Smithsonian "Big 3" Highlights Tour (Air & Space Entry Included)
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Washington DC, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
With the sheer size of the Smithsonian museums, it can be tough to know where to start, let alone how to see all the most interesting exhibits. This small-group walking tour of the National Air and Space Museum, Museum of National History, and Museum of American History lets you squeeze the most out of your time in the city.
- See the Hope Diamond and the Last American Dinosaurs exhibit at the Museum of Natural History
- Explore military, pop culture, and presidential history at the National Museum of American History
- Witness the history of flight with the Wright Flyer and space command modules at the National Air and Space Museum
- Includes reserved timed entry to the National Air and Space Museum
What's Included
- 3-Hour Smithsonian Highlights Guided Walking Tour in Washington DC
- Reserved Timed Entry to the National Air and Space Museum
- Visit the Museum of Natural History
- Visit the Museum of American History
- Explore 3 of the top museums in Washington DC with your Guide
- Small-Group for a more personalized experience
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Unscripted by Guided Tours DC400 7th St NW #102, Washington, DC 20004, USA
Meet your guide inside of the Unscripted Welcome Center at 400 7th Street NW. Look for our signs out front
End points
This activity ends in a different location. See details below:
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Itinerary
1
Unscripted by Guided Tours DC
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
National Air and Space Museum
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
National Museum of American History
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Sites are not listed in order visited. Museum order may vary.
- Please note this tour involves roughly 2 miles of walking
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 416 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Dalibor_M, Jul 2026
The tour is nice but I think new guide would make this tour much more interesting and enjoyable. Even my 12 years old said It herself.
Lori_R, Jul 2026
Got to see the 3 museums I wanted to see most. Very happy with tour. Rhett was very personable. And informative.
Bakul_J, Jul 2026
I was a bit sceptical about 3 museums in 3 hours. But cristina out guide, did a miraculous job of getting is throught the most important parts and exibits of all 3 museums at very comfortable unhurried pace!
Her passion for the history and her engaging way or oratory simply made the whole experience unique.
Thanks Cristina .
Leigh_G, Jul 2026
Shane was very knowledgeable! We enjoyed the big three. A little more time on your own would be preferred, maybe extend by another hour.
Josh_R, Jul 2026
The team were amazing. Our first time in DC and we were stymied by road closures for July 4th. We were a little lost and late, but made a call to the team and they instantly relaxed us and when we arrived late we were greeted with cold water and cool freshener towels before a team member, Ryan walked us to catch up with tour group. Our tour guide Dash was knowledgeable and authentic with great energy. The kids and I learnt so much through the tour of the Smithsonian museums and loved every minute of the tour. During walk in heat, other team members arrived with cold water and icy poles.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
I am so glad to hear of your pleasant experience! I have to admit, Ryan does not work for us but rather is family and volunteer to assist.
We are discussing adding the ice pops as a regular thing after seeing how refreshing they were in this heat.
Thanks for joining!
Susan_S, Jul 2026
Our guide was fantastic! I wish I remembered her name. She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, funny and patience on the 5th of July in extreme heat.
Tammy_G, Jul 2026
Dash was a fantastic guide. He was very knowledgeable and he did a great job of explaining since my husband is blind. We were running late and Kirsten went out of her way to connect us with a group. With the National Mall closed due the State Fair, it was a lot of walking from one museum to the next but it was a great introduction to the Big 3. We fully appreciate that they accommodated us with our being late. Great customer service!!!
Vicki_D, Jul 2026
Christina was excellent. Very knowledgeable, not only about the museums, but how to get around the city as well. She was very accommodating for both my husband and I who use walkers. Our tour was on July 4th so the crowds were huge. We truly enjoyed the tour! Thanks, Christina!
Jessica_M, Jul 2026
Very knowledgeable and efficient tour to see the Smithsonian highlights. Came with my husband and 3 kids (15,11, and 8).
Janet_S, Jun 2026
Somewhat difficult to hear tour guide , who should carry something so that his tour can find him once inside the museums
Kenneth_W, Jun 2026
Probably the best tour I’ve ever had!!!
Evelyn was fun, humorous and very nice snd quite relatable. I also learned a few new things.
Highly recommend!
JD_S, Jun 2026
Even though we were blocked on the National Mall by the state fair, Claudia maneuvered us around the long way so we could still make it to all 3. This is definitely a tour that hits the highlights as such large museums could each afford a day on their own. However she gave us a solid overview of all three so at a future time you can go back and explore more on your own if you want or avoid one. DC is definitely a city where you need to return multiple times to see everything and this tour gives you the ability to do that on your own. Claudia was very knowledgeable and kept up on schedule for those who had arrangements afterwards
Sherri_W, Jun 2026
Walk walk walk and more walk. It should have transportation to and from their office and the Smithsonian s. We only stayed through half and had to take a bus home
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Correct, this is a walking tour and we are a walking tour company. However our office is conveniently located just off the National Mall and your tour began with a 3 block walk to the first museum, then a walk next door to the next museum, and it was at this point you chose to leave the tour as our group crossed the National Mall. In this instance, much of the roads in Downtown DC and the National Mall itself are closed for America 250 festivities making it impossible for vehicles to navigate. Our guide helps travelers navigate these obstacles and get the most out of their day and visits to the Smithsonian Museums.
Chuck_K, Jun 2026
Our tour was great and our tour guide, Christine was very friendly and knowledgeable. We were able to see a great deal of exhibits in the 3 hours.
