As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues across the Washington region, local museums are slowly starting to welcome back visitors. Most of them have a spate of new health and safety measures in place, including capacity limits, reduced hours, and mask requirements for all visitors two years and older.
We’ve pulled together a roundup of museums that have already reopened or plan to do so in the coming weeks, and we’ll continue to update this list as more open their doors.
The immersive art and technology museum is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., plus Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 pm. Visitors are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets online ahead of time. Only a small number of walk-in tickets may be available for purchase on-site.
Masks are no longer required for vaccinated guests, but unvaccinated visitors must continue to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. The Artechouse bar remains closed.
The historic venue is beginning its reopening on Wednesday, May 12, and will be open for self-guided tours Wednesday through Sunday. Visitors will need to purchase tickets, which will be available online starting on Fridays for the following week’s time slots.
Just 25 visitors at a time will be allowed into the theater, with entries staggered 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2 p.m.-4 p.m., with an hour in between for cleaning. Visitors must wear masks and follow physical distancing protocols.
Admission will be to the theater itself only. The Petersen House and exhibits about the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination are not currently open to the public.
The Potomac, Maryland museum’s sprawling grounds and patio restaurant are open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Timed tickets are required.
The museum’s Gallery building will reopen for indoor visits on April 8 and the Pavilions will open for indoor use on May 6. Masks are still required indoors for visitors.
Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens
The mansion-turned-museum and attached gardens near Rock Creek Park are open to visitors with advanced reservations from 10 a.m. to 5 pm. daily.
The Holocaust Memorial Museum will reopen at a limited capacity on May 17. Free, timed-entry tickets must be reserved online, and groups are limited to six people or less. The museum will be open every day except Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Certain coronavirus precautions like face masks, temperature checks upon entry, and social distancing will remain in place, and some exhibitions will stay closed.
The L’Enfant Plaza museum is open seven days a week to visitors with timed entry passes. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Masks are no longer required for vaccinated guests, but all unvaccinated guests and children between ages 3-11 are required to wear masks.
The museum is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Members and groups can enter early at 9 a.m., and National Guard service members will receive free admission through April 4.
Starting Monday, July 12, all buildings of the National Gallery of Art will open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with no pass requirements. Masks are not required for vaccinated visitors.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The museum reopened at the beginning of March with two new exhibitions featuring women artists. In-person gallery talks, tours, and public programs are currently on hold. The Mezzanine Café is closed, while the museum shop is welcoming up to four visitors at a time.
The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 pm. and Sunday from 12 pm. to 5 p.m. Visitors are strongly encouraged to purchase timed tickets in advance. Timed tickets are required for the museum’s free community days.
The Dupont Circle museum is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. All visitors are required to reserve timed tickets, wear masks, and socially distance. Advance timed tickets are released online every Monday.
The museum is currently running a special reopening promotion: Tickets are free of charge for the first entry time of each hour, available on a first come, first served basis.
D.C.’s new museum dedicated to words will reopen on April 1, and will allow guests indoors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays.
The museum closed in November amid rising COVID-19 cases, shortly after its debut in late October. To comply with public health guidelines, 35 guests will now be permitted per hour, and groups are limited to six people. Attendance will be limited to registered pass holders, and walk-ups will be dependent on availability. Guests can register for a pass on the museum’s website.
The giants of the D.C. museum scene began reopening to the public in early May, when the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center opened its doors. The National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Portrait Gallery, American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American History, National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Zoo began allowing visitors a few weeks later with free timed-entry passes.
More Smithsonian museums are slated to open on Fridays throughout the rest of the summer:
- July 16: National Museum of African Art; National Museum of Asian Art’s Freer Gallery
- July 30: National Air and Space Museum; Smithsonian Institution Building (the “Castle”)
- Aug. 6: Anacostia Community Museum
- Aug. 20: Hirshhorn Museum (Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden remains open)
- Aug. 27: National Postal Museum
Starting July 20, only two museums will continue requiring timed passes: the NMAAHC and the National Zoo; all other museums will allow guests to enter ticket-free. The NMAAHC has required timed passes since before the pandemic, and the zoo will continue requiring passes to manage its capacity limits — however, it will no longer require timed passes to see the giant pandas.
In other good news, the museums along the National Mall will return to pre-pandemic hours, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Find out details about your favorite Smithsonian’s reopening plans and when you can go for a visit here.
Tudor Place will reopen its Historic House & Garden on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. starting April 10. Entry after 3:30 p.m. will not be permitted.
Admission is free, but visitors will need to register for a specific time slot. Admission to the museum includes self-guided tours of the historic house once inhabited by multiple generations of Martha Washington’s descendants and enslaved workers and servants who lived and worked there, as well as visits to the garden.
Visitors can bring a picnic meal, mats, blankets, or camp chairs, but games, chairs with legs, blow-up furniture are not permitted in order to preserve the historic landscape.
This post has been updated with further information about museum reopenings.
