National Portrait Gallery & American Art Museum Tour in DC
Trace America’s story through landmark portraits and art with an expert guide
Duration
2.5 hours
Ideal For
Up to 8 people
Includes
Museum entry, art historian guide
Highlights
Explore the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum with an art historian guide. Follow America’s changing story through permanent-collection portraits, photography, and painting.
- Discover portraits of presidents, first ladies, Civil War leaders, and other influential Americans
- Explore American art spanning the New Deal era through modern and contemporary works
- Examine early photographs, including 19th-century daguerreotypes
- Learn how art, identity, leadership, and activism have evolved across U.S. history
What's Included
- Professional art historian guide
- Admission to the permanent collections
Important details
- Arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled start time; late arrivals may miss the tour
- Bring identification showing age
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
- Bring only a handbag or small thin backpack; large bags and suitcases are not permitted
- Dress for the weather, as the tour runs rain or shine
- This tour is not available for travelers with walking disabilities or wheelchair users
- Expect occasional museum closures, delayed openings, and collection changes
Cancellation Policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before start. No refund within 24 hours of start. No-shows and late arrivals are charged the full price.
Product ID: 46VDCP
FAQs
Arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled start.
Yes, tickets for the permanent collection are included.
Yes, you may remain inside until closing time.
Meeting details
Inside the G Street NW entrance of the National Portrait Gallery, by the information booth
The National Portrait Gallery occupies one wing of the Old Patent Office Building, a Greek Revival landmark in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., that has been at the center of American public life since the 1830s. Built between 1836 and 1867, the building once displayed patent models and the original Declaration of Independence. During the Civil War, its galleries held wounded soldiers; Walt Whitman nursed them among glass cases of inventions. In March 1865, the same Great Hall served as the venue for Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural ball. Saved from demolition in the 1950s, the building became part of the Smithsonian in 1968, and today it houses both the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum under one roof.
What makes the National Portrait Gallery distinct among Washington's museums is its focus on the faces behind the history. The "America's Presidents" exhibition is the only complete set of presidential portraits outside the White House, anchored by the Lansdowne portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Surrounding those familiar faces are daguerreotypes, photographs from the Matthew Brady Studio, and portraits of activists, inventors, and performers who collectively tell the story of who shaped the country and how they were seen in their time. Walking into the adjacent Smithsonian American Art Museum, you find the visual counterpart: WPA murals from the New Deal, bold canvases by Hopper and O'Keeffe, and contemporary works by Hockney and others that trace the evolution of American artistic expression.
This tour is well suited for visitors who want a guided narrative through both collections rather than wandering the galleries alone, history enthusiasts looking to connect portraits to the events and eras they represent, art lovers interested in American art from the colonial period to the present, and anyone who appreciates a small-group setting where you can ask questions and hear insider stories about the building and its collections. After the tour ends, you are free to stay inside the National Portrait Gallery or the American Art Museum until closing time.
Related locations
National Portrait Gallery
Admission includedStep inside the National Portrait Gallery and you are immediately surrounded by the faces of American history. Painted eyes follow you through grand halls as presidents, poets, athletes, and activists gaze out from canvas and photograph alike. Housed in a landmark neoclassical building in the heart of Washington, the National Portrait Gallery invites you to see the country's story told through the people who lived it.
