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IMAX Films at the Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater
Ongoing Tours & Activities
For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Note:
- For after-hours shows, use the Constitution Ave. entrance.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Johnson IMAX Theater, 1st Floor. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/samuel-c-johnson-imax-theater.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
Natural History Museum Exhibition Interpreters/Navigators
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum volunteer interpreters welcome visitors, answer questions, and help visitors navigate exhibitions. Interpreters may be stationed in several of the following exhibitions at various times throughout the day, subject to interpreter availability:
Against All Odds: Rescue at the Chilean Mine (through May 2012)
, Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake (through January 6, 2013)
, The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?
, The Sant Ocean Hall
, Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals
, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Various exhibitions; ask at the museum's info desks for today's locations and schedules. Continues: Repeats most days.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
Albert Einstein Planetarium
Ongoing Activities
Embark on an astronomical adventure at the Einstein Planetarium. For information on Planetarium shows, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters and Einstein Planetarium website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Albert Einstein Planetarium. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/einstein-planetarium.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
IMAX Films at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater
Ongoing Activities
Explore our fascination with flight through the air and in space. View Earth from the open cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Journey to natural and man-made wonders of the world. These and other thrills await you in the National Air and Space Museum's Lockheed Martin Imax Theater. Films are projected on the five-story-high screen with six-channel digital surround sound. For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/lockheed-martin-imax-theater.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
IMAX Films at the Airbus IMAX Theater
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore our fascination with flight through the air and in space. View Earth from the open cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Journey to natural and man-made wonders of the world. These and other thrills await you in the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center's Airbus IMAX Theater. Films are projected on the five-story-high screen with six-channel digital surround sound. For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Airbus IMAX Theater. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/airbus-imax-theater.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
Conservation Clinic: Lunder Conservation Center
Ongoing Activities
The Lunder Conservation Center is a special facility of several laboratories shared by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum where conservators examine, treat, and preserve artwork.
Do you have questions about the condition of a portrait, painting, or drawing that you own? Museum conservators are available during a conservation clinic to discuss with you the condition and preservation of your art.
Year-Round:
1st Tues. of every month: 9-11 AM, by appointment
, For location and to schedule an appointment, call Lou Molnar 202-633-5822 or email molnarl@si.edu and specify "CLINIC" in the subject line.
Categories: Workshops. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Call for location (see below). Cost: Free, but by appointment only; see below.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Elephant Viewing
Daily Zoo Activities
The Elephant House will be closed while we build the elephants a new home. However, they will be on view in their outdoor habitats from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm daily, however frequently they may be found out in their yard after that time (weather dependent).
Time Detail: 10-4. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Outside Elephant House.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Encounter Invertebrates
Daily Zoo Activities
Explore the complex and fascinating world of invertebrates: corals and crabs, ants and anemones, snails and spiders. Staff will be feeding the animals and answering questions every 1/2 hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Time Detail: 10:00am to 4:00pm, every half hour at the Invertebrate Exhibit. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrate Exhibit. Continues: Every half hour.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Great Cats Viewing
Daily Zoo Activities
The lions and tigers are on exhibit from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
Time Detail: 10-4 at the Great Cats Exhibit. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Great Cats.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Ride Simulators
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Ride Simulators: (ride approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of four simulators. Experience the thrill of careening through an action-packed roller-coaster course or racing in futuristic high-speed hovercars. Choose your adventure: Cosmic Race, Bermuda Triangle, Solar Coaster, Grand Prix Raceway, Astro Canyon, or Glacier Run.
Note: Simulator accommodates up to 8 people per ride. Children must be 42 inches tall unless riding with an adult.
Year-Round:
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Lower Level, across from the Stars and Stripes Cafe. Cost: Tickets always available for purchase at the entrance to the simulator gallery and may also be available at either Welcome desk.
Admission Per Ride
- $7.00 per person
Payment Options:
- Cash, VISA, and MasterCard.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM.
Flight Simulators: Fly or Ride!
Ongoing Activities
Ride Simulators: (approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of two simulators. Choose your adventure: Ride aboard the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station or experience the thrill of a flight in both vintage and jet-age aircraft. Note: Ride Simulators accommodate up to 8 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 42 inches tall unless accompanied by an adult.
, Interactive Flight Simulators: (approximately 6 min.)
Try to become a jet combat "ace" -- in an F-4 Phantom II -- as you pilot the simulator into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities. Note: Interactive Flight Simulators accommodates 1 to 2 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 48 inches tall.
Year-Round
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: West Wing, Gallery 103, Simulator Gallery. Cost: Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or at the Simulator Gallery.
Admission Per Ride:
- Ride Simulator: $7.00 per person
- Interactive Flight Simulator: $8.00 per person
- Add a Simulator: $1.00 off with the purchase of an IMAX Theater or Planetarium ticket
- Groups: Discounts available; ask at the Box Office or at the Flight Simulators
- For reservations, call 202-633-4629 or 1-866-868-7774 (toll-free)
Payment Options
- At Simulators: Cash, VISA, or MasterCard
- At IMAX and Planetarium…
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Flight Simulators: SpaceWalk or Wings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Ride Simulators: (approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of three ride simulators. Choose your adventure: Take a 3-D journey aboard the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station or experience the thrill of a flight in both vintage and jet-age aircraft. Note: Ride Simulators accommodate up to 8 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 42 inches tall unless accompanied by an adult.
, Interactive Flight Simulators: (approximately 6 min.)
Try to become a jet combat "ace" -- in one of two F-4 Phantom II interactive flight simulators -- as you pilot your aircraft into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities. Note: Interactive Flight Simulators accommodates 1 to 2 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 48 inches tall.
Year-Round:
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Main Level, near the simulators. Cost: Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or at the Simulator Gallery.
Admission Per Ride:
- Ride Simulator: $7.00 per person
- Interactive Flight Simulator: $8.00 per person
- Add a Simulator: $1.00 off with the purchase of an IMAX Theater ticket
- Groups: Discounts available; ask at the Box Office or at the Flight Simulators
- For reservations, call 202-633-4629 or 1-866-868-7774 (toll-free)
Payment Options:
- At Simulator: Cash, VISA, or MasterCard
- At Box Office: Cash or major credit…
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Art of the Great Plains: Ledger Art and Activity
Heye Center
A brief overview of Plains Indian ledger art. Create your own drawing on ledger paper using crayons, colored pencils, and stencils.
View ledger book from 1800s in our exhibition "Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian"
Monday - Saturday only.
10 AM – 5 PM.
Time Detail: Monday - Saturday only. 10 AM – 5 PM. Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Resource Center, 2nd Floor. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: Infinity of Nations.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Haudenosaunee Room w/ Jennifer Williams
Heye Center
Meet with Jennifer Williams and learn about the Haudenosaunee.
Tuesdays–Fridays, 10am–1pm, Haudenosaunee Room.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Haudenosaunee Room. Cost: Free.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Learn about the peoples of the Plains w/ Laura Browarny
Heye Center
Learn about the Peoples of the Plains with Laura Browarny
Mondays - Wednesdays.
First Come First Served.
Categories: Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Education Center. Cost: Free.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Butterfly Pavilion
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Take a stroll among live butterflies and exotic plants! Located adjacent to Partners in Evolution, this tropical oasis offers visitors a rare opportunity to get close to a variety of living butterflies from all over the world.
Regular Hours:
Daily: 10:15 AM-5:30 PM; last timed ticket at 5 PM.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution Exhibit, 2nd Floor, West. Cost: Tickets can be purchased in advance (see Purchase Tickets Web link below), or by phone at 202-633-4629 (IMAX) or 1-877-932-4629 (IMAX) (toll-free) (10 AM-5 PM), or in person on the day of your visit at the Butterfly Pavilion Box Office or at any Smithsonian IMAX Box Office. For more information about the hours of operation, timed entry policy, ticket prices, group rates, etc. visit the Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution Web site.
Prices per ticket:
Adults $6
Seniors $5.50 (60+)
Children $5… Purchase Tickets: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=21156&venue_val=215878. Related Exhibition: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:15 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.butterflies.si.edu.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Daily: 10:15 AM and 1 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- Additional tours may be offered as announced; check at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Meet at either Welcome desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:15 AM.
Bird House Storytime
Daily Zoo Activities
Families with young children are invited to the Bird Resource Room for a special story featurning our feathered friends.
Time Detail: thirty minutes. Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Resource Room.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Through May 2012:
• Most Tues.-Fri.: 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- No tours on most federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Meet in Rotunda, 1st floor, near information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
, Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Interactive Carts (10:30 am - 3:00 pm)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
(for all ages) Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Activities include operating a cotton gin, peeking through a stereoscope, experiencing what it felt like to wear a corset, using a press to print a card, and copying a letter the way Jefferson did.
Year-Round:
• Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3 PM
Note
- Activity subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Location of carts vary; for location and schedule, check at either Welcome desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Spotlight Tours (10:30 am - 3:00 pm)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object.
