Anacostia Museum, museum of Afro-American history and culture, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Shutterstock ID 257274409; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

Shutterstock / Joseph Sohm

Anacostia Community Museum

Washington, DC


This Smithsonian museum has good rotating exhibitions on the experience of diverse and underserved communities in the USA. They typically focus on art (quilts of a certain region; landscape paintings by an overlooked artist) or history (the first black baseball teams in the area; a slave family's story). The museum also serves as a community hall for the surrounding neighborhood of Anacostia. Call ahead, since it often closes between installations.

You'll likely have the place to yourself, as this is the Smithsonian's least-visited museum. It's not the easiest to reach by public transport. From the Metro station, take the ‘Local’ exit to Howard Rd and transfer to the W2 or W3 bus. The W2 runs during rush hours, the W3 every 30 minutes. A car (there's free parking) or rideshare works best to get here.

Transportation

  • metro: Green Line to Anacostia then bus W2 or W3

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Washington, DC attractions

2. THEARC

0.92 MILES

The Town Hall Education, Arts and Recreation Campus (THEARC) has been a cornerstone for community redevelopment in River East and Far Southeast. A…

3. 11th Street Bridge Park

1.32 MILES

It won't come to fruition until late 2019 or so, but keep an eye on the space at 11th St SE and the Anacostia River. The city is converting the piers from…

4. Yards Park

1.78 MILES

The riverside green space is just down the road from the Nationals' stadium. There are shaded tables by the water, a wooden boardwalk, fountains you can…

5. Congressional Cemetery

1.8 MILES

Yes, that is a dachshund snuffling around J Edgar Hoover's tombstone, while a black lab lopes over the final resting place of composer John Philip Sousa…

6. Marine Barracks

1.85 MILES

The ‘Eighth and Eye Marines’ are on largely ceremonial duty at the nation’s oldest Marine Corps post. Most famously, this is the home barracks of the…

7. The Fridge

2 MILES

First you have to find the Fridge, a friendly gallery specializing in street art. Follow the murals into the alley across 8th St from Ambar restaurant…

8. Fort Lesley J McNair

2.22 MILES

The army post at Fort McNair was established in 1791. The British burned it in 1814. The Lincoln-assassination conspirators were hanged here in 1865…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/washington-dc/capitol-hill-south-dc/attractions/anacostia-community-museum/a/poi-sig/386009/1329650",
      "destination": "Washington,-DC",
      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
      "city": "Washington,-DC",
      "position": "superzone"
    }