Smithsonian Castle — Attraction in Washington

The Smithsonian Institution Building is also referred to as the Smithsonian Castle (free entry) and is a registered National Landmark building in the United States. Opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm daily.

Opened in 1855, the Castle has one of the most interesting exteriors of any building along The Mall, being made of red sandstone and featuring an attractive blend of Romanesque, Norman and Gothic Revival architectural styles. The building is beautiful and worth viewing from all sides.

Within the Smithsonian Institution building, visitors will find general information regarding all Smithsonian museums and venues, a small cafe and an exhibition area where you can learn about Englishman James Smithsonian, who bequeathed his property and various collections to the United States of America in 1826, allowing the young nation to establish the museum and institution in his name.

The highlight of visits to the Smithsonian for me personally is the Gothic Revival style West Wing (The Commons), which does well to resemble medieval period church and museum buildings like what you might have visited in Europe during your travels.

The Commons is an atmospheric exhibition space where you find the permanent collection known as the American Treasures, a eclectic display of items which provide visitors with a taste of what can be seen and experienced within the full collection of Smithsonian Museums here in D.C.

In the end, the Smithsonian Institute is very much worth a quick visit if you are spending time along The Mall and plan to be this particular area. You can view the exhibitions here in as little as 20-30 minutes and spend a similar amount of time just enjoying the delightful architecture of the building within and from the outside.

Note: there are several attractive gardens which surround the Smithsonian Institute buildings as well. These make for peaceful and relaxing places to rest your feet if you have been sightseeing for a few hours and...

Visitor center…Amazing architecture, looks totally diff in zones of same boring buildings

This castle is basically a welcome visitor center. Almost all the museums are free in DC and when I tried to find out why I got to know, it was James Smithson who was a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

Few art pieces are kept here but this is more of the visitor center and information center guys are great. James gave me all kind of information I needed. There is one big DC map replica lighten with led and you can give your destination on computer screens and it ll show you how you can go there from the castle. it was cool. I also tried to mint Abraham Lincoln coin at one of the kiosks. There is one mosaic kiosk, where you can get you to photo in a mosaic way and email to your ID.

Security will check all your bags at all entrances and guards are everywhere in each room. They are friendly and helpful. The building was superb, red stone, architecture was great. Behind this building, there is the Arts and Industries Building which is closed now. All museum comes under Smithsonian Institution and they are the one who...

The Castle, site of the Smithsonian Museums’ Visitor Centre, is like a heavenly haven in the heat of a mid-summer visit to the National Mall. Located near the middle of the south side of the Mall, it’s perfectly placed either to get your bearings at the start of a visit to the Smithsonian Museums, or to take a break out of the sun in summer (or the cold in winter presumably). There is handy info there on all the other museums and a shop selling souvenirs from across the museum estate. There’s also a small café serving beverages and cakes and crisps and so on. Don’t expect to get a big nutritious meal there, but you will find snacks which will keep body and soul together until your next meal. The loos are also a bonus. There wasn’t a lot of info there about the building itself, which was (just so you know) designed by James Renwick Jr, who’s also responsible for a lot of the churches in Manhattan, and completed in 1855. Parts of it later burned down in 1985, the blaze taking with it all of Smithson’s letters. But it opened again in about 1867 and is now a great place to stop off on the...