Cultural Tourism DC Calendar
We are proud to offer our newest, affordable sightseeing option – AUDIO TOURS. Can’t make one of our guided tours? Well, we have recorded some of our best tour guides giving their tours and put them on a GPS enabled app. We’ve also included downloadable PDF maps of each walk, so that you don’t need to have GPS maps running with the app (save your battery).
- Download our free app on (iTunes) or (Android)
- Download any audio tour (Free – $1.99/each)
- Enjoy the tour
Even if you don’t download any tours, you will still have access to valuable information on sightseeing, eating and playing in the Washington, D.C.
Available Tours:
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Historic Georgetown
- Georgetown University
The First World War remade the world geopolitically and transformed how societies engage and relate to military conflict.
Artistic expression during the war contributed to this transformation. Before World War I, war art largely depicted heroic military leaders and romanticized battles, done long after the fact, far from the battlefield. The First World War marked a turning point with the appearance of artwork intended to capture the moment in a realistic way, by first-hand participants.
This exhibition examines this form of artistic expression from two complementary perspectives. One is professional artists who were recruited by the U.S. Army, serving in the AEF. They were the first true combat artists. The other is soldiers who created artwork. Their self-expression in the form of stone carvings in underground shelters, hidden away for a century, has been brought to light for the first time through the stunning photographs of photographer, artist, and explorer, Jeff Gusky. Together, these soldier works of art shed light on World War I in a compelling and very human way.
A collaboration between the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of American History.
Silhouettes—cut paper profiles—were a hugely popular and democratic form of portraiture in the 19th century, offering virtually instantaneous likenesses of everyone from presidents to those who were enslaved. The exhibition “Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now” explores this relatively unstudied art form by examining its rich historical roots and considering its forceful contemporary presence. The show features works from the Portrait Gallery’s extensive collection of silhouettes, such as those by Auguste Edouart, who captured the likenesses of such notable figures as John Quincy Adams and Lydia Maria Child, and at the same time, the exhibition reveals how contemporary artists are reimagining silhouettes in bold and unforgettable ways.
Cézanne Portraits is the first exhibition devoted to the famed post-impressionist’s portraits from across his career. The exhibition explores the unconventional aspects of his portraiture, the role his portraits play in the development of his radical style and method, and the range and influence of his sitters. Rather than accepting commissions for portraits, Cézanne painted them as part of his ongoing experimentation as he searched for a pictorial language to capture his intense perceptions of the world.
The National Gallery of Art is free to all visitors and is open seven days a week and is located between 3rd Street and 9th Street on Constitution Avenue, NW.
There are many other bus tours currently running. Be sure to read our comparison post on Washington, D.C. bus tours to help you navigate all the different bus tour options available to you, from open-top double-deckers to small group sprinter vans, from day trips to night tours. We cover it all and provide you with the insight necessary to choose what is best for you.
Have limited time, but lots of interest? Take a 60-minute First Amendment Guided Highlights Tour of the Newseum and explore the very best of our exhibits and collections. Buy your tour tickets at the Newseum admissions desk on the day of your visit at least 10 minutes before the start of the tour.
60-minute guided tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be purchased on the day of visit.
Tour Start Times
10:00 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
1:30 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
No Tours
Nov. 22, 2018
Dec. 25, 2018
Note: An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter will be available for the 1:30 p.m. tour on the first Saturday of every month.
Jun 16 – Sep 23, 2018
Hitler’s systematic extermination of six million Jews was not a secret. Details of the Nazi death camps were known as early as December 1942. Yet the American media — especially The New York Times — refused to publicize the story.
Running time: 55 minutes
Showtimes
Screens at Noon and 4 p.m.
