Often overlooked, the National Portrait Gallery features not only the official portraits of every U.S. past president, but amazing portraits of figures in pop culture and "everyday" Americans. This is an interesting glimpse into the people that make up our culture - political, social, economic and more.

Don't get up early they open at 11:30 for civilized folk who need to sleep in and have breakfast. Spend the whole day. Don't overlook the upper floors with more modern and avant garde art as well as a center for art conserving. Fascinating. Enjoy a lovey little lunch in the courtyard cafe. And, at the end of the day... More

With so many sights and attractions to see and visit in Washington, it could be very easy to overlook this museum. But don't....as it is truly a hidden gem. As frequent visitors to Washington, we are often challenged to see/do something new and today we discovered the National Portrait Gallery. What a great discovery! Actually, you get free admission to... More

Virginia - our docent - gave us a one hour tour and took us to an exhibit of art that occurs only once every 3 years. Over 3,000 submissions voted down to 48 and all 48 are on display. Those chosen as first, second and third wouldn't have gotten my vote but they were all fascinating. The Portrait Gallery should... More

A reglarly scheduled tour (about 1 hour long) greatly helped understand some of the history and context of the portraits. The special exhibit for contemporary portraits on the top floor was interesting to see how portrature continues today.

We had the greatest experience here with the children and yes I have been here many many times. The artwork is amazing and yes our kids had a blast seeing everything all over the place.

I enjoyed the Portraits of all the Presidents and the narrative with each portrait does a good job of explaining all the trials and tribulations the president had during his term.

This was one of my favorite museums in DC. It is nice to get away from all the school tour groups and look at some fantastic art. They have an amazing collection of some great historical pieces of art. The only draw back is much of the exhibits were closed off for cleaning/remolding. Definitely worth a visit when in DC.

Wonderful selection and they have evening concerts. I particularly like the second floor rooms. There is a lot to explore and I need to go back on a more regular basis.