Americana: The Smithsonian

If you like BIG museums, you’ll love the Smithsonian Institution. It’s composed of 19 museums and nine research centers. Oh, and the National Zoo.

Y0u probably know the Air and Space Museum. Maybe the American History Museum. But you probably didn’t know that the African Art Museum and the Postal Museum are part of the Smithsonian. If you’re like me, you didn’t even know they existed.

More than 25 million people visit the Smithsonian annually, and what do they see? The Wright Brothers 1903 airplane. The original Star Spangled Banner. Julia Child’s kitchen. Dorothy’s ruby slippers. A total of 137 million items in all.

If you can get to D.C., save at least one day for the Smithsonian. Choose one of the popular museums and one of the obscure ones that covers a distinct area that interests you. Isn’t it comforting that someone thought of preserving and collecting all these amazing artifacts so they’ll be there for generations to come?