As spring and summer roll in, D.C.’s museums offer a great way to get out of the heat and boost your brain power. And, after spending most of your free time relaxing at outdoor happy hours, who couldn’t use a brain boost? DCist has gathered some of May’s best museum exhibits and events. While some of the exhibits are long term, now’s as good a time as any to check them out, as we’ll have more suggestions for you next month.
>> Butterflies abound at the Natural History Museum, with their two-part exhibit that opened in February. The free Partners in Evolution explores how natural selection has encouraged insects and plants to co-evolve through interdependency. And while the second part of the exhibit, the Butterfly Pavilion, does cost $6 for adults and $5 for children, it gives visitors the chance to walk among a bounty of live butterflies from across the globe. Timed-entry tickets can be purchased online or at the museum on a first-come, first-served basis. On Tuesdays, tickets are free and available at the Butterfly Pavilion Box Office beginning at 10 a.m.
>> Tonight at 6:30 p.m., bring $20 to the Spy Museum to hear CIA staffer John Hedley demystify “the world’s most expensive and exclusive publication—the President’s Daily Brief (PDB).” Hedley, who provided information to eight presidents with the PDB, will share how our presidents receive information, from who, and who decides what information the prez gets. Or, if gadgets are more your speed, on Sunday, May 18 from 10 to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to noon, or noon to 1 p.m., the Spy Museum will be holding Spy Fest: Tradecraft Try-Its. Try your hand at mini-missions, watch tradecraft demonstrations, and try the gadgets out for yourself. The event is ages 7 and up; tickets cost $12 each.
>> We reviewed the Air and Space Museum’s America by Air exhibit in November, but it’s still running if you haven’t gotten your fill of vintage jets. Until January, the museum will also be exhibiting In Plane View, which showcases 56 large-format photos emphasizing the elegance of aircraft by Carolyn Russo. Also at the Air and Space, at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, former Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher will give a free Charles A. Lindbergh Memorial Lecture in the museum’s IMAX theatre. Kelleher is known for creating Southwest’s unique corporate culture, so if you’re looking for a reminder of your business management class, don’t miss what is sure to be a dynamic and engaging event.
>> Tonight and next Tuesday, the Anacostia Community Museum is holding the last two scheduled conversations on issues impacting East of the River communities. Tonight at 6:30 p.m., moderator Camille Giraud will hold a discussion on “Supporting and Promoting the Arts East of the River,” and next Tuesday at the same time, the discussion will be on “What’s the Next Move: Housing, East of the River.” For more information or to confirm your attendance, please call 202-633-4875.
Image of the “Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution” exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Photo Credit: Chip Clark/Smithsonian Institution.
