Smithsonian Tour: American & Natural History

Discover two renowned Smithsonian Museums located on Washington DC’s National Mall: the captivating National Museum of American History and the Museum of Natural History, which houses one of the world’s most impressive collections. Enjoy this private and enlightening walking tour in just three hours.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • National Museum of American History - Begin with a private tour of the National Museum of American History, where your guide will give you an overview of American history, before exploring the exhibitions in more depth.
  • See several artefacts underpinning the American political and cultural landscape.
  • Explore exhibitions that focus on America’s…
What's Included
  • Private group tour with a professional English-speaking guide
  • Admission to Smithsonian American History and Natural History museums
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities (optional)
  • Food and drink
  • Transportation on the day (if required)
  • Hotel pickup/drop-off
Location
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Constitution Avenue Northwest
Your guide will meet you by the flagpole located at the entrance to the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, United States.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(54 Ratings)
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Robin_m
Jul 21, 2025
Jalesa was very... - Jalesa was very informative and took us to the best highlights of both museums. Took the time to find out about our interests and made sure to include touring those.
Review provided by Viator
Resort13214939642
Jun 29, 2025
A+ tour - I loved our guide, Stephen! It was formative and he was very knowledgeable. He kept a hood pace and provided lots of information we wouldn’t have known walking around solo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew_o
Mar 30, 2024
Superb tour! - We had an excellent time! Our guide Stephen was funny, witty, engaging, and full of interesting anecdotes and facts. Highly recommend! Would have a seen and learned a third of what we did without our guide
Review provided by Viator
Fairchr
Mar 9, 2024
Wonderful guide! - Steven is highly knowledgeable and gave us memorable tours of the highlights of both the Museum of American History and the Museum of Natural History -- thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
601kaitlynk
Nov 17, 2023
The only way to do it! - I love going to museums, but this was the first time I’d done a guided tour and boy have I been doing it wrong! This was the best way to really immerse yourself in the experience and SEE rather than spending your day reading descriptions that don’t even tell the whole story, unlike our guide who had so many little-known facts that were entirely fascinating and really memorialized the experience for me. 10/10 would recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brynna_s
Aug 8, 2024
We chose this tour as we... - We chose this tour as we were crunched for time and thought that a guide would be able to help us hit the highlights. Our guide was an older gentleman who was full of knowledge. However upon arrival he asked us what we wanted to see- we had not done much research before. He was good in taking us to things he thought we important. I would suggest you know what you want to see ahead of time. Of course it was a whirlwind and we could have had more time, but for the price it was decent. We would have been lost and wasting time if we had meandered around on our own.
Review provided by Viator
Tasia_g
May 20, 2024
Couples weekend - Very busy hard to hear.. suggest maybe headphones and microphone to communicate . Other wise AWSOME place to visit.. First time in Washington
Review provided by Viator
Lincoln_m
Oct 30, 2023
Mistake - Waste of money. Museums free, didn’t avoid any lines Guide was sick and should have stayed home in bed
Review provided by Viator
Julio_c
Jun 9, 2025
Disappointing experience. I don't recommend it to anyone. - I hired a private tour for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History, hoping to enrich the visit with my youngest daughter, learning beyond what is already available to the general public. However, the experience was deeply disappointing. The guide assigned, Paul Rose, was unfortunately not in a position — physically or intellectually — to provide the service we had hoped for. Beyond joining us on the tour, he provided no additional information or relevant historical context. On several occasions he simply repeated what already appeared in the vignettes of the museum, at other times asking us to sit down while we toured its institutions. It should be remembered that both museums are free and have detailed signage. That is precisely why we hired a guide: to have a personalized and educational experience. Instead, we felt that we had only paid to have a silent companion, with no added value. Viator should more rigorously review the adequacy of its guides, especially when it comes to services geared towards families with children, who seek to learn and connect more meaningfully with content. Unfortunately, this tour did not meet any of our expectations.
Review provided by Viator
Yuliya_m
Feb 22, 2024
Surprise no show - I have been using Viator for all my travel for the past 15 years, this is the second time when after all of the confirmations they just didn't show up. So unless you have back up plans would not book with them. It was only when couldn't find the guide called the guide who stated that she was not on the tour. Again not hearing back from her called the company and they did call back without even an apology just said that there was a miscommunication between the guides and they are canceling it. Just a bit confused then what were all those confirmations for? Its one thing when you are home, but it's a lot worse when you are traveling and get stood up and all of your time and planning goes out of the window.
Review provided by Viator
From $30
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).