This Beaux Arts building, completed in 1910, is a knockout. The huge columns that grace the front of the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum are solid marble; a special railroad spur was built to transport them to the building site.
The DAR Museum emphasizes the role of women throughout American history, mostly before 1840; and the 31 period rooms represent a different time and place in America. Each contain a cornucopia of decorative arts and antiques, including furniture, ceramics, glass, paintings, costumes,
and textiles.
Because so many items are authentic, the rooms are roped off, and only two or three visitors at a time can squeeze into doorways to peer inside.
Kids will get a kick out of the four-sided mousetrap that guillotines rodents, the foot-controlled toaster, and the sausage stuffer that looks like an early-19th-century version of a NordicTrack machine.
There is also a “touch area” on the third floor, where kids can play with authentic 18th-and 19th-century toys and objects, including miniature Chippendale tables and chairs, real powder horns, butter molds, candle snuffers, and flags.
The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum is also home to a library with a collection of American genealogical and historical manuscripts and publications.
The Library’s book collection exceeds 225,000 volumes with approximately 3,000 new titles enter the Library each year.
Good To Know
Docent-led tours are often available on the hour and half hour (Monday through Friday at 10 am to 2:30 pm), but it’s easy to explore the museum on your own. Although the building faces the Ellipse, the museum entrance is half a block down D Street (1776 D St. NW, across from the Ellipse) on the side of the building. The museum closes for a week in late June or early July for a national DAR convention. Please note that there is no food available on site.
Admission to the DAR museum is free of charge. Opening hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Sunday and federal holidays. The nearest Metro stations are Farragut West or Farragut North.
For more information, visit the museum’s website or call 202-628-1776.
For all there is to see and do in Washington, D.C., check out The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. by Renee Sklarew.
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and sign up for our newsletter here.