4 p.m. showing only on:
June 10, 2018
June 17, 2018
June 24, 2018
July 8, 2018
July 15, 2018
July 29, 2018
Mark Bradford’s new work at the Hirshhorn spans roughly 400 linear feet inside the cutting-edge Smithsonian museum. Pickett’s Charge is a series of eight abstract paintings that depict the final charge of the Battle of Gettysburg, commonly noted as the most important battle of the Civil War. The result is a thought-provoking rumination on how we interpret history and the complexities of war. Bradford’s installation will also suggest issues faced by the American people today.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Free admission
Where and when did exploration get its start at National Geographic?
Find out in “National Geographic: Exploration Starts Here,” a permanent exhibition showcasing the greatest hits from our long and storied history of discovery. Go on expedition alongside our scientists, adventurers, and storytellers to discover where we’ve been and how much further we plan to go. Examine artifacts like the camera Robert Peary used at the North Pole and pots recovered from a shipwreck by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Watch video from the top of Mount Everest and Jane Goodall’s research camp. And learn the untold stories behind the discoveries of Machu Picchu and the Titanic.
Come see where exploration starts! This exhibit is located in the M St. building lobby.
OPEN DAILY 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Each year in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, a city of more than 75,000 people rises out of the dust for a single week. During that time, enormous experimental art installations are erected and many are ritually burned to the ground. The thriving temporary metropolis known as Burning Man is a hotbed of artistic ingenuity, driving innovation through its principles of radical self-expression, decommodification, communal participation, and reverence for the handmade. Both a cultural movement and an annual event, Burning Man remains one of the most influential phenomenons in contemporary American art and culture.
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man brings the large-scale, participatory work from this desert gathering to the nation’s capital for the first time. The exhibition takes over the entire Renwick Gallery building and surrounding neighborhood, bringing alive the maker culture and creative spirit of this cultural movement.
Meet the Artist/Artist Talk: Saturday, June 23, 1 – 3pm, Artist Talk: 1:30
Steve Alderton (SA) about his approach to painting and upcoming solo exhibit, “Pair-ings.”
On display May 30 – July 1, 2018
Meet the Artist/Artist Talk: Saturday, June 23, 1 – 3 pm Artist Talk: 1:30pm
Free. Open to Public.
“Pair-ings” focuses on the chemistry between works of art. A chemistry that is hard to describe — but you know it when you see it. Individual works (in this case, paintings from both new and earlier series), when combined, can highlight new elements in each other, expand on each other’s narrative, or excite the senses perhaps because of an artful pairing of opposites. It’s an exploration of art-based synergy.
OPEN: WEDNESDAY- FRIDAY 11-6, SATURDAY-SUNDAY 12-5
Interested in taking a private walking tour? If you’re flexible with your timing and can book a private tour at the time listed, we can offer a discounted rate! These tours are offered at 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm or 7pm-9pm.
You can choose either our National Mall tour, Lincoln Assassination or Arlington National Cemetery Walking Tour. We also offer a 7pm private option to take one of evening tours – Ghosts of Georgetown, Haunted Georgetown (Adults Only) or White House at Night (Secrets and Scandals – Adults Only)
No adjustments or customizations, please. If you need a customized tour or different time, please contact us at info@dcbyfoot.com. Any of our tours are available for private bookings but our online booking at this discounted rate is only available for our three most popular tours.
Rate: $195 for up to 10 persons. Groups larger than 10 must contact us first.
Tour must be booked at least two days in advance. Last minute tours may be accommodated but must be booked via emailing us to check on availability.
Remembering Vietnam addresses 12 important moments in the Vietnam War. The National Archives’ Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery hosts this exhibit that features recently discovered documents that shed light on essential details of the war. Learn of the decisions made to enter the war, the reason for its immense length and the great division that it brought to the U.S. through artifacts that can only be observed at the National Archives.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Free admission
In the first exhibition of its kind in the U.S., the National Gallery of Art will show how striking images from the Renaissance came to be printed upon ceramics and bronze reliefs. More than 90 of the objects will be on display, showcasing designs from major artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo and Albrecht Dürer. Find out how image replication became a technological phenomenon.
Hours | Free admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565