Smithsonian Tour: American & Natural History

Discover two renowned Smithsonian Museums located on Washington DC’s National Mall: the captivating National Museum of American History and the Museum of Natural History, which houses one of the world’s most impressive collections. Enjoy this private and enlightening walking tour in just three hours.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • National Museum of American History - Start with an exclusive tour of the National Museum of American History, where a guide will provide an overview of American history before delving deeper into the exhibitions.
  • Discover numerous artifacts that form the foundation of the American political and cultural landscape.
  • Investigate exhibitions that…
What's Included
  • Entrance to Smithsonian museums of American History & Natural History
  • Friendly, professional English-speaking tour guide for your private group
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities (optional)
  • Food and drink
  • Transportation on the day (if required)
  • Hotel pickup/drop-off
Location
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Constitution Avenue Northwest
Your guide will meet you by the flagpole located at the entrance to the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, United States.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.4
(56 Ratings)
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Michael_s
May 26, 2026
excellent - Kate was a great tour guide. She was so knowledgable and made each presentation interesting with lots of data and information and even small recreations of the costumes of that time period . all of the family found her very interesting
Review provided by Viator
Mihir_t
May 3, 2026
Great toir - Very informative, thorough and well articulated. I would highly recommend for anyone interested in having a well guided private tour.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_k
Nov 4, 2025
Best Tour Guide - John Grant was the best tour guide we’ve ever had - he was thoughtful, super knowledgeable and was very dedicated to us having a great experience!
Review provided by Viator
Robin_m
Jul 21, 2025
Jalesa was very... - Jalesa was very informative and took us to the best highlights of both museums. Took the time to find out about our interests and made sure to include touring those.
Review provided by Viator
Resort13214939642
Jun 29, 2025
A+ tour - I loved our guide, Stephen! It was formative and he was very knowledgeable. He kept a hood pace and provided lots of information we wouldn’t have known walking around solo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew_o
Mar 30, 2024
Superb tour! - We had an excellent time! Our guide Stephen was funny, witty, engaging, and full of interesting anecdotes and facts. Highly recommend! Would have a seen and learned a third of what we did without our guide
Review provided by Viator
Fairchr
Mar 9, 2024
Wonderful guide! - Steven is highly knowledgeable and gave us memorable tours of the highlights of both the Museum of American History and the Museum of Natural History -- thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brynna_s
Aug 8, 2024
We chose this tour as we... - We chose this tour as we were crunched for time and thought that a guide would be able to help us hit the highlights. Our guide was an older gentleman who was full of knowledge. However upon arrival he asked us what we wanted to see- we had not done much research before. He was good in taking us to things he thought we important. I would suggest you know what you want to see ahead of time. Of course it was a whirlwind and we could have had more time, but for the price it was decent. We would have been lost and wasting time if we had meandered around on our own.
Review provided by Viator
Tasia_g
May 20, 2024
Couples weekend - Very busy hard to hear.. suggest maybe headphones and microphone to communicate . Other wise AWSOME place to visit.. First time in Washington
Review provided by Viator
Julio_c
Jun 9, 2025
Disappointing experience. I don't recommend it to anyone. - I hired a private tour for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History, hoping to enrich the visit with my youngest daughter, learning beyond what is already available to the general public. However, the experience was deeply disappointing. The guide assigned, Paul Rose, was unfortunately not in a position — physically or intellectually — to provide the service we had hoped for. Beyond joining us on the tour, he provided no additional information or relevant historical context. On several occasions he simply repeated what already appeared in the vignettes of the museum, at other times asking us to sit down while we toured its institutions. It should be remembered that both museums are free and have detailed signage. That is precisely why we hired a guide: to have a personalized and educational experience. Instead, we felt that we had only paid to have a silent companion, with no added value. Viator should more rigorously review the adequacy of its guides, especially when it comes to services geared towards families with children, who seek to learn and connect more meaningfully with content. Unfortunately, this tour did not meet any of our expectations.
Review provided by Viator
From $30
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).