Smithsonian Exclusive Tour: Natural History & Space Exploration

Embark on an exclusive 5.5-hour guided tour of the Smithsonian’s Natural History and Space Exploration museums in Washington DC. Discover fascinating exhibits, from dinosaurs and diamonds to planes and spacesuits, with expert guides to bring them to life.

Duration: 5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - This is your chance to experience the two most popular museums in Washington DC with the help of our expert guides navigating the crowds! Start your day with the largest Natural History collection in the world. Stones, bones, and bugs clamor for your attention at the Smithsonian Natural History museum as the largest taxidermied elephant in the world trumpets your welcome (his name is Henry!). From the most famous single artifact in the Smithsonian collection - the (supposedly) cursed Hope Diamond - to the recently revealed renovated Fossil Hall with Mastodon, T-Rex, and Diplodocus looming over the path, your inner child will remind you of how fascinating the natural world’s mysteries are.
  • National Air and Space Museum - After a break to recharge, cross the famous National Mall to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum. Currently undergoing its own renovation, there is still plenty to see! Starting with a family in Ohio solving a problem not even Leonardo DaVinci could. We speak, of course, of the Wright Brothers who launched the world to literal new heights. The original Wright Flyer from 1903 gets its own exhibition gallery to set the stage for what comes after. From the first military flyer in 1909 (also a Wright Bros. creation) to the golden age of setting records and commercial aviation, imagine the guts it took to trust your life to this novel technology. Then head to the even more intimidating exploits in the space exhibits. Where you view some of the actual artifacts man set out to conquer the vast unknown in an inhospitable environment and then back to Earth’s warm embrace. But the highest heights are those of imagination that inspire us to the risk so much.
What's Included
  • Exclusive Tour Guide (Not available with ‘SAVE! BOOK SEMI-PRIVATE’ option)
  • Private Transportation between Destinations
  • Curated Combination Museum Tour
  • Scheduled Lunch Break
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup or drop-off
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

With this 5.5 hour personalized guided double feature tour, take the opportunity to explore the two most frequently visited Smithsonian museums in Washington DC. Benefit from the expertise of our professional guides as they navigate the throngs for you! From dinosaurs to diamonds and from aircrafts to celestial bodies and spacesuits - our guides are equipped with the stories to breathe life into these relics.

Tour highlights generally comprise (but are not restricted to):
-Henry, the largest stuffed elephant
-Hope Diamond
-The Nation’s T-Rex (Wankel’s T-Rex)
-Meteorites
-1903 Wright Flyer
-1909 Wright Military Flyer
-Spirit of St. Louis
-Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit

  • It is imperative that you provide us with guests MOBILE PHONE NUMBER (including country code)
  • Notes: Natural History Museum, Air & Space Museum and other attractions or museums in DC may be subjected to occasional closures without previous warning from the museum management. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an appropriate alternative if the museum opening time is delayed more than 1h from the tour starting time. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. No large bags or suitcases are allowed inside the museum, only handbags or small thin bag packs are allowed through security. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some lines may form on tours with ‘Skip the Line’ or ‘No Wait’ access. Some specific rooms inside the museum are subjected to a very quiet or restricted right to speak inside, in this cases your guide will provide the information about this places before entering the specific rooms where this rule applies. Some collections may vary along the year.
Location
1010 Madison Dr NW
Madison Drive Northwest
Meet your guide on the large stairs at the Madison Drive NW entrance of the Museum of Natural History, facing the lawn of the National Mall.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(59 Ratings)
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Shelleyh530
Aug 12, 2024
Excellent Tour! - Rebecca gave a fun, engaging, and educational tour of the museum! All family members happy! Would highly recommend it! This museum is rather large and it's great to have someone to help you edit which highlights to see!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ahmer1781
Aug 10, 2024
Amazing tour - Had an amazing tour guide, Brenda was stellar! She knew everything and made the tour so enjoyable and insightful. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
476jesicaw
Aug 1, 2024
Brenda was great for these tours - A full day of great information. There is so much to see and the explanation of each exhibit was awesome to hear. Full of great information on what the museum can tell you and personal knowledge of everything. Thank you again for the tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peter_v
Jul 29, 2024
A great tour - It was s wonderful and interesting time. Leigh was such a great guide, highly recommended! Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Lisa_a
Jun 30, 2024
Excellent experience! - Our guide, Brenda, was excellent! She was personable, knowledgeable, and informative. She tailored the tour to the interests of the group. We had a great time! Babylon tours was excellent as well. They provided good communication to ensure we knew what to expect and that we found our guide with no mishaps. I highly recommend this tour company. Be sure to ask for Brenda!
Review provided by Viator
R9372jzrs
Jun 17, 2024
Terrific Day at Natural History/Air&Space - Rebecca was delightful! She spent time explaining highlights of both museums to my son and adeed in amusing anecdotes and quips he thought were very entertaining. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her as a guide to personal friends visiting DC and the museums whether for the first time or a return visit. Thanks for a great day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edeli
Jun 11, 2024
Christopher the best! - Christopher was excellent. He guided us through all the two museums and explained everything to my two girls excellent. Will recommend him to anyone. Had a great time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trentonh23
Jun 2, 2024
Good Tour - Really interesting tour. Tourguide new alot about the animals in the Smithsonian and you could tell he cared. His storytelling really enhanced the Air+Space Museum and the Hope Diamond exhibit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tim_p
Jun 1, 2024
Natural History and Nation Air and Space Museums - Our guide, Christopher, brought the exhibits to life with interesting historical facts and backround details. He also guided us through the museums and lead us to the most interesting and important displays.
Review provided by Viator
Brian_h
Jul 6, 2024
Snide guides - I purchased what I thought was a personal tour. For personal reasons I am uncomfortable when strangers are in close proximity. When I found out there would be more people I approached the guide with my concern. I was met with Leigh a flippant person who was so full of themselves they couldn’t help but talk down at me. Professional and snide all at the same time. I was a bit heated because of the situation and that was all the guide Leigh needed to immediately kick my son and I off the tour, however, I didn’t find this out until her equally snide manager got there and told me. The manager was condescending and snide too. And attempted to use her body to block me from getting to my son who was near the group we were just kicked out of. Assault was not the extent of her actions she also threatened us with security and ejection from the museum. An absolutely bizarre and horrible experience for my young son and I.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 8 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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