Year-Round:
• Most days: Available between 10:30 AM and 3 PM
Notes
- Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Locations vary; for location and schedule, check at the Welcome Center. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the tour desk.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Shout Online Conference Series: Water Matters
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
To extend the learning experience beyond the classroom, the Smithsonian has partnered with Microsoft Partners in Learning to bring to educators and students a series of online learning experiences addressing global environmental issues to make the world a better place. "Water Matters" is the theme of the 2012 Shout Online Conference Series in which students and educators are invited to join Smithsonian experts to discuss the environment from a variety of perspectives -- scientific, historical, cultural, and artistic.
For schedule of sessions, check the web link below closer to the time of the conference.
Categories: Webcasts & Webinars. Event Location: Online only. Webcast: http://www.smithsonianconference.org/shout/program-2012/. Cost: Free, but registration required; visit the web at http://www.smithsonianconference.org/shout/program-2012/. Continues: Continues February 8, March 26-27, and May 16-17, 11 AM-3 PM EST.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.smithsonianconference.org.
Amazon Fish Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Thousands of fish species live in the Amazon River Basin. Meet some of them during this feeding in Amazonia.
Time Detail: 11:00 am. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Amazonia Exhibit.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Bird Enrichment Demonstration
Daily Zoo Activities
Watch birds forage and catch their food mid-flight, as a keeper or volunteer narrates in the Indoor Flight Room.
Time Detail: 11:00 am. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Octopus Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
The giant Pacific octopus is a predator that demonstrates dynamic hunting behaviors.
Time Detail: 11:00 am at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Orangutan Crossing
Daily Zoo Activities
It's a thrilling sight to see the orangutans traveling on the Zoo's Orangutan Transport System, or O Line. The best time to see them is between 11 and 11:30 am (weather dependent).
Time Detail: 11:00 am on the O-Line. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: O Line.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Highlights Tours
Look for our friendly docent who will give a 30-minute tour of the highlights of the museum. To confirm dates and times, call 202-633-5534 (voice) or 202-633-9849 (TTY).
Year-Round:
Most days: 11 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Self-Guided Highlights Tours
- Brochures, which include a floor plan and information about the museum's exhibitions, are available in a kiosk at the bottom of the escalators at the entrance to the museum.
- A copy of the self-guided tour brochure can also be downloaded here: Download Self-guided Tour Brochure (PDF).
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet at the information desk, street level, near top of escalators to museum. Cost: Free.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 AM.
Tour: Freer Highlights
Tours
Learn about the history of the Freer Gallery, the first Smithsonian museum devoted to the fine arts. Discover how museum founder Charles Lang Freer shaped the collection in the late nineteenth century and how he developed his vision for the museum. Explore its outstanding holdings of Asian and American works of art.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Freer Gallery. Event Location: Meet at the Freer information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 AM.
Meet a Great Ape Keeper
Daily Zoo Activities
Learn about the fascinating world of apes. A keeper will speak about gorillas or orangutans.
Time Detail: 11:30 am at Great Apes. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Great Apes.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
Sloth Bear Talk
Daily Zoo Activities
Find out what and how these Asian bears eat. This demo is weather dependent.
Time Detail: 11:30 am on Asia Trail (weather dependent). Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Asia Trail.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
, Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:30 AM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Highlights of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the gallery.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 11:45 AM and 2:15 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 11:45 AM and 3:15 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:45 AM.
Book Signing: George Norfleet
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
George Norfleet signs copies of his book A Pilot's Journey: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman, Curtis Christopher Robinson.
Categories: Shopping/Book Signing. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Outside Museum Store. Cost: Books available for sale in Museum Store. Continues: Repeats most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Book Signings: Col. Wolfgang Samuel
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Col. Wolfgang Samuel signs copies of his books Glory Days, Watson's Whizzers, American Raiders, The War of Our Childhood, German Boy, I Always Wanted to Fly, and Coming to Colorado.
Categories: Shopping/Book Signing. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Outside Museum Store. Cost: Books available for sale in Museum Store. Continues: Repeats most Sundays and Tuesdays.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Discovery Room
Ongoing Tours & Activities
The Discovery Room is a hands-on room for families with children and students. The room features activities using real museum objects and artifacts that allow visitors to explore the natural world at their own pace, guided by their own interests and sense of wonder. Visitors can look at fossils, skulls, shells, and minerals; use a microscope; try on costumes from around the world; and much more. Docents are available to assist and answer questions.
Entry Procedures:
• Individuals:
- For families with children and students. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
September 6 through early June:
• Tues.-Thurs.: 12 Noon-2:30 PM
• Fri.: 10:30 AM-2:30 PM
• Sat. & Sun.: 10:30 AM-3:30 PM
• School Groups:
October-May: by reservation only; 3-week notice required; call 202-633-1079 or 202-633-9287 (TTY); for information, visit the Web at www.mnh.si.edu/education/discoveryroom.htm.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st floor, East Wing, near African Voices.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Hirshhorn Museum Spotlight Tours (12 Noon-4 PM)
Ongoing Activities
Our friendly docents are stationed at the information desk for a casual conversation or an impromptu 30-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Mon.-Fri.: Available between 12 Noon and 4 PM
Note
- No tours on federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: At the information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours
This highlights tour of the collection at the Renwick Gallery may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Throughout the month of February, walk-in tours at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery will highlight a work by African American artists.
Notes
- No tours on federal holidays.
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Meet in Renwick Gallery Lobby.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Tour: Sackler Highlights
Tours
Explore the Sackler Gallery's permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. The museum opened in 1987 to house a gift of some 1,000 works of Asian art from Dr. Arthur M. Sackler. Among its highlights are early Chinese bronzes and jades, Chinese paintings and lacquerware, and sculpture from South and Southeast Asia.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Sackler Gallery. Event Location: Meet at the Sackler information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM.
Chopin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Schumann-The Intimate Romantics, 8-Session Daytime Course
Resident Associate Program
Explore the life, influences, and major works of four of the greatest composers of the Romantic period—Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Liszt, in this series led by popular Smithsonian music lecturer Saul Lilienstein. View more details.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW, Metro: Smithsonian Mall Exit (Blue/Orange). Cost: Click here to view prices. Purchase Tickets: http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2012FY-Trumba-calend&tmssource=185606&performanceNumber=223608.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM.
Infinity of Nations tour
Heye Center
Lead Museum Ambassador Manola M. Torii provides a 45-minute free guided tour through the permanent exhibition, INFINITY OF NATIONS. The Tour "Shaping Materials, shaping Identities" highlights the use of wood, gold, stone, hides and other materials by Native Peoples of South, Central and North America and their influence on cultural identity.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Meet at 2nd Floor East Visitor Services Desk, tour takes place in the Infinity of Nations exhibtion, south gallery. Cost: Free; no reservations required. Related Exhibition: Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Highlights of the American Art Museum
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This highlights tour of the collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Year-Round:
• Most days: 12:30 PM and 2 PM
Notes
- No tours on 2nd Tuesday of each month.
- Tours subject to docent availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:30 PM.
Hirshhorn Museum Highlights Tours
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who gives a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Most Mon.-Thurs.: 12:30 PM
• Most Fri.: 3 PM
Note
- No tours on federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet at the information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:30 PM.
February Daily Films: Wapawekka and Nikamowin/Song
Ongoing Tours & Activities
In honor of Black History Month, the museum presents two films that explore identity, community, and tradition:
Wapawekka (2010, 16 min, Canada, directed by Danis Goulet (Métis), in English and Cree with English subtitles) The quiet spaces of an isolated family camp begin to erode the cultural distance between a traditional Cree man and his son.
, Nikamowin/Song (2007, 11 min, Canada, directed by Kevin Lee Burton (Swampy Cree), in English and Cree with English subtitles and voice-over) This experimental film ponders the indelible human connection to language and the alarming demise of Native languages, transforming the sounds of a Cree narrative into parallel landscapes and soundscapes.
Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Rasmuson Theater, 1st Level. Cost: Free. Continues: Repeats daily, except Wednesdays, through February.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM.
Forensic Anthropology Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
(for all ages) The Forensic Anthropology Lab is a hands-on room where families with children learn that forensic science is far more mysterious and engaging than forensic fiction. Visitors use real human bones to solve cases, identify people from the past, and
draw conclusions about their lives.
Entry Procedures:
• Individuals:
- Walk-in. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
September 5 through mid-June:
- Mon. Tues. Thurs. and Fri.: 1-5 PM
- Sat. & Sun.: 11 AM-4 PM
• School Groups:
October-May: by reservation only; 3-week notice required; for information and reservations, visit the Web at Forensic Lab or call 202-633-1085 or 202-633-9287 (TTY).
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Written in Bone, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Daily: 10:15 AM and 1 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- Additional tours may be offered as announced; check at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Meet at either information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Tour: Freer Highlights
Tours
Learn about the history of the Freer Gallery, the first Smithsonian museum devoted to the fine arts. Discover how museum founder Charles Lang Freer shaped the collection in the late nineteenth century and how he developed his vision for the museum. Explore its outstanding holdings of Asian and American works of art.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Freer Gallery. Event Location: Meet at the Freer information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the tour desk.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Docent's Choice Tour of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of one of the following: highlights of the museum, the America's Presidents exhibition, or one of the special exhibitions currently on view.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 1 PM and 3:30 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM
Notes
- On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, the tour may be offered in Spanish (depending upon demand).
