Prior to visiting the Organization of American States' Art Museum of the Americas, it is highly recommended that you explore its back garden. Just a short walk from the Mall, this remarkable piece of gardening contains boxwood, azaleas and annuals, plus a murky yet lovely pool presided over by a dominant statue of the Aztec god of flowers, Xochipili. The museum itself, established in 1976, holds a rich collection of Latin American and Caribbean art -- from colonial to contemporary – presented in various media. Also, it hosts regular exhibitions, educational programs and lectures devoted to the art and culture of OAS member states.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Edward Hopper, Willem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Gene Davis, and many others. There are always several exhibitions on display, regularly featuring contemporary work on the second floor with modern and early American work on the first floor. The Corcoran is the oldest and largest non-federal art museum in the District of Columbia. Its mission is to be "dedicated to art and used solely for the purpose of encouraging the American genius."

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art. The museum displays a variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the US. The museum has two innovative public spaces, the Luce Foundation Center for American Art and the Lunder Conservation Center. The Luce Foundation Center is the first visible art storage and study center in Washington, D.C. It presents more than 3,300 objects in 64 secure glass cases, which quadruples the number of artworks from the permanent collection on public display. The Luce Foundation Center features paintings densely hung on screens, sculptures, crafts and folk art objects arranged on shelves, and miniatures and medals in drawers that open. Large-scale sculptures are installed on the first floor. The Lunder Conservation Center is the first art conservation facility that allows the public permanent behind-the-scenes views of preservation work.

The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in Washington, D.C., administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous individual Americans. It resides in the National Historic Landmarked Old Patent Office Building, located just south of Chinatown in the Penn Quarter district of downtown Washington. The third oldest federal building in the city, constructed between 1836 and 1867, the marble and granite museum has porticoes modeled after the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Hallmarks of the National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection include the famous "Lansdowne" portrait of George Washington; the Hall of Presidents; and its extensive selection of portraits of remarkable Americans from all walks of life. Since its reopening on July 1, 2006, the Portrait Gallery has also focused on contemporary portraiture in its "Portraiture Now" series, and in its triennial contemporary portrait competition, the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.

The National Gallery of Art is a national art museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum was established in 1937 for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, with funds for construction and a substantial art collection donated by Andrew W. Mellon. The Gallery's collection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, medals, and decorative arts traces the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present, including the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas and the largest mobile ever created by Alexander Calder. The Gallery's campus includes the original neoclassical West Building designed by John Russell Pope, which is linked underground to the modern East Building designed by I. M. Pei, and the 6.1-acre Sculpture Garden. Temporary special exhibitions spanning the world and the history of art are presented frequently.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the Smithsonian Institution. It was conceived as the United States' museum of contemporary and modern art and currently focuses its collection-building and exhibition-planning mainly on the post–World War II period, with particular emphasis on art made during the last 50 years.

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art began as a private museum in 1964 and then became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979. The museum is subterranean with a beautiful garden planted on top and is connected to the Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art.

A large portion of the artwork comes from areas of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. The collection includes sculptures, musical instruments, paintings, photography, jewelry, and furniture. Masks are also included. There are about 9,000 pieces in the collection including the Walt Disney-Tishman collection.

Part of the focus of the museum is education. The Warren M. Robbins library houses an impressive 32,000 volumes on African culture, history and art. The performing arts are also on display at times with dance and music being preformed. Radio Africa provides free streaming so the music of Africa can be heard around the world.

The Museum is located at 950 Independence Avenue, SW on the National Mall. The main entrance is located in the Enid Haupt Garden. Admission is free and the museum is open from 10-5:30 daily except Christmas Day. Docent tours are available at selected times, so check before going.

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of Art is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The gallery opened in 1987 after Dr. Sackler donated his collection of Asian art to the Smithsonian. He also donated some $4 million to help build the museum so the art could be appreciated by all. Art exhibits include ceramics from Southeast Asia as well as sculpture from the same area and the Himalayas. There is a special section devoted to the arts of China. Coming soon to the gallery will be a permanent exhibit called the Buddhist Shrine Room. The Sackler Gallery along with the Freer Gallery boast one the largest collections of Chinese art outside of China. The collection of jade is absolutely stunning and some of the pieces are 5,000 years old. Also do not miss the lacquer collection. The work on the food boxes is truely amazing. Be sure to check out the traveling exhibitions. The Sackler Gallery is renowned for bringing in exhibits of Asian art. Additionally, the Gallery is home to an extensive Asian art research library. This library is open to the public, no appointment needed. About half of the volumes collected are in Asian languages. The majority of the Gallery is located underground. Because of that design there is an amazing rooftop garden that is at ground level on the Mall. The gardens carry on the Asian theme of the collections in the Gallery.