Museums & Galleries in Fort Washington

Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. escorts guests on an interactive journey through American history. Only here, the past isn't manifested through movies, but through wax. Inside, The President's Gallery brings visitors face-to-face with all 44 US presidents, from Harry Truman to Abe Lincoln and his signature spinning bowtie. Cultural leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr., stand tall nearby, and rock stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan compose silent jam sessions in the Vintage Music Room. Hollywood stars, sports heroes, and nonpresidential political figures round out the collection, which can be visited 365 days a year.

Since opening in 1921, The Phillips Collection has nurtured an exquisite collection of modern and impressionist works by canvas camouflaging masters such as Renoir, Rothko, Bonnard, O'Keeffe, van Gogh, and Degas. In celebration of its 90th anniversary, the internationally recognized Dupont Circle landmark will orchestrate a rich bouquet of programs, exhibitions, and events throughout 2011 before blowing out the 90 candles blazing on its birthday cake.

Considered to be the country's only public museum devoted to the history of global espionage, the International Spy Museum teems with multimedia displays, hands-on activities, and educational events. Filled with low-lit halls and mysterious doors, the museum backs up its exhibits with experience; many of its board members, staff, and speakers are former spies. Executive Director Peter Earnest, for one, spent more than 35 years in the CIA and its National Clandestine Service; frequent speaker Oleg Kalugin once held a position as major general of the KGB. Through special talks and an array of exhibits, the group reveals several hundred years of spy techniques and gadgetry, showcases connections between real spies and pop culture, and draws from international backgrounds to grant a global perspective.

In the School for Spies exhibit, visitors peruse glass cases filled with submarine recording systems, buttonhole cameras, and audio bugs spanning more than 60 years of OSS, CIA, and KGB activity. Children test spy tactics and midnight kitchen infiltration as they crawl through a mock ventilation system, and visitors of all ages can inspect an Aston Martin DB5 from the film Goldfinger. Groups can walk through a re-created stretch of the Berlin Tunnel, and a spy code begs to be cracked in the Spies Among Us exhibit. For an additional charge, guests can opt to embark on a simulated covert mission entirely based on real intelligence case files in Operation Spy, a one-hour interactive exhibit during which participants ride in simulated truck beds and use video surveillance to find leaked nuclear-trigger technology in a fictional country.

Deemed one of the world’s 12 coolest museums by the Sunday Times, the Newseum uses new technology to tell the history of newspapers, journalism, and groundbreaking photography. Beyond the museum's 74-foot engraving of the First Amendment and its glass atrium, 14 permanent exhibits include the News Corporation News History Gallery, where 10 touch screens offer time lines, games, close-up views of publications, and a live cam of Tom Brokaw's nose. Several theaters screen documentaries that focus on journalistic issues, and the temporary Photo Finish exhibit displays legendary sports photographer Neil Leifer’s work, including a shot of a victorious Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston while announcing his career transition to badminton. The Berlin Wall Gallery shows how news shaped the story of the wall being torn down, with eight 12-foot sections of the wall on display.

Presidential dentures, a kid-sized dental chair, and interactive brushing instruction are some of the permanent exhibits spanning the space's two floors. The museum also boasts a life-size narwhal model, an exposé on saliva, and a celebration of our country's best dental schools. This upcoming season, stop in to pay homage to the tooth fairy for Tooth Fairy Day, or get a mouthful of mammals on Jaws and Paws Day. View a listing of upcoming events here. Take the whole family (admission for children ages 3–18 is $3, and those less than 2 are free), bring a bad-breathed date for a tutorial on mouth management, or instill yourself with a new sense of appreciation for the dentist.

The American Visionary Art Museum devotes its space to original work by self-taught artists who honed their craft—often unintentionally—while operating on the outskirts of the formal art world. As temporary exhibitions explore a particular artist or theme in depth, the permanent collection displays thousands of powerful and often whimsical items, such as Wayne Kusy’s Lusitania, a detailed toothpick replica of the doomed vessel, or the haunting Applewood Figure, an emaciated sculpture said to wince whenever someone eats a piece of fruit. The museum spreads its arresting pieces throughout three historical buildings, including the expansive main building, which boasts a reflective mirrored-mosaic exterior and neighbors the Tall Sculpture Barn, an ex-whiskey warehouse fully equipped with 45-foot ceilings for large-scale projects. A wildflower garden—complete with meditation chapel—and a sculpture plaza featuring a 55-foot whirligig beckon visitors to the museum's outdoor space, where envious clouds shape themselves into crude versions of Pietà. Completing any trip, the museum's Sideshow gift shop stuffs shopping bags with an ever-rotating collection of eclectic artwork, jewelry, toys, and more.