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Great Ape Research Demonstration
Daily Zoo Activities
Meet a cognitive researcher and learn about studies being conducted with the Zoo's orangutans and gorillas.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Think Tank.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM.
Small Mammal Feedings
Daily Zoo Activities
Everyone's on time for dinner! Beginning at 1:30pm through about 2:30pm come find out what's for dinner in the Small Mammal House!
Time Detail: 1:30 pm. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Small Mammal House.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Through May 2012:
• Most Tues.-Fri.: 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- No tours on most federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Meet in Rotunda, 1st floor, near information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:30 PM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
, Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Cultural interpreters provide a 1-hour overview of the museum's history, landscape, building, exhibitions, and other points of interest.
Through February 2012:
• Most Mon.-Fri.: 1:30 PM
• Most Sat. and Sun.: 11 AM and 1:30 PM
Note
- Subject to Cultural Interpreter availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Potomac Atrium, 1st Level. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
Meet a Small Mammal
Daily Zoo Activities
An animal keeper will introduce you to one of the Zoo's small mammals like an armadillo or naked mole-rat.
Time Detail: 2:00 pm at the Small Mammal House. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Small Mammal House.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Spider Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Eight-legged wonders! Get up close and personal with tarantulas, brown recluse or other eight-legged residents of the Invertebrate exhibit.
Time Detail: 2:00pm at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Highlights of the American Art Museum
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This highlights tour of the collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Throughout the month of February, walk-in tours at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery will highlight a work by African American artists.
Year-Round:
• Most days: 12:30 PM and 2 PM
Notes
- No tours on 2nd Tuesday of each month.
- Tours subject to docent availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:00 PM.
Tour: Sackler Highlights
Tours
Explore the Sackler Gallery's permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. The museum opened in 1987 to house a gift of some 1,000 works of Asian art from Dr. Arthur M. Sackler. Among its highlights are early Chinese bronzes and jades, Chinese paintings and lacquerware, and sculpture from South and Southeast Asia.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Sackler Gallery. Event Location: Meet at the Sackler information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:00 PM.
Interpretive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Cultural interpreters offer kids and families a hands-on learning cart, a hands-on activity, a storytelling program, or a tour in the galleries.
Through February 2012:
• Most Tues. Thurs. Sat. and Sun.: 2-4 PM
Note
- Subject to Cultural Interpreter availability.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Check at the Welcome Desk for location.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Beaded Moccasin Making Demonstration w/ Cody Harjo (Seminole/Otoe)
Heye Center
Beaded moccasin making demonstration with Cody Harjo. Visitors are invited to interact with Cody Harjo by observing, listening and asking questions (Seminole/Otoe). Please note:This is not a workshop.
Every Tuesday Free.
Categories: Demonstrations. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Education Center (1st Floor). Cost: Free.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Highlights of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the gallery.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 11:45 AM and 2:15 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 11:45 AM and 3:15 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:15 PM.
Octopus Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
The giant Pacific octopus is a predator that demonstrates dynamic hunting behaviors.
Time Detail: 3:00 pm at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM.
Sketching: Draw and Discover: Luce Foundation Center for American Art
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join a discussion about artists' sketches, then spend time sketching some of the more than 3,300 artworks on display in the Luce Foundation Center. Bring a small sketchbook and pencils.
Most Tuesdays.: 3-4:30 PM.
Categories: Workshops. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Luce Foundation Center, 3rd floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
U.S. Customs House Tour
Heye Center
Museum Ambassadors provide a 45-minute in-depth look at the unique architecture and design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House, home of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Meet at East Visitor Services Desk, 2nd Floor. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
Crustacean Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Come see the crabs, lobsters, shrimp and crayfish get their dinner!
Time Detail: 3:30 pm. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrate Exhibit.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM.
February Daily Films: Wapawekka and Nikamowin/Song
Ongoing Tours & Activities
In honor of Black History Month, the museum presents two films that explore identity, community, and tradition:
Wapawekka (2010, 16 min, Canada, directed by Danis Goulet (Métis), in English and Cree with English subtitles) The quiet spaces of an isolated family camp begin to erode the cultural distance between a traditional Cree man and his son.
, Nikamowin/Song (2007, 11 min, Canada, directed by Kevin Lee Burton (Swampy Cree), in English and Cree with English subtitles and voice-over) This experimental film ponders the indelible human connection to language and the alarming demise of Native languages, transforming the sounds of a Cree narrative into parallel landscapes and soundscapes.
Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Rasmuson Theater, 1st Level. Cost: Free. Continues: Repeats daily, except Wednesdays, through February.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
Docent's Choice Tour of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of one of the following: highlights of the museum, the America's Presidents exhibition, or one of the special exhibitions currently on view.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 1 PM and 3:30 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, the 1:30 PM tour may be offered in Spanish (depending upon demand).
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 3:30 PM.
ArtLab+ Art Breakers
One-Time Events
ArtLab+ is a digital media studio that gives local teens the opportunity to become integral members of a design team.
(ages 13-19) What does it mean to create something "original"? Find out how artists broke with the past to build new concepts, then try it yourself using new digital tools. Starting with art in the Hirshhorn’s collection, you can craft original remixes to exhibit in the museum via QR codes. You will use physical art-making materials with a variety of editing software that can tackle any medium to create original work.
Monthly themes:
February - Status Update: Transform a decades-old artwork
, March - Cover Band: Remake a Hirshhorn artist's work
, April - On Speaking Terms: Create a piece that continues a discussion an artwork began
, May - Hack 'n' Slash: Take a work apart and create another artwork.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: ArtLab (in the Sunken Sculpture Garden on the Mall). Cost: Free, but space is limited. Registration is required. See Web link for application. For more information, call 202-633-3382 or e-mail hmsgeducation@si.edu. Continues: Most Tuesdays through May with different monthly themes.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit artlabplus.si.edu.
ArtLab+ Noise Factory Club
One-Time Events
ArtLab+ is a digital media studio that gives local teens the opportunity to become integral members of a design team.
(ages 13-19) Inspired by the new wave of indie artists? Want to be a cutting-edge producer? What about recording vocals in a real sound booth? Join us in the ArtLab and learn to produce your own music. Under the guidance of artist and educator Dan Solberg and music producer Jon Williams, teens explore free software like Audacity, and over time, work up to advanced professional software, including ProTools and Logic.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: ArtLab (in the Sunken Sculpture Garden on the Mall). Cost: Free, but space is limited. Registration is required. See Web link for application. For more information, call 202-633-3382 or e-mail hmsgeducation@si.edu. Continues: Most Tuesdays (4-6 PM) and Saturdays (1-3 PM) through May.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit artlabplus.si.edu.
IMAX Films at the Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater
Ongoing Tours & Activities
For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Note:
- For after-hours shows, use the Constitution Ave. entrance.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Johnson IMAX Theater, 1st Floor. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/samuel-c-johnson-imax-theater.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
Natural History Museum Exhibition Interpreters/Navigators
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum volunteer interpreters welcome visitors, answer questions, and help visitors navigate exhibitions. Interpreters may be stationed in several of the following exhibitions at various times throughout the day, subject to interpreter availability:
Against All Odds: Rescue at the Chilean Mine (through May 2012)
, Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake (through January 6, 2013)
, The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?
, The Sant Ocean Hall
, Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals
, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Various exhibitions; ask at the museum's info desks for today's locations and schedules. Continues: Repeats most days.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012.
Albert Einstein Planetarium
Ongoing Activities
Embark on an astronomical adventure at the Einstein Planetarium. For information on Planetarium shows, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters and Einstein Planetarium website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Albert Einstein Planetarium. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/einstein-planetarium.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
IMAX Films at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater
Ongoing Activities
Explore our fascination with flight through the air and in space. View Earth from the open cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Journey to natural and man-made wonders of the world. These and other thrills await you in the National Air and Space Museum's Lockheed Martin Imax Theater. Films are projected on the five-story-high screen with six-channel digital surround sound. For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/lockheed-martin-imax-theater.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
IMAX Films at the Airbus IMAX Theater
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore our fascination with flight through the air and in space. View Earth from the open cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Journey to natural and man-made wonders of the world. These and other thrills await you in the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center's Airbus IMAX Theater. Films are projected on the five-story-high screen with six-channel digital surround sound. For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Airbus IMAX Theater. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/airbus-imax-theater.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
Elephant Viewing
Daily Zoo Activities
The Elephant House will be closed while we build the elephants a new home. However, they will be on view in their outdoor habitats from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm daily, however frequently they may be found out in their yard after that time (weather dependent).
