Museums & Galleries in Washington, D. C.

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.

History is built into the very foundation of the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards. Before it was rescued and reimagined as a tribute to Baltimore athletics, the building was one of the oldest surviving railway stations, and the site of the first blood shed in the Civil War. First opened in 1856, the towering complex has been around for the Orioles’ entire history and nearly half of planet earth’s history. From the Colts to the Ravens to the Baltimore Blast, all of Charm City’s major teams are commemorated here. Nine Innings of Orioles Baseball condenses the team’s history down to a single game, shining light on the opening pitch in the 1890s and Cal Ripken Jr.’s historic career. Johnny Unitas: The Best There Ever Was visits the legend in his blue-collar youth in Pittsburgh, and the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame honors such talents as Jimmie Foxx, Don Kelley, and Frank “Home Run” Baker.

Down the road sits an even more hallowed shrine—the birthplace of George Herman Ruth, better known by the nicknames “Babe” and “Pacman.” Born February 6, 1895 at 216 Emory St., the Babe got his first professional contract with the Orioles before moving on to found and later out-pace the 500 Home Run Club. By the end of his career, Ruth had smashed a grand total of 714 homers, a number surpassed only by two other players. Visitors to the historic house can also see some of his very first gear at the Babe Batted Here exhibit, featuring a mitt, jersey, and T-shirt gun, Meanwhile, the Star Spangled Banner in Sports commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812 with a 3D-projected film.