Tammy_M, Jun 2026
This tour is a great “taste” of seeing 3 huge museums. Evelyn was a terrific guide and although it was a fast tour the information was great. Be aware this is not a tour for those that can’t walk quickly and there is some long distance between each stop.,
Michael_C, Jun 2026
Rett was very knowledgeable and we hit all the major attractions!! Perfect tour! Thanks for helping make our trip memorable!
Heidi_S, Jun 2026
This was our 2nd experience worry Meg as our tour guide! We were lucky! She is amazing at knowing all of the information and answering questions! This tour is a must see!
Larry_F, Jun 2026
it was a great experience seeing the air & space museum as well as the American history and Natural History museums
Response from Host, Jun 2026
I am glad you enjoyed your highlights tour of the Smithsonian Air and Space, Natural History, and American History museums! Come see us again!
Parker_J, Jun 2026
Christina is an awesome tour guide; nice, extremely informative, and enthusiastic. I highly recommend this tour. Even with the hot weather and all the chaos from the UFC event (our tour was on 9/14), we had a great time.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Sometimes the chaos of happenings in DC make a great background to this vibrant city! Glad you had a great time!
Blenda_W, Jun 2026
Lots of walking and we started from their company. Most tours I have taken start in front of the place so no time is wasted walking there. But I excellent tour. Loved the narration. Christina was excellent.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Glad you enjoyed your Smithsonian Highlights tour with Christina!
We start at our welcome center located near the National Mall for several reasons including:
• It allows guests to wait out of the weather for the group
• It is easier to locate than finding a single guide along the very large and busy National Mall
• We visit three museums on this tour and order can alternate due to various circumstances
Begum_K, Jun 2026
Christina was a wonderful tour guide—knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic throughout the experience. She did a great job explaining the exhibits and keeping the group engaged.
That said, I don’t feel this tour was worth the extra cost. The Smithsonian museums are very easy to navigate on your own, and most visitors can explore the exhibits independently at their own pace. While Christina added useful context, the overall experience did not offer enough additional value compared to a self-guided visit. If you enjoy exploring museums on your own, you may prefer to skip the tour and visit independently.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Many visitors to Washington, DC find navigating the large and complex Smithsonian museums overwhelming, this is why we designed this Smithsonian Highlights tour to showcase the "can't miss" items and give a basic overview. This sometimes leads to our guests leaving the tour feeling like they can easily navigate all of the museums on their own, and that means our guide did their job well.
It sounds like you had a great experience but it wasn't the experience for you. That happens sometimes.
Sorry you left feeling like it was a one star experience and hope you enjoyed the rest of your visit!
GATOR_M, Jun 2026
Rett was really kool and knowledgeable about everything he showed us and more .. Nice tour……..!!👍🏽✔️
Daniel_T, Jun 2026
Most of your time is spent walking to each museum with little to no information on the walk. Very little time is spent in each museum and what we did see was very agenda driven. Our guide spent 15 - 20 minutes on the house and furniture where the Civil War ended. We returned to all three museums and were surprised how much was not even mentioned during the tour, or even pointed out was there.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
There are over 1.7 million items in the Smithsonian American History Museum, and 148 million in the Natural History Museum. Therefore, merely mentioning everything that is in the collection alone would take weeks, and navigating such is often overwhelming to first time visitors. This is why we designed this highlights tour, to showcase many “can’t miss” items from each the Natural History, American History, and Air & Space Museums.
These highlights include the flag that inspired the national anthem from Fort McHenry, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat from the night he was assassinated, George Washington’s uniform, the Hope Diamond, the Kitty Hawk flyer, the Apollo 11 command module, Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit, and much more.
If there are items you think should be added to our highlights that we have missed we would love to hear that feedback.
We disagree with your assessment that “most of your time is spent walking to each museum”. This is a 3-hour tour, and while the time in each museum may vary we typically spend between 45 minutes to an hour in each with a 5-10 minute walk between museums.
We are glad your guided portions of the museums felt relaxed enough that the time seems to have flown by and allowed you to return to spend more time in the areas not covered.
Michael_L, Jun 2026
Covers the gambit of info on each venue comfortably and clearly.
Polite, courteous and humorous. Pleasant demeanor
PAMELA_M, Jun 2026
Our tour guide was friendly, informative, and answered our questions with knowledge. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It gave us an overview of three museums and helped us to decide what we wanted to explore in more depth.
KayL_M, Jun 2026
We were traveling with our teenage grandchildren. Our guide toured us through the highlights of 3 massive museums well. He spoke loudly and distinctly as he stopped at each high point. “Dash” did a good job of talking for 3 hours.
Sue_L, Jun 2026
DASH, our tour guide was simply the best. Funny, energetic, informational, and engaging.
We had to plan this on short notice and we were absolutely fortunate to end up in this tour!
Heather_R, Jun 2026
If you are lucky enough to have Dash as your guide...you'll be pleased. He is awesome. Very informative and funny.
DAN_U, Jun 2026
This is a “must do” activity when you come to DC. The Big 3 Smithsonian tour was excellent and our guide, Dash, was fantastic. He’s very knowledgeable, added great anecdotes and was funny. I would highly recommend a tour with Dash as your guide.
Valerie_T, Jun 2026
Great tour and great tour guide! This is a quick tour but if you have limited time in DC this is a great option.
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