Two Smithsonian Museums Private Tour: American & Natural History
Badge of Excellence
Washington DC, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit two of Washington DC’s most famous Smithsonian museums on this private guided tour. Start at the National Museum of American History, with a guide taking you through the socio-political and cultural history of the US, from slavery to segregation to some of the most iconic pop culture moments. Then, tour the highlights of the Museum of Natural History, seeing the Hope Diamond, T. rex fossils, and more.
- Learn about human and US history in one day
- See Lincoln’s top hat and Dorothy’s ruby slippers
- A private tour means a personalized experience just for you
- Get more out of your visit than you would going alone
What's Included
- A friendly, professional English-speaking tour guide for your own private group
- Entrance to Smithsonian museums of American History & Natural History
- Gratuities (optional)
- Food and drink
- Transportation on the day (if required)
- Hotel pickup/drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History1300 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
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.
End point
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
This tour ends inside the Museum of Natural History located at 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, United States.
Itinerary
1
American History Museum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 54 reviews
Elizabeth_K, Nov 2025
John Grant was the best tour guide we’ve ever had - he was thoughtful, super knowledgeable and was very dedicated to us having a great experience!
Robin_M, Jul 2025
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.
Brynna_S, Aug 2024
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.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Dear Brynna,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on your recent tour with us. We genuinely appreciate your feedback and are pleased to hear that you found our guide knowledgeable and helpful.
We understand that your time constraints could have been challenging, however our guide worked around your time-sensitive constraints and was flexible. We strive to ensure that our tours offer a meaningful and efficient experience.
It seems that there was a bit of a mismatch between your expectations and the tour’s approach, as the guide asked for your preferences to have an understanding of what you might prefer to see rather than providing a pre-defined itinerary.
He went above and beyond in giving you a tour that went through important highlights, this was not part of the Smithsonian Museums: American & Natural History Private Tour. The tour you booked takes you to The National Museum of American History and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
tour.
It is great to see that our guide understood your needs and adapted your tour to what you wanted even with your time constraints. We are happy you found the tour valuable and that it helped you navigate the highlights without wasting time. We hope that you can book our highlights tour in future as it showcases the highlights of the city which you might enjoy.
Thank you once again for your feedback and for choosing our tour. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly on customerexperience@travelcurious.com
Tasia_G, May 2024
Very busy hard to hear.. suggest maybe headphones and microphone to communicate . Other wise AWSOME place to visit.. First time in Washington
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Tasla, this has been posted on our private tour listing and not the museum.
We kindly ask you to please remove the review and post it in the corresponding listing.
Thank you.
Andrew_O, Mar 2024
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
Yuliya_M, Feb 2024
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.
Lincoln_M, Oct 2023
Waste of money. Museums free, didn’t avoid any lines
Guide was sick and should have stayed home in bed
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Hi Lincoln,
We regret to hear that you felt your tour was a waste of money. We take pride in delivering high-quality experiences, and we extend our sincerest apologies if this was not reflected in your visit.
We were quite surprised about your comments about the guide, Stephen, as he has shared that you seemed content throughout the tour and even left him a generous tip. We'd love to speak to you directly and to have the opportunity to further understand your experience, as it's crucial for us to address any shortcomings and make necessary improvements.
As a side note, please know that the Smithsonian Museums are free attractions, and no skip-the-line tickets are offered at these sites - nowhere in the tour's description is that advertised!
We'd love to have a conversation with you to better comprehend your perspective and make amends for any disappointment you might have faced, so please let us know when it's convenient to reach out, and a dedicated team member will reach out.
We look forward to hearing from you!
With kind regards,
Travel Curious Team
Barbara_M, Oct 2023
Stephan had tremendous knowledge and made the museum visits much richer and accommodated our special request to see a particular exhibit.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that Stephan's extensive knowledge enriched your museum visits and that he accommodated your special requests for you to have a better experience.
We appreciate the high recommendation, and we look forward to welcoming you back for more exciting adventures in the future!
Best regards,
Travel Curious Team
Lauren_M, Jul 2023
Jonah was a wonderful tour guide. He’s very personable and engaging. His knowledge about history and the pieces he highlighted was 👌🏻.
I’d recommend the private tour to DC newbies like us.
Martha_W, Jul 2023
Natural History Museum exhibits were the best and the war exhibits at the American History Museum.
Our guide Jude was well informed and very nice.
