U.S. Department of the Interior Museum — Attraction in Washington

The Department of Interior is a massive government building just off the National Mall that also houses a small public museum. Enter through the giant doors on C Street NW, go through security, and then you're in. The guards will point you to the museum. It's free, but it's TINY. One room was under construction when I went leaving me to two small rooms to tell the story of how the Department of Interior came to be and what they do today (note: They house the National Park Service among other things).

The museum isn't worth you time, but what is worth the time investment are the murals sprinkled throughout the building. Once you're passed security, I was surprised how easy it is to explore. Take the historic giant staircase to the second level and see mural after mural depicting America's natural beauty. You'll also find photographs and Ansel Adam paintings....

A small but informative museum about the Department of the Interior. Wasn’t too hard to get to either. Just enter the DOI at the C street entrance and tell them you are visiting the museum. Security will take your ID (photo ID is required) and you walk through a metal detector.

It was cool to actually walk the halls of DOI, and get a passport stamp from the actual headquarters. The museum focused on the mission and history of DOI. Also there was an exhibit showing some famous paintings of NPS sites. I am interested in coming back for the guided tours of the WPA murals that are on a...

As someone who has rafted and backpacked the Grand Canyon and many other places in the West, this was honestly a highlight for me in terms of art museums. The Thomas Moran paintings alone are worth checking out for the art and the historical value. It isn't obvious, but don't miss walking through the building past the museum portion, there are murals on the 2nd level, including the mural on the building of Hoover Dam. Apparently there are more throughout the building on the guided tour, which...