The Museum at Dumbarton Oaks — Attraction in Washington

I wrote a review a while back, but when I look back on what I wrote I feel I have not done this museum justice. The history of the building and land it is built on is reason enough to visit, let alone the incredible Byzantine and Pre-Columbian collection within the museum itself. Most people who visit DC think the Smithsonian museums are the best the city has to offer. While the Smithsonian museums are great, they lack a certain intimacy. If you're a lover of history, art, or gardens Dumbarton Oaks is the museum to visit!

The Pre-Columbian exhibits are housed in a wonderfully designed addition to the main house. The exhibits do a great job of telling the story of Pre-Columbian America. I have never quite been interested in history of this sort, but the museum does a fine job piquing my interest nonetheless. If you find yourself alone in one of the circular Pre-Columbian rooms, stand in the center with your head angled up slightly and whisper something - you'll thank me later.

The Byzantine collection is an amazing set of art, coins, textiles, and artifacts. It gives an intimate look into one of the most influential and important powers of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. More importantly, it allows you to not only see the Byzantine Empire as a whole, but to get insight into how the people who made up the empire lived their lives. It tells a story of how religion, economy, and culture came together in Byzantium.

I've lived in DC for about 5 years now, and whenever family or friends visit I make it a point to take them to Dumbarton Oaks. Once you visit this museum you will feel like you've discovered a hidden treasure that is off the beaten path just enough to feel like it's your own personal gem. I highly encourage you to read about the history of the estate and the surrounding land, as well as visit the Dumbarton Oaks Garden and the park located...

My daughter and I went to both the museum and the gardens.  I've been to the gardens several times.  I had never been to the museum and my daughter had not been to either the museum or gardens. The museum is a small museum but very interesting.

Upon entering the museum,  we were met by a very nice security guard,  Officer Williams, who explained how the self tour worked and was very professional.

The Pre-Columbian section was interesting in how it related to certain events occurring today.

The Byzantine room was interesting and informative.

Upon entering the music room, which has become my favorite of the museum,  there was a very informative guard by the name of Officer Brooks.  He was very nice,  patient, and able to answer all of our questions.

After the museum,  we went to the gardens where we were met by 2 officers who explained how to get to certain places and about the new exhibit.  Coincidentally,  one of the officers was named Officer Jackson.  He was very informative and nice.  As we were leaving,  Officer Jackson offered more information about the house at the front and other parts of the gardens we had asked about but we were in a hurry and promised we would be back to hear more about it. My daughter wants to come back in March when everything starts to bloom.  There were a few roses and pears that were still around.  Standing outside of the orangery gives you a beautiful view. Walking down to the rose gardens and the kitchen is a nice way to get exercise. 🙂  I can't wait to go back with a friend of mine next week.

The chair and tree exhibit is amazing.  My daughter and I spent most of our time there which is why we didn't get to walk the entire garden. I just have 1 question,  why are the gardens unable to host weddings? It would be such a beautiful...

To be clear, the gardens are absolutely stunning. It is an incredible walk through a historic palatial garden kept in pristine condition. The gardens and the annoyance of getting in (see below) are truly worth it. All that said, the feeling you get visiting is that the folks running the place, do not want visitors. The hours are ridiculous. They're open 2-6 pm? The attached museum opens at 11:30. Why then do the gardens not open until 2? Because they're (including exclusive access to the pool) open to "garden community members" at all other times, i.e, you're not as valuable. This feeling is compounded by the unclear hours on the website - the security guard in the museum was dealing with a constant procession of people (myself included) who saw the 11:30 opening on the website and confused the opening time between the museum and gardens. So when the gardens open at two, there's a queue. Not a large one, maybe 30 people in 10 or so groups. It took an astonishingly long time to get to the counter to pay to get inside - somewhere around 25 minutes. To repeat, it took several minutes for each group going through to pay to get in. All this while two security guards and another employee stand there watching like everything is normal. Never have I been made to feel more like the hoi polloi trying to get a glimpse of how the other half live.

Again, it's worth it to see. But the user experience otherwise, is utter contempt for your plebeian status. And for that, it loses two stars. Thanks for reminder...