The Smithsonian Exists Far Beyond the National Mall. Here Are Ten Experiences That Will Capture Your Curiosity

Building the brand-new portal MySmithsonian revealed unexpected Smithsonian experiences. Here are some I wish everyone knew about.

Almost a year ago, I joined the Smithsonian’s Office of Digital and Innovation to help build MySmithsonian—a new platform for discovering Smithsonian stories, events, and exhibitions that match your interests. My job was to go looking for what most visitors might overlook, and in the process, I found a Smithsonian that lives well beyond the National Mall. 

As a Midwestern transplant to D.C., I arrived believing “the Smithsonian” meant the National Museum of Natural History. Over the years, I learned the Smithsonian included the National Zoo, the Air and Space Museum, and far more. I felt like I knew it well, and yet the Smithsonian I discovered while building the platform was something else entirely: a late-night Dungeons & Dragons party at the National Postal Museum, an iconic record label that influenced Bob Dylan, and a community museum where I somehow biked home with a lettuce plant. These experiences only scratch the surface of amazing stories everyone should know. 

Here are ten of my favorite finds:

1. Visit the Smithsonian National Postal Museum near Union Station (Washington, D.C.’s main train station). 

The museum has the same grand, museum-y feel people associate with signature locations on the National Mall, but it’s tucked right beside one of the city’s landmark buildings. The National Postal Museum occasionally has after-hours events (tickets sell out quickly!). My favorite was a Dungeons & Dragons-themed night celebrating the release of D&D stamps, complete with games, costumes and plenty of nerd joy. I still have my commemorative D20 (if you know, you know). 

2. Be a scientist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). 

The Smithsonian has a robust volunteer community, but SERC takes it a step further with participatory science projects that let you contribute to real research. If you spot an otter, squeal with delight and then be sure to snap a photo of it. You can report your sighting here.

3. Stream some Elizabeth Cotten from Smithsonian Folkways while you read the rest of this list. 

Did you know the Smithsonian has a nonprofit record label? Folkways Recordings preserves the sounds of cultural heritage. Its staff might just be the coolest people you know with vinyl collections featuring incredible performers you’ve probably never heard of.

4. Explore women’s history across the Smithsonian through the American Women’s History Museum. 

One of my favorite “beyond the Mall” discoveries is a museum that isn’t on the Mall yet. The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum is a growing presence with an outsize impact, surfacing women’s history across collections that have always held it, even when the spotlight didn’t. The continuing push for a permanent home on the National Mall is a reminder that institutions don’t appear fully formed; they’re willed into being by people who keep showing up, keep organizing, keep insisting that the story matters.

5. Go behind the scenes with the National Zoo’s Conservation Biology Institute. 

You know about the National Zoo, but do you know about the Conservation Biology Institute? It’s the part of the Zoo that visitors may not be able to visit, where researchers are working to save species around the world. You can thank them, in part, for contributing to your favorite corner of the internet: cat photos. Here are baby cheetahs getting their checkups.

6. Listen to the universe (yes, really). 

When I say there is a Smithsonian beyond the Mall, I also mean among the stars. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory explores some of the biggest questions in the universe and hosts NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Center, which is “sonifying” astronomical data, allowing you to “hear” the universe on its YouTube channel.

7. Watch the Smithsonian Gardens shorts on YouTube. 

Speaking of YouTube, have you seen the Smithsonian Gardens shorts? I have an orchid that was gifted to me, and I still don’t know how to take care of it. Dear friends at Gardens, please advise. And thank you for the “bloom watch” shorts. I appreciate knowing when my favorite trees are in peak blossom and perhaps getting a heads-up on when to stock up on allergy meds.

8. Find a Smithsonian traveling exhibition or affiliate museum near you. 

The Smithsonian also has a vast network of traveling exhibitions and Smithsonian Affiliate museums across the nation. You might be surprised to find Smithsonian efforts to increase and diffuse knowledge near you. At the time I am writing this, there is a traveling exhibition and a handful of Affiliate museums within driving distance of my hometown of Casey, Iowa (where the cows outnumber the people).

9. If you’re in D.C., experience community-centered programming. 

I visited the Anacostia Community Museum after a day of biking along the Civil War Defenses Hiker-Biker Trail (shout out to our friends at the National Park Service). I arrived sweaty and a little muddy and wandered into the building somewhat out of curiosity and admittedly out of need for water. I found a workshop full of kids designing mosaics on a fishbowl, and outside there were gardeners getting advice on growing vegetables. I unexpectedly biked home with a lettuce plant in my backpack. ACM is more than a museum; it's a staple in the community that hosts farm stands and free programming for local residents.

10. Learn about how Smithsonian science helps protect ecosystems. 

And finally, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute located in Panama reminds me that the Smithsonian isn’t just preserving and archiving the world, it’s helping save it. Recently, a tiny golden frog was released into the wild as part of an effort to breed and restore this critically endangered species. Thanks, team.

What surprised me most in building MySmithsonian wasn’t just how much exists beyond the Mall—it was how easy it is to overlook the Smithsonian that’s happening in neighborhoods, labs, studios and field sites. The Smithsonian is too big for a single day or a single map. 

I found these experiences the way many people do: by following curiosity. Sometimes that meant wandering in and being surprised; other times it meant digging through digital pathways until something made me stop and think, wait—this is Smithsonian?

That mix of curiosity and serendipity is exactly what MySmithsonian was designed to support—helping people discover Smithsonian stories, places, and programs that align with what they care most about. To learn more, visit my.si.edu and explore what might surprise you next.

Heather Williams | Read More

Heather is the product manager leading the development of MySmithsonian, a personalized digital platform designed to enhance user engagement by making the Smithsonian's vast array of content discoverable and curated to individual interests.