Time Detail: 10-4. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Outside Elephant House.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Encounter Invertebrates
Daily Zoo Activities
Explore the complex and fascinating world of invertebrates: corals and crabs, ants and anemones, snails and spiders. Staff will be feeding the animals and answering questions every 1/2 hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Time Detail: 10:00am to 4:00pm, every half hour at the Invertebrate Exhibit. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrate Exhibit. Continues: Every half hour.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Great Cats Viewing
Daily Zoo Activities
The lions and tigers are on exhibit from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
Time Detail: 10-4 at the Great Cats Exhibit. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Great Cats.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Ride Simulators
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Ride Simulators: (ride approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of four simulators. Experience the thrill of careening through an action-packed roller-coaster course or racing in futuristic high-speed hovercars. Choose your adventure: Cosmic Race, Bermuda Triangle, Solar Coaster, Grand Prix Raceway, Astro Canyon, or Glacier Run.
Note: Simulator accommodates up to 8 people per ride. Children must be 42 inches tall unless riding with an adult.
Year-Round:
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Lower Level, across from the Stars and Stripes Cafe. Cost: Tickets always available for purchase at the entrance to the simulator gallery and may also be available at either Welcome desk.
Admission Per Ride
- $7.00 per person
Payment Options:
- Cash, VISA, and MasterCard.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM.
Flight Simulators: Fly or Ride!
Ongoing Activities
Ride Simulators: (approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of two simulators. Choose your adventure: Ride aboard the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station or experience the thrill of a flight in both vintage and jet-age aircraft. Note: Ride Simulators accommodate up to 8 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 42 inches tall unless accompanied by an adult.
, Interactive Flight Simulators: (approximately 6 min.)
Try to become a jet combat "ace" -- in an F-4 Phantom II -- as you pilot the simulator into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities. Note: Interactive Flight Simulators accommodates 1 to 2 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 48 inches tall.
Year-Round
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: West Wing, Gallery 103, Simulator Gallery. Cost: Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or at the Simulator Gallery.
Admission Per Ride:
- Ride Simulator: $7.00 per person
- Interactive Flight Simulator: $8.00 per person
- Add a Simulator: $1.00 off with the purchase of an IMAX Theater or Planetarium ticket
- Groups: Discounts available; ask at the Box Office or at the Flight Simulators
- For reservations, call 202-633-4629 or 1-866-868-7774 (toll-free)
Payment Options
- At Simulators: Cash, VISA, or MasterCard
- At IMAX and Planetarium…
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Flight Simulators: SpaceWalk or Wings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Ride Simulators: (approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of three ride simulators. Choose your adventure: Take a 3-D journey aboard the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station or experience the thrill of a flight in both vintage and jet-age aircraft. Note: Ride Simulators accommodate up to 8 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 42 inches tall unless accompanied by an adult.
, Interactive Flight Simulators: (approximately 6 min.)
Try to become a jet combat "ace" -- in one of two F-4 Phantom II interactive flight simulators -- as you pilot your aircraft into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities. Note: Interactive Flight Simulators accommodates 1 to 2 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 48 inches tall.
Year-Round:
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Main Level, near the simulators. Cost: Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or at the Simulator Gallery.
Admission Per Ride:
- Ride Simulator: $7.00 per person
- Interactive Flight Simulator: $8.00 per person
- Add a Simulator: $1.00 off with the purchase of an IMAX Theater ticket
- Groups: Discounts available; ask at the Box Office or at the Flight Simulators
- For reservations, call 202-633-4629 or 1-866-868-7774 (toll-free)
Payment Options:
- At Simulator: Cash, VISA, or MasterCard
- At Box Office: Cash or major credit…
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Art of the Great Plains: Ledger Art and Activity
Heye Center
A brief overview of Plains Indian ledger art. Create your own drawing on ledger paper using crayons, colored pencils, and stencils.
View ledger book from 1800s in our exhibition "Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian"
Monday - Saturday only.
10 AM – 5 PM.
Time Detail: Monday - Saturday only. 10 AM – 5 PM. Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Resource Center, 2nd Floor. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: Infinity of Nations.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Haudenosaunee Room w/ Jennifer Williams
Heye Center
Meet with Jennifer Williams and learn about the Haudenosaunee.
Tuesdays–Fridays, 10am–1pm, Haudenosaunee Room.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Haudenosaunee Room. Cost: Free.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Learn about the peoples of the Plains w/ Laura Browarny
Heye Center
Learn about the Peoples of the Plains with Laura Browarny
Mondays - Wednesdays.
First Come First Served.
Categories: Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Education Center. Cost: Free.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Butterfly Pavilion
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Take a stroll among live butterflies and exotic plants! Located adjacent to Partners in Evolution, this tropical oasis offers visitors a rare opportunity to get close to a variety of living butterflies from all over the world.
Regular Hours:
Daily: 10:15 AM-5:30 PM; last timed ticket at 5 PM.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution Exhibit, 2nd Floor, West. Cost: Tickets can be purchased in advance (see Purchase Tickets Web link below), or by phone at 202-633-4629 (IMAX) or 1-877-932-4629 (IMAX) (toll-free) (10 AM-5 PM), or in person on the day of your visit at the Butterfly Pavilion Box Office or at any Smithsonian IMAX Box Office. For more information about the hours of operation, timed entry policy, ticket prices, group rates, etc. visit the Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution Web site.
Prices per ticket:
Adults $6
Seniors $5.50 (60+)
Children $5… Purchase Tickets: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=21156&venue_val=215878. Related Exhibition: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:15 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.butterflies.si.edu.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Daily: 10:15 AM and 1 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- Additional tours may be offered as announced; check at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Meet at either Welcome desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:15 AM.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Through May 2012:
• Most Tues.-Fri.: 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- No tours on most federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Meet in Rotunda, 1st floor, near information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:30 AM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
, Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:30 AM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Interactive Carts (10:30 am - 3:00 pm)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
(for all ages) Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Activities include operating a cotton gin, peeking through a stereoscope, experiencing what it felt like to wear a corset, using a press to print a card, and copying a letter the way Jefferson did.
Year-Round:
• Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3 PM
Note
- Activity subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Location of carts vary; for location and schedule, check at either Welcome desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Spotlight Tours (10:30 am - 3:00 pm)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object.
Year-Round:
• Most days: Available between 10:30 AM and 3 PM
Notes
- Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Locations vary; for location and schedule, check at the Welcome Center. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:30 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the tour desk.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:30 AM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Shout Online Conference Series: Water Matters
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
To extend the learning experience beyond the classroom, the Smithsonian has partnered with Microsoft Partners in Learning to bring to educators and students a series of online learning experiences addressing global environmental issues to make the world a better place. "Water Matters" is the theme of the 2012 Shout Online Conference Series in which students and educators are invited to join Smithsonian experts to discuss the environment from a variety of perspectives -- scientific, historical, cultural, and artistic.
For schedule of sessions, check the web link below closer to the time of the conference.
Categories: Webcasts & Webinars. Event Location: Online only. Webcast: http://www.smithsonianconference.org/shout/program-2012/. Cost: Free, but registration required; visit the web at http://www.smithsonianconference.org/shout/program-2012/. Continues: Continues March 26-27 and May 16-17, 11 AM-3 PM EST.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.smithsonianconference.org.
Amazon Fish Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Thousands of fish species live in the Amazon River Basin. Meet some of them during this feeding in Amazonia.
Time Detail: 11:00 am. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Amazonia Exhibit.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Meet a Biologist
Daily Zoo Activities
Join a Small Mammal Biologist for an intimate look at what we do and what we have at NZP’s Small Mammal House.
Time Detail: 30 minutes. Categories: Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Small Mammal House.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Meet a Kiwi
Daily Zoo Activities
Learn about New Zealand's best known bird.
Time Detail: 11:00am in the Bird House. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Octopus Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
The giant Pacific octopus is a predator that demonstrates dynamic hunting behaviors.
Time Detail: 11:00 am at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Orangutan Crossing
Daily Zoo Activities
It's a thrilling sight to see the orangutans traveling on the Zoo's Orangutan Transport System, or O Line. The best time to see them is between 11 and 11:30 am (weather dependent).
Time Detail: 11:00 am on the O-Line. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: O Line.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Highlights Tours
Look for our friendly docent who will give a 30-minute tour of the highlights of the museum. To confirm dates and times, call 202-633-5534 (voice) or 202-633-9849 (TTY).
Year-Round:
Most days: 11 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Self-Guided Highlights Tours
- Brochures, which include a floor plan and information about the museum's exhibitions, are available in a kiosk at the bottom of the escalators at the entrance to the museum.
- A copy of the self-guided tour brochure can also be downloaded here: Download Self-guided Tour Brochure (PDF).
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet at the information desk, street level, near top of escalators to museum. Cost: Free.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:00 AM.
Meet a Great Ape Keeper
Daily Zoo Activities
Learn about the fascinating world of apes. A keeper will speak about gorillas or orangutans.
Time Detail: 11:30 am at Great Apes. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Great Apes.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
Sloth Bear Talk
Daily Zoo Activities
Find out what and how these Asian bears eat. This demo is weather dependent.