Smita_N, Jun 2023
Our tour guide John was amazing. He made our trip very informative and enjoyable. We had a great time.
Kelly_B, Jun 2023
John was excellent. We covered so much in just a few hours. Appreciated all his knowledge and guidance.
Robert_S, Jun 2023
Our guide, John, was able to point out tidbits of information that we otherwise would have passed by. He also catered the tour to the areas that interested our party the most.
Judy_S, Jun 2023
The tour guide “Chris” was excellent with great knowledge and a wonderful personality. He conducted himself very professionally and made our first trip to the two Smithsonian buildings very pleasant and memorable!
Terrance_K, Jun 2023
Felt rushed
Was to be a 3 hr tour but was only 2 hrs
Jonah was nerves
Chis (apprentice) was nice but disheveled
We asked multiple questions of things we were rushed by but neither knew answers and started to read plaques (which I could do)
Michael_B, Jun 2023
Our guide Stephen was very knowledgeable and gave us information I’m sure would not of otherwise had. Very good experience
Cynthia_F, May 2023
Amritha was great and very knowledgeable about the exhibits. She was a pleasure to work with. Very personable.
Rena_N, May 2023
Our tour guide was wonderful. We only had one afternoon for sightseeing. I have a person in a wheelchair and would not have been able to see all the highlights and get description and stores of what we saw. She made our experience great. Highly recommend!
Amy_B, Apr 2023
We had a wonderful time! Would highly recommend this tour. The museums are crowded and gigantic and it was our first time visiting. Our guide Jackson was extremely knowledgeable and engaging and he led us through both museums and shared interesting details and inspirational stories. He tailored the tour and stopped at different exhibits based on our interests. It was a great introduction to these amazing museums which we will definitely be visiting again!
Lindsey_T, Apr 2023
We learned many interesting facts and saw several exhibits, however our guide would be better suited for adults.
Deborah_Q, Apr 2023
We were trying to see the Smithsonian museums in a short time period and wanted to hit the highlights so this tour was great. Our tour guide did a great job getting us to really great exhibits and was knowledgeable about the museums.
Marianne_E, Mar 2023
Excellent tour! Our guide Annalyn was friendly and knowledgeable. The museums were great, particularly the Museum of American History. Would definitely recommend
DJ_O, Mar 2023
John was a great guide! He wrangled 4 chatty adults and 3 energetic boys through the museums keeping us informed and engaged. If left by ourselves I’m pretty sure we would have missed 90% of what we accomplished with him as our guide. It was fast-paced but not rushed and we felt like we got to experience the best the museums had to offer. Definitely recommend.
Cynthia_M, Mar 2023
Jalisa Carter was personable, extremely knowledgeable & had lots of interesting small facts to impart. She didnt rush us and she added another area to see during the tour of the American History museum because we mentioned it was of interest to us. We would recommend the private tour of the Smithsonian museums.
Amy_B, Mar 2023
Stephen’s hygiene was poor and knowledge limited. He was a friendly person but seemed unprepared. Stephen did share a few humorous stories pertaining to the topics.
Geralyn_S, Jan 2023
Kate has such a vast realm of knowledge. She explains all topics very methodically, concise and personable.
Excellent tour guide.
Matthew_S, Jan 2023
Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, sharing little known facts and interacting with the kids to keep them engaged.
Michael_B, Dec 2022
John was a very nice, positive, helpful tour guide. I wish the tour could go more places, but I enjoyed returning to both of these places after a long absence.
Grant_H, Dec 2022
I’m so glad we hired a guide for the two big museums in DC. We’re a family with 2 teens. Kate knew exactly where all the exhibits were located and guided us right to them through some pretty heavy crowds. She was also very familiar with even the “temporary” exhibits. Kate had some fun surprises up her sleeve that brought the exhibits to life. She inquired to the exhibits we were most interested in seeing. My teens really related to the ways she brought the people behind the exhibits to life!! 5 stars all the way!!
rca66, Dec 2022
The guide did not seem very knowledgeable about a lot of the museum. I feel I pain a lot of money for a tour I could have done with a head set from the museum. The guide called me and asked what I wanted to see in the museum and I explained I had never been so I was open to anything, but I wanted to see the Jewels in the Museum of NATURAL History. My expectation was he would at least try to put together highlights that he was knowledgeable about, but that did not seem to be the case during the tour. Very disappointing 😞
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