gallery of Arts Sculpture Garden on the other side of the Mall, the Hirshhorns garden will be open daily, subject to capacity limits, and masks must be worn by all visitors aged 6 and older. The museums plaza and interior remain closed. Open daily. Free.
A warrior woman with five faces and an ode to the twin towers: Two monumental acquisitions reopen the Hirshhorns sculpture garden
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens: One of Washingtons outdoor treasures reopened the week of June 22: a large collection of water gardens and marshland known for seasonal displays of lotuses and waterlilies. As with many parks, portions of the Aquatic Gardens are closed to limit social distancing, including the popular boardwalk, and the restrooms are unavailable. But the river walk and other trails are open, and photo opportunities abound. Open daily. Free.
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden: The National Gallerys beloved sculpture garden on the Mall reopened on June 20 as the first phase of the museums reopening. There are shorter hours (11 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily), limited capacity (a maximum of 271 visitors) and a new traffic flow, but those are minor inconveniences when you just want to enjoy the enormous central fountain and art by Tony Smith, Barry Flanagan and Louise Bourgeois. Open daily. Free.
Tudor Place: This grand house, on a five-acre Georgetown hilltop, was designed by William Thornton, the architect of the U.S. Capitol, for Martha Washingtons granddaughter, and completed in 1816. It has been a museum since the 1980s, but the gardens a place of respite with circular boxwood hedges, a profusion of roses and old tulip poplar trees dotting a landscaped natural lawn have become the real destination for those who live or work in the neighborhood. Tudor Place reopens its gardens to the public on Aug. 6 with free, timed tickets that allow entry for up to two hours. Self-guided tours are available, and picnics are welcome. Open Thursday through Sunday. Free; donations accepted.
U.S. National Arboretum: The Arboretums 446 acres of gardens, trees and trails reopened on a limited basis just Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons at the beginning of June. On July 27, however, the Arboretum moved into Phase 2, which means the grounds are accessible every weekday from 1 to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some attractions, such as the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum and Fern Valley, will remain closed because social distancing is not possible on narrow pathways. Open daily. Free.
William Paca House: William Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and three-term governor of Maryland, lived in this prominent Annapolis home from 1765 to 1780. The walled garden, which has been restored to closely match the original design, includes a picturesque bridge. The mansion is closed, but the garden is open three days per week for self-guided tours, while docents lead themed tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (For social-distancing purposes, tours are limited to six people, so advance reservations are required.) Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. $5-$10.
Missing art museums? Take a mural stroll through D.C.’s art-filled streets