Time Detail: 11:30 am on Asia Trail (weather dependent). Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Asia Trail.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
, Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:30 AM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Highlights of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the gallery.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 11:45 AM and 2:15 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 11:45 AM and 3:15 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 11:45 AM.
Book Signing: George Norfleet
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
George Norfleet signs copies of his book A Pilot's Journey: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman, Curtis Christopher Robinson.
Categories: Shopping/Book Signing. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Outside Museum Store. Cost: Books available for sale in Museum Store. Continues: Repeats most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Discovery Room
Ongoing Tours & Activities
The Discovery Room is a hands-on room for families with children and students. The room features activities using real museum objects and artifacts that allow visitors to explore the natural world at their own pace, guided by their own interests and sense of wonder. Visitors can look at fossils, skulls, shells, and minerals; use a microscope; try on costumes from around the world; and much more. Docents are available to assist and answer questions.
Entry Procedures:
• Individuals:
- For families with children and students. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
September 6 through early June:
• Tues.-Thurs.: 12 Noon-2:30 PM
• Fri.: 10:30 AM-2:30 PM
• Sat. & Sun.: 10:30 AM-3:30 PM
• School Groups:
October-May: by reservation only; 3-week notice required; call 202-633-1079 or 202-633-9287 (TTY); for information, visit the Web at www.mnh.si.edu/education/discoveryroom.htm.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st floor, East Wing, near African Voices.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Ask an Expert Lecture Series
Ongoing Activities
In this lecture series, a museum staff member talks about the history, collection, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the museum. For today's topic and speaker, visit the museum's website.
Year-Round:
Most Wed.: 12 Noon-12:15 PM.
Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Museum Seal, Milestones of Flight, 1st Floor, Center, Gallery 100.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:00 PM – 12:15 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Hirshhorn Museum Spotlight Tours (12 Noon-4 PM)
Ongoing Activities
Our friendly docents are stationed at the information desk for a casual conversation or an impromptu 30-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Mon.-Fri.: Available between 12 Noon and 4 PM
Note
- No tours on federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: At the information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours
This highlights tour of the collection at the Renwick Gallery may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Notes
- No tours on federal holidays.
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Meet in Renwick Gallery Lobby.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Highlights of the American Art Museum
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Free Within Ourselves: African American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Join a friendly docent-led tour in the galleries of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, looking at and discussing works created by African-American artists.
Throughout the month of February, walk-in tours at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery will highlight a work by African American artists.
Year-Round:
• Most days: 12:30 PM and 2 PM
Notes
- No tours on 2nd Tuesday of each month.
- Tours subject to docent availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Information Desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:30 PM.
Hirshhorn Museum Highlights Tours
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who gives a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Most Mon.-Thurs.: 12:30 PM
• Most Fri.: 3 PM
Note
- No tours on federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet at the information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 12:30 PM.
The Scientist Is In: The Sant Ocean Hall
Ongoing Tours & Activities
An ocean scientist stationed within the exhibition shows collection specimens or artifacts (including some under the microscope and/or shown on a monitor) and talks with visitors about travels to various locations, field studies, collection of specimens, new discoveries, favorite topics of study, and more.
Year-Round:
Most Wed: 1 PM
Note
- On the third Wednesday of each month, a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) scientist is in the exhibition to talk with visitors.
Categories: Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Sant Ocean Hall, 1st Floor, Center. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Daily: 10:15 AM and 1 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- Additional tours may be offered as announced; check at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Meet at either information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Public Observatory Project (1-3 PM)
Ongoing Activities
(for all ages) Look through the 16-inch telescope to discover craters on the moon, spots on the sun (using safe solar filters), and other wonders of the universe. Participate in hands-on activities related to astronomy.
Through February 2012:
• Most Wed. through Sat.: 1 PM-3 PM (weather permitting)
Notes
- Observatory programs may not be offered during cloudy or rainy weather; confirm at the museum's Welcome Center.
- Hours may change monthly.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Observatory located outside on SE terrace near Independence Ave. & 4th St.; entrance only available from outside. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the tour desk.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Docent's Choice Tour of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of one of the following: highlights of the museum, the America's Presidents exhibition, or one of the special exhibitions currently on view.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 1 PM and 3:30 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM
Notes
- On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, the tour may be offered in Spanish (depending upon demand).
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Infinity of Nations tour
Heye Center
Lead Museum Ambassador Manola M. Torii provides a 45-minute free guided tour through the permanent exhibition, INFINITY OF NATIONS. The Tour "Shaping Materials, shaping Identities" highlights the use of wood, gold, stone, hides and other materials by Native Peoples of South, Central and North America and their influence on cultural identity.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Meet at 2nd Floor East Visitor Services Desk, tour takes place in the Infinity of Nations exhibtion, south gallery. Cost: Free; no reservations required. Related Exhibition: Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
Great Ape Research Demonstration
Daily Zoo Activities
Meet a cognitive researcher and learn about studies being conducted with the Zoo's orangutans and gorillas.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Think Tank.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM.
Small Mammal Feedings
Daily Zoo Activities
Everyone's on time for dinner! Beginning at 1:30pm through about 2:30pm come find out what's for dinner in the Small Mammal House!
Time Detail: 1:30 pm. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Small Mammal House.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Through May 2012:
• Most Tues.-Fri.: 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- No tours on most federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Meet in Rotunda, 1st floor, near information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:30 PM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
, Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Art + Coffee: Luce Foundation Center for American Art
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Learn about the more than 3,300 treasures of the Luce Foundation Center for American Art during this tour or talk. Afterwards, enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or tea.
Year-Round:
Wed. through Sun.: 1:30 PM.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Cultural interpreters provide a 1-hour overview of the museum's history, landscape, building, exhibitions, and other points of interest.
Through February 2012:
• Most Mon.-Fri.: 1:30 PM
• Most Sat. and Sun.: 11 AM and 1:30 PM
Note
- Subject to Cultural Interpreter availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Potomac Atrium, 1st Level. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
Meet a Small Mammal
Daily Zoo Activities
An animal keeper will introduce you to one of the Zoo's small mammals like an armadillo or naked mole-rat.
Time Detail: 2:00 pm at the Small Mammal House. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Small Mammal House.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Spider Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Eight-legged wonders! Get up close and personal with tarantulas, brown recluse or other eight-legged residents of the Invertebrate exhibit.
Time Detail: 2:00pm at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Highlights of the American Art Museum
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This highlights tour of the collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Year-Round:
• Most days: 12:30 PM and 2 PM
Notes
- No tours on 2nd Tuesday of each month.
- Tours subject to docent availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 2:00 PM.
Storytelling with Jennifer Williams (Haudenosaunee)
Heye Center
Enjoy storytelling with Jennifer Williams (Haudenosaunee).
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Education Center First Floor. Cost: Free.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Highlights of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the gallery.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 11:45 AM and 2:15 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 11:45 AM and 3:15 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 2:15 PM.
Octopus Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
The giant Pacific octopus is a predator that demonstrates dynamic hunting behaviors.
Time Detail: 3:00 pm at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM.
Behind-the-Scenes Introduction to the Lunder Conservation Center
Ongoing Activities
The Lunder Conservation Center is a special facility of several laboratories shared by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery where visitors can watch behind glass walls conservators examining, treating, and preserving artwork.
Today, in this behind-the-scenes introduction to the Lunder Conservation Center, learn how museum conservators use science, art history, and skilled hands to preserve objects in both museums' collections.
Year-Round:
• Most Wed.: 3-3:30 PM
Entry Procedures:
• Please register at the Luce Foundation Center information desk (3rd floor, west wing, mezzanine) before 3 PM on the day of the program. Participants also meet here.
Categories: Demonstrations. Venue: American Art Museum. Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Lunder Conservation Center, 3rd Floor, Mezzanine. Cost: Free, but registration requested; see Entry Procedures.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
For more info visit americanart.si.edu.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
U.S. Customs House Tour
Heye Center
Museum Ambassadors provide a 45-minute in-depth look at the unique architecture and design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House, home of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Meet at East Visitor Services Desk, 2nd Floor. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
Crustacean Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Come see the crabs, lobsters, shrimp and crayfish get their dinner!
Time Detail: 3:30 pm. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrate Exhibit.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM.
Docent's Choice Tour of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of one of the following: highlights of the museum, the America's Presidents exhibition, or one of the special exhibitions currently on view.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 1 PM and 3:30 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, the 1:30 PM tour may be offered in Spanish (depending upon demand).
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 3:30 PM.
ArtLab+ Women Represented
One-Time Events
ArtLab+ is a digital media studio that gives local teens the opportunity to become integral members of a design team.
(ages 13-19) Emotional. Weak. Superficial. Helpless. Sound familiar? Make you angry? Join Women Represented, talk about stereotypes you see in the media, and make art that shows you're on the right track baby (you were born this way)!
Monthly themes:
February - Photography
, March - Video
, April - Animation
, May - Music.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: ArtLab (in the Sunken Sculpture Garden on the Mall). Cost: Free, but space is limited. Registration is required. See Web link for application. For more information, call 202-633-3382 or e-mail hmsgeducation@si.edu. Continues: Most Wednesdays through May with monthly themes.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit artlabplus.si.edu.
Multiplicity - Curator Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join senior curator Joann Moser for a walk through the exhibition galleries to explore how artists featured in the exhibition Multiplicity question the ideas of rarity and uniqueness in art through repetition, pairing, and variation.
Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the exhibition entrance, 1st-floor, West. Related Exhibition: Multiplicity.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Book Signing: Stephen Tuck
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Stephen Tuck sign copies of his book We Ain't What We Ought to Be: The Black Freedom Struggle from Emancipation to Obama.
Categories: After Five. Shopping/Book Signing. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Bookstore. Cost: Books available for sale in bookstore.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
IMAX Films at the Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater
Ongoing Tours & Activities
For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Note:
- For after-hours shows, use the Constitution Ave. entrance.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Johnson IMAX Theater, 1st Floor. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/samuel-c-johnson-imax-theater.
Thursday, February 9, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
Natural History Museum Exhibition Interpreters/Navigators
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum volunteer interpreters welcome visitors, answer questions, and help visitors navigate exhibitions. Interpreters may be stationed in several of the following exhibitions at various times throughout the day, subject to interpreter availability:
Against All Odds: Rescue at the Chilean Mine (through May 2012)
, Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake (through January 6, 2013)
, The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?
, The Sant Ocean Hall
, Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals
, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Various exhibitions; ask at the museum's info desks for today's locations and schedules. Continues: Repeats most days.
Thursday, February 9, 2012.
Albert Einstein Planetarium
Ongoing Activities
Embark on an astronomical adventure at the Einstein Planetarium. For information on Planetarium shows, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters and Einstein Planetarium website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Albert Einstein Planetarium. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/einstein-planetarium.
Thursday, February 9, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
IMAX Films at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater
Ongoing Activities
Explore our fascination with flight through the air and in space. View Earth from the open cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Journey to natural and man-made wonders of the world. These and other thrills await you in the National Air and Space Museum's Lockheed Martin Imax Theater. Films are projected on the five-story-high screen with six-channel digital surround sound. For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/lockheed-martin-imax-theater.
Thursday, February 9, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
IMAX Films at the Airbus IMAX Theater
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore our fascination with flight through the air and in space. View Earth from the open cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Journey to natural and man-made wonders of the world. These and other thrills await you in the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center's Airbus IMAX Theater. Films are projected on the five-story-high screen with six-channel digital surround sound. For information on films, show times, and prices, visit the IMAX Theaters website.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Airbus IMAX Theater. Purchase Tickets: http://www.si.edu/Imax/Theater/airbus-imax-theater.
Thursday, February 9, 2012.
For more info visit www.si.edu.
Elephant Viewing
Daily Zoo Activities
The Elephant House will be closed while we build the elephants a new home. However, they will be on view in their outdoor habitats from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm daily, however frequently they may be found out in their yard after that time (weather dependent).
Time Detail: 10-4. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Outside Elephant House.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Encounter Invertebrates
Daily Zoo Activities
Explore the complex and fascinating world of invertebrates: corals and crabs, ants and anemones, snails and spiders. Staff will be feeding the animals and answering questions every 1/2 hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Time Detail: 10:00am to 4:00pm, every half hour at the Invertebrate Exhibit. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrate Exhibit. Continues: Every half hour.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Great Cats Viewing
Daily Zoo Activities
The lions and tigers are on exhibit from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
Time Detail: 10-4 at the Great Cats Exhibit. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Great Cats.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Ride Simulators
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Ride Simulators: (ride approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of four simulators. Experience the thrill of careening through an action-packed roller-coaster course or racing in futuristic high-speed hovercars. Choose your adventure: Cosmic Race, Bermuda Triangle, Solar Coaster, Grand Prix Raceway, Astro Canyon, or Glacier Run.
Note: Simulator accommodates up to 8 people per ride. Children must be 42 inches tall unless riding with an adult.
Year-Round:
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Lower Level, across from the Stars and Stripes Cafe. Cost: Tickets always available for purchase at the entrance to the simulator gallery and may also be available at either Welcome desk.
Admission Per Ride
- $7.00 per person
Payment Options:
- Cash, VISA, and MasterCard.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM.
Flight Simulators: Fly or Ride!
Ongoing Activities
Ride Simulators: (approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of two simulators. Choose your adventure: Ride aboard the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station or experience the thrill of a flight in both vintage and jet-age aircraft. Note: Ride Simulators accommodate up to 8 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 42 inches tall unless accompanied by an adult.
, Interactive Flight Simulators: (approximately 6 min.)
Try to become a jet combat "ace" -- in an F-4 Phantom II -- as you pilot the simulator into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities. Note: Interactive Flight Simulators accommodates 1 to 2 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 48 inches tall.
Year-Round
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: West Wing, Gallery 103, Simulator Gallery. Cost: Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or at the Simulator Gallery.
Admission Per Ride:
- Ride Simulator: $7.00 per person
- Interactive Flight Simulator: $8.00 per person
- Add a Simulator: $1.00 off with the purchase of an IMAX Theater or Planetarium ticket
- Groups: Discounts available; ask at the Box Office or at the Flight Simulators
- For reservations, call 202-633-4629 or 1-866-868-7774 (toll-free)
Payment Options
- At Simulators: Cash, VISA, or MasterCard
- At IMAX and Planetarium…
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Flight Simulators: SpaceWalk or Wings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Ride Simulators: (approximately 5 min.)
Take an exciting virtual trip on board one of three ride simulators. Choose your adventure: Take a 3-D journey aboard the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station or experience the thrill of a flight in both vintage and jet-age aircraft. Note: Ride Simulators accommodate up to 8 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 42 inches tall unless accompanied by an adult.
, Interactive Flight Simulators: (approximately 6 min.)
Try to become a jet combat "ace" -- in one of two F-4 Phantom II interactive flight simulators -- as you pilot your aircraft into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities. Note: Interactive Flight Simulators accommodates 1 to 2 people per ride. For safety reasons, children must be 48 inches tall.
Year-Round:
, Daily: Open same hours as museum.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Main Level, near the simulators. Cost: Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or at the Simulator Gallery.
Admission Per Ride:
- Ride Simulator: $7.00 per person
- Interactive Flight Simulator: $8.00 per person
- Add a Simulator: $1.00 off with the purchase of an IMAX Theater ticket
- Groups: Discounts available; ask at the Box Office or at the Flight Simulators
- For reservations, call 202-633-4629 or 1-866-868-7774 (toll-free)
Payment Options:
- At Simulator: Cash, VISA, or MasterCard
- At Box Office: Cash or major credit…
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Art of the Great Plains: Ledger Art and Activity
Heye Center
A brief overview of Plains Indian ledger art. Create your own drawing on ledger paper using crayons, colored pencils, and stencils.
View ledger book from 1800s in our exhibition "Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian"
Monday - Saturday only.
10 AM – 5 PM.
Time Detail: Monday - Saturday only. 10 AM – 5 PM. Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Resource Center, 2nd Floor. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: Infinity of Nations.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Haudenosaunee Room w/ Jennifer Williams
Heye Center
Meet with Jennifer Williams and learn about the Haudenosaunee.
Tuesdays–Fridays, 10am–1pm, Haudenosaunee Room.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Haudenosaunee Room. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Butterfly Pavilion
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Take a stroll among live butterflies and exotic plants! Located adjacent to Partners in Evolution, this tropical oasis offers visitors a rare opportunity to get close to a variety of living butterflies from all over the world.
Regular Hours:
Daily: 10:15 AM-5:30 PM; last timed ticket at 5 PM.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution Exhibit, 2nd Floor, West. Cost: Tickets can be purchased in advance (see Purchase Tickets Web link below), or by phone at 202-633-4629 (IMAX) or 1-877-932-4629 (IMAX) (toll-free) (10 AM-5 PM), or in person on the day of your visit at the Butterfly Pavilion Box Office or at any Smithsonian IMAX Box Office. For more information about the hours of operation, timed entry policy, ticket prices, group rates, etc. visit the Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution Web site.
Prices per ticket:
Adults $6
Seniors $5.50 (60+)
Children $5… Purchase Tickets: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=21156&venue_val=215878. Related Exhibition: Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:15 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.butterflies.si.edu.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Daily: 10:15 AM and 1 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- Additional tours may be offered as announced; check at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Meet at either Welcome desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:15 AM.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Through May 2012:
• Most Tues.-Fri.: 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- No tours on most federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Meet in Rotunda, 1st floor, near information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:30 AM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
, Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:30 AM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Interactive Carts (10:30 am - 3:00 pm)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
(for all ages) Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Activities include operating a cotton gin, peeking through a stereoscope, experiencing what it felt like to wear a corset, using a press to print a card, and copying a letter the way Jefferson did.
Year-Round:
• Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3 PM
Note
- Activity subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Location of carts vary; for location and schedule, check at either Welcome desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Spotlight Tours (10:30 am - 3:00 pm)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object.
Year-Round:
• Most days: Available between 10:30 AM and 3 PM
Notes
- Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Locations vary; for location and schedule, check at the Welcome Center. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:30 AM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the tour desk.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:30 AM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Amazon Fish Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Thousands of fish species live in the Amazon River Basin. Meet some of them during this feeding in Amazonia.
Time Detail: 11:00 am. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Amazonia Exhibit.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Bird Enrichment Demonstration
Daily Zoo Activities
Watch birds forage and catch their food mid-flight, as a keeper or volunteer narrates in the Indoor Flight Room.
Time Detail: 11:00 am. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Octopus Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
The giant Pacific octopus is a predator that demonstrates dynamic hunting behaviors.
Time Detail: 11:00 am at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM.
Orangutan Crossing
Daily Zoo Activities
It's a thrilling sight to see the orangutans traveling on the Zoo's Orangutan Transport System, or O Line. The best time to see them is between 11 and 11:30 am (weather dependent).
Time Detail: 11:00 am on the O-Line. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: O Line.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Flights of Fancy -- Stories for Children
Ongoing Activities
Hear museum staff read children's stories about aviation or space exploration; then try your hand at an art activity. For today's title, visit the museum's website at http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/storytimes/.
Year-Round:
Most Thurs. & Fri.: 11 AM
, Most Sat.: 11 AM & 1:30 PM.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: For location, ask at the museum's Welcome Center. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Highlights Tours
Look for our friendly docent who will give a 30-minute tour of the highlights of the museum. To confirm dates and times, call 202-633-5534 (voice) or 202-633-9849 (TTY).
Year-Round:
Most days: 11 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Self-Guided Highlights Tours
- Brochures, which include a floor plan and information about the museum's exhibitions, are available in a kiosk at the bottom of the escalators at the entrance to the museum.
- A copy of the self-guided tour brochure can also be downloaded here: Download Self-guided Tour Brochure (PDF).
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet at the information desk, street level, near top of escalators to museum. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM.
Tour: Freer Highlights
Tours
Learn about the history of the Freer Gallery, the first Smithsonian museum devoted to the fine arts. Discover how museum founder Charles Lang Freer shaped the collection in the late nineteenth century and how he developed his vision for the museum. Explore its outstanding holdings of Asian and American works of art.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Freer Gallery. Event Location: Meet at the Freer information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:00 AM.
Meet a Great Ape Keeper
Daily Zoo Activities
Learn about the fascinating world of apes. A keeper will speak about gorillas or orangutans.
Time Detail: 11:30 am at Great Apes. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Great Apes.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
Sloth Bear Talk
Daily Zoo Activities
Find out what and how these Asian bears eat. This demo is weather dependent.
Time Detail: 11:30 am on Asia Trail (weather dependent). Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Asia Trail.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
, Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:30 AM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Highlights of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the gallery.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 11:45 AM and 2:15 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 11:45 AM and 3:15 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:45 AM.
Discovery Room
Ongoing Tours & Activities
The Discovery Room is a hands-on room for families with children and students. The room features activities using real museum objects and artifacts that allow visitors to explore the natural world at their own pace, guided by their own interests and sense of wonder. Visitors can look at fossils, skulls, shells, and minerals; use a microscope; try on costumes from around the world; and much more. Docents are available to assist and answer questions.
Entry Procedures:
• Individuals:
- For families with children and students. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
September 6 through early June:
• Tues.-Thurs.: 12 Noon-2:30 PM
• Fri.: 10:30 AM-2:30 PM
• Sat. & Sun.: 10:30 AM-3:30 PM
• School Groups:
October-May: by reservation only; 3-week notice required; call 202-633-1079 or 202-633-9287 (TTY); for information, visit the Web at www.mnh.si.edu/education/discoveryroom.htm.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st floor, East Wing, near African Voices.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Hirshhorn Museum Spotlight Tours (12 Noon-4 PM)
Ongoing Activities
Our friendly docents are stationed at the information desk for a casual conversation or an impromptu 30-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Mon.-Fri.: Available between 12 Noon and 4 PM
Note
- No tours on federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: At the information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours
This highlights tour of the collection at the Renwick Gallery may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Throughout the month of February, walk-in tours at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery will highlight a work by African American artists.
Notes
- No tours on federal holidays.
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Meet in Renwick Gallery Lobby.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Picture This: Exploring Art at the Smithsonian, 4-Session Daytime Course
Resident Associate Program
This class looks at the works of masters such as Rodin, Sargent, Whistler, Homer, Picasso and other artists, using an array of works in Smithsonian collections as focal points. Cultural, artistic, and comparative influences are emphasized. View more details.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW, Metro: Smithsonian Mall Exit (Blue/Orange). Cost: Click here to view prices. Purchase Tickets: http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2012FY-Trumba-calend&tmssource=185606&performanceNumber=223659.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Book Signings: Col. Wolfgang Samuel
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Col. Wolfgang Samuel signs copies of his books Glory Days, Watson's Whizzers, American Raiders, The War of Our Childhood, German Boy, I Always Wanted to Fly, and Coming to Colorado.
Categories: Shopping/Book Signing. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Outside Museum Store. Cost: Books available for sale in Museum Store. Continues: Repeats most Thursdays.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Highlights of the American Art Museum
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This highlights tour of the collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Year-Round:
• Most days: 12:30 PM and 2 PM
Notes
- No tours on 2nd Tuesday of each month.
- Tours subject to docent availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:30 PM.
Hirshhorn Museum Highlights Tours
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who gives a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Most Mon.-Thurs.: 12:30 PM
• Most Fri.: 3 PM
Note
- No tours on federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet at the information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:30 PM.
Ask an Expert Lecture Series
Ongoing Tours & Activities
In this lecture series, a museum staff member talks about the history, collection, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the museum. For today's topic and speaker, visit the museum's Web site.
Year-Round:
Most 2nd & 4th Thursdays: 12:30-12:45 PM.
Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Meet at the SR-71 Blackbird. Cost: Free, but $15 parking fee per vehicle.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:30 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
February Daily Films: Wapawekka and Nikamowin/Song
Ongoing Tours & Activities
In honor of Black History Month, the museum presents two films that explore identity, community, and tradition:
Wapawekka (2010, 16 min, Canada, directed by Danis Goulet (Métis), in English and Cree with English subtitles) The quiet spaces of an isolated family camp begin to erode the cultural distance between a traditional Cree man and his son.
, Nikamowin/Song (2007, 11 min, Canada, directed by Kevin Lee Burton (Swampy Cree), in English and Cree with English subtitles and voice-over) This experimental film ponders the indelible human connection to language and the alarming demise of Native languages, transforming the sounds of a Cree narrative into parallel landscapes and soundscapes.
Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Rasmuson Theater, 1st Level. Cost: Free. Continues: Repeats daily, except Wednesdays, through February.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM.
Forensic Anthropology Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
(for all ages) The Forensic Anthropology Lab is a hands-on room where families with children learn that forensic science is far more mysterious and engaging than forensic fiction. Visitors use real human bones to solve cases, identify people from the past, and
draw conclusions about their lives.
Entry Procedures:
• Individuals:
- Walk-in. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
September 5 through mid-June:
- Mon. Tues. Thurs. and Fri.: 1-5 PM
- Sat. & Sun.: 11 AM-4 PM
• School Groups:
October-May: by reservation only; 3-week notice required; for information and reservations, visit the Web at Forensic Lab or call 202-633-1085 or 202-633-9287 (TTY).
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Written in Bone, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
• Daily: 10:15 AM and 1 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- Additional tours may be offered as announced; check at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Meet at either information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the Welcome Center.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Public Observatory Project (1-3 PM)
Ongoing Activities
(for all ages) Look through the 16-inch telescope to discover craters on the moon, spots on the sun (using safe solar filters), and other wonders of the universe. Participate in hands-on activities related to astronomy.
Through February 2012:
• Most Wed. through Sat.: 1 PM-3 PM (weather permitting)
Notes
- Observatory programs may not be offered during cloudy or rainy weather; confirm at the museum's Welcome Center.
- Hours may change monthly.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Observatory located outside on SE terrace near Independence Ave. & 4th St.; entrance only available from outside. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.nasm.si.edu.
Tour: Freer Highlights
Tours
Learn about the history of the Freer Gallery, the first Smithsonian museum devoted to the fine arts. Discover how museum founder Charles Lang Freer shaped the collection in the late nineteenth century and how he developed his vision for the museum. Explore its outstanding holdings of Asian and American works of art.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Freer Gallery. Event Location: Meet at the Freer information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Year-Round:
Daily: 10:30 AM and 1 PM
Note
- Additional tours may be offered as posted at the tour desk.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Meet at tour desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Docent's Choice Tour of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of one of the following: highlights of the museum, the America's Presidents exhibition, or one of the special exhibitions currently on view.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 1 PM and 3:30 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM
Notes
- On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, the tour may be offered in Spanish (depending upon demand).
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Infinity of Nations
Heye Center
Emily gives a tour in the Infinity of Nations.Museum Ambassadors provide a 45-minute in-depth look at the unique architecture and design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House, home of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.
Event Location: East visitors desk,2nd floor. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Great Ape Research Demonstration
Daily Zoo Activities
Meet a cognitive researcher and learn about studies being conducted with the Zoo's orangutans and gorillas.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Think Tank.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM.
Small Mammal Feedings
Daily Zoo Activities
Everyone's on time for dinner! Beginning at 1:30pm through about 2:30pm come find out what's for dinner in the Small Mammal House!
Time Detail: 1:30 pm. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Small Mammal House.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM.
Highlights Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the museum.
Through May 2012:
• Most Tues.-Fri.: 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- No tours on most federal holidays.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Meet in Rotunda, 1st floor, near information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:30 PM.
Live Tarantula Feedings
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
Year-Round:
Sat. and Sun.: 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:30 PM
, Tues.- Fri.: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM
Note
- Demonstrations offered unless otherwise posted.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: O. Orkin Insect Zoo, 2nd floor, West. Cost: Free; walk-in. Related Exhibition: O. Orkin Insect Zoo.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.mnh.si.edu.
Art + Coffee: Luce Foundation Center for American Art
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Learn about the more than 3,300 treasures of the Luce Foundation Center for American Art during this tour or talk. Afterwards, enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or tea.
Year-Round:
Wed. through Sun.: 1:30 PM.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Cultural interpreters provide a 1-hour overview of the museum's history, landscape, building, exhibitions, and other points of interest.
Through February 2012:
• Most Mon.-Fri.: 1:30 PM
• Most Sat. and Sun.: 11 AM and 1:30 PM
Note
- Subject to Cultural Interpreter availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Potomac Atrium, 1st Level. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
Meet a Small Mammal
Daily Zoo Activities
An animal keeper will introduce you to one of the Zoo's small mammals like an armadillo or naked mole-rat.
Time Detail: 2:00 pm at the Small Mammal House. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Small Mammal House.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Spider Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Eight-legged wonders! Get up close and personal with tarantulas, brown recluse or other eight-legged residents of the Invertebrate exhibit.
Time Detail: 2:00pm at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Highlights of the American Art Museum
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This highlights tour of the collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum may include highlights of the temporary exhibitions.
Throughout the month of February, walk-in tours at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery will highlight a work by African American artists.
Year-Round:
• Most days: 12:30 PM and 2 PM
Notes
- No tours on 2nd Tuesday of each month.
- Tours subject to docent availability.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:00 PM.
Tour: Sackler Highlights
Tours
Explore the Sackler Gallery's permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. The museum opened in 1987 to house a gift of some 1,000 works of Asian art from Dr. Arthur M. Sackler. Among its highlights are early Chinese bronzes and jades, Chinese paintings and lacquerware, and sculpture from South and Southeast Asia.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Sackler Gallery. Event Location: Meet at the Sackler information desk. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:00 PM.
Interpretive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Cultural interpreters offer kids and families a hands-on learning cart, a hands-on activity, a storytelling program, or a tour in the galleries.
Through February 2012:
• Most Tues. Thurs. Sat. and Sun.: 2-4 PM
Note
- Subject to Cultural Interpreter availability.
Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Check at the Welcome Desk for location.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Make a Cornhusk Doll w/ Angela Friedlander (Metis)
Heye Center
Make a Cornhusk doll with Angela Friedlander (Metis)
In the Education Center (1st Floor).
Every Thursday.
Categories: Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Education Center 1st Floor. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Highlights of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of the highlights of the gallery.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 11:45 AM and 2:15 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 11:45 AM and 3:15 PM
Note
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:15 PM.
Octopus Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
The giant Pacific octopus is a predator that demonstrates dynamic hunting behaviors.
Time Detail: 3:00 pm at Invertebrates. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrates.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Crustacean Feeding
Daily Zoo Activities
Come see the crabs, lobsters, shrimp and crayfish get their dinner!
Time Detail: 3:30 pm. Categories: Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Invertebrate Exhibit.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM.
February Daily Films: Wapawekka and Nikamowin/Song
Ongoing Tours & Activities
In honor of Black History Month, the museum presents two films that explore identity, community, and tradition:
Wapawekka (2010, 16 min, Canada, directed by Danis Goulet (Métis), in English and Cree with English subtitles) The quiet spaces of an isolated family camp begin to erode the cultural distance between a traditional Cree man and his son.
, Nikamowin/Song (2007, 11 min, Canada, directed by Kevin Lee Burton (Swampy Cree), in English and Cree with English subtitles and voice-over) This experimental film ponders the indelible human connection to language and the alarming demise of Native languages, transforming the sounds of a Cree narrative into parallel landscapes and soundscapes.
Venue: American Indian Museum. Event Location: Rasmuson Theater, 1st Level. Cost: Free. Continues: Repeats daily, except Wednesdays, through February.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
Docent's Choice Tour of the Portrait Gallery
Ongoing Activities
Look for our friendly docent who will give a tour of one of the following: highlights of the museum, the America's Presidents exhibition, or one of the special exhibitions currently on view.
Year-Round:
Most Mon.-Fri.: 1 PM and 3:30 PM
, Most Sat. and Sun.: 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM
Notes
- Tours subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
- On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, the 1:30 PM tour may be offered in Spanish (depending upon demand).
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 3:30 PM.
ArtLab+ Gamers Circle Club
One-Time Events
ArtLab+ is a digital media studio that gives local teens the opportunity to become integral members of a design team.
(ages 13-19) What makes some games more fun than others? What are up-and-coming trends in the industry? Join the Gamers Circle to discuss these topics and more, and air your views on our broadcast station. You can also write and publish reviews for games, create video segments out of your critiques, and even play games live online to show the world what you’re up to and challenge viewers watching from home.
Gaming tournament afterwards, 6-7 PM.
Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: ArtLab (in the Sunken Sculpture Garden on the Mall). Cost: Free, but space is limited. Registration is required. See Web link for application. For more information, call 202-633-3382 or e-mail hmsgeducation@si.edu. Continues: Most Thursdays through May.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit artlabplus.si.edu.
Beaded Octopus bag making demonstration w/ Cody Harjo (Seminole/Otoe).
Heye Center
Beaded Octopus bag making demonstration with Cody Harjo (Seminole/Otoe)
Please note: this is not a beading workshop.
Every Thursday Free.
Categories: Demonstrations. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Education Center (1st Floor). Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Art Signs: Gallery Talks in American Sign Language (ASL)
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for conversations about artworks presented by a volunteer ASL gallery guide. For more information, go to AmericanArt.si.edu or email wilsoncl@si.edu.
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Animation Celebration!, Part I
Heye Center
Amaqqut Nunaat/The Country of Wolves
Agua en Nuestras Colonias/Water in Our Neighborhoods,
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes
Neil Discovers the Moon
Elal y los Animales/Elal and the Animals
Raven Tales: Raven and the First People.
Categories: Films. Kids & Families. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: The Screening Room.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Indivisible Dialogue
Heye Center
Curator of Indivisible: African-Native American
Lives in the Americas, Dr. Gabrielle Tayac
(Piscataway), will host a conversation with
Dr. Heriberto Dixon (Tutelo) about the history
and contemporary cultures of mixed
heritage Native people. A book signing will
follow the discussion.
This event is part of the series Black History Month.
This event will be simulcast the night of the event.
To watch the webcast please visit:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nmai-ny.
Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Webinars. Venue: American Indian Museum Heye Center. Event Location: Diker Pavilion. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 6:00 PM.
2012 African Art House Film Festival: Touki Bouki
One-Time Events
Touki Bouki (1973; 85 min; Senegal; in Wolof, Arabic, and French with English subtitles; directed by Djibril Diop Mambety) This classic road movie from Senegal follows two young lovers living in Dakar who long for Paris and concoct schemes to pay their way. Post-screening discussion follows with Françoise Pfaff (Howard University).
Categories: After Five. Films. Event Location: Landmark E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Cost: Free; obtain tickets on a first-come, first-served basis from theater box office on the day of screening.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 6:30 PM.
Treason and Sedition in American History, 2-Session Evening Course
Resident Associate Program
In U.S. history, there have been very few treason convictions. Not surprisingly they all remain controversial. Would you agree with the outcomes of the trials? In this course, join the experts who highlight fascinating glimpses into these crimes against the country. View more details.
Categories: After Five. Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW, Metro: Smithsonian Mall Exit (Blue/Orange). Cost: Click here to view prices. Purchase Tickets: http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2012FY-Trumba-calend&tmssource=185606&performanceNumber=223693.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM.
Courtyard Cinema Classics: Modern Times
One-Time Events
(1936, 87 min) Charlie Chaplin is a bumbling factory worker who falls in love with an orphan girl. The film’s unforgettable slapstick routines double as satiric commentary on class struggle during the Great Depression. The film will be screened in the beautiful glass covered Kogod Courtyard, with food and beverages available for purchase in the Courtyard Café.
Categories: After Five. Films. Venue: American Art Museum. Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free.
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.