Comments on: The Smithsonian By The Numbers

By: Croccydile

Croccydile — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:33:49 +0000

Funny you posted this the day I was at the Air and Space on vacation visiting. Such a wonderful collection of FREE museums when you will not find such a thing elsewhere.

Flu-Bird I thought the model of the USS Enterprise was fake until I read it was the real thing, funny how things look differently in person. (If you ever go there, its down the escalator in the gift shop, its a bit out of the way)

By: Flu-Bird

Flu-Bird — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:33:53 +0000

I understand they even have the orgional model of the star ship USS ENTERPRISE from STAR TREK as well as the SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS and the WRIGHT BROTHERS FLYER and even a WW I german FOKKER D-VII and a SPAD

By: violet

violet — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:31:07 +0000

D.C. go hard! I went to the Smithsonian after school probably once a week growing up. I recommend the Natural History gem and mineral wing while on acid, malachite slab and biggest crystal ball in the world room.

I do NOT recommend filling up on eleventeen packs of space ice cream at Air and Space and then puking in the moon landing pod thing. They don’t seem to find the humor in that.

By: Eric Schreiber

Eric Schreiber — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:31:38 +0000

You accidentally spelled the name of one museum as ‘Hirshborn’. It’s Hirshhorn.

By: buck

buck — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:26:51 +0000

I think there is a typo… 78,000,000 – Millions of visitors that the website, that means 78 million million visitors, like 78,000,000,000,000. = )

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:41:21 +0000

As far as I can tell, the Smithsonian is complying with the Repatriation Act to the best of their abilities. One caveat of the Act is the provision stating there needs to be a request made. Perhaps no request was made?

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:29:58 +0000

I’m surprised by the majority of the holdings not being exhibited. I wonder what’s happening to them. Are they just being stored? Are they just sort of being warehoused, or are they sort of a “by request only” type of thing, where if you wanted to see certain objects you could see them? If you’re a researcher or a writer or historian or something could you make an appointment and be shown to something that isn’t normally included in the big public displays?

Seems to me, it might be a good idea for them to loan a lot of their undisplayed holdings to other museums and learning institutions around the country. I understand that they can’t possibly display as much stuff as they have all of the time. But I bet there’s a lot of worthy institutions that would love to have the chance to borrow some of that stuff and put it on display. Things that may not be “A-list” content for a huge museum like the Smithsonian, might be still be big draws and real treasures at a smaller museum. Especially like the stuff that’s a little too specialized to find a mass appeal at the Smithsonian might be really appreciated at a smaller more specialized museum somewhere. And I don’t think it would keep anyone from wanting to visit the Smithsonian,either. Having visited those smaller and more far-flung museums and seeing some Smithsonian owned treasures there isn’t going to deter anyone from wanting to see the Smithsonian, in fact, it might even encourage it. If you love the Smithsonian “B-List” or “C or D-List” items you’ve seen at the local museum, it might really stoke your interest in seeing the “A-list” items at their home in DC.

Plus lending wouldn’t require the Smithsonian to relinquish any items. They could just loan them, then if they ever wanted to put the item on display at their location, they could take it back.

The people and organizations and government agencys that donated the items to the Smithsonian wanted the items to be preserved and appreciated. It wasn’t necessarily that they wanted them to be on display in DC as much as they wanted them in the custody of a respected institution and cared for and kept where the public could enjoy them. Lending would really help meet the spirit of those donors’ intent.

By: NAGPRA

NAGPRA — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:35:02 +0000

18,000: The number of Native American skeletons the Smithsonian holds in its collections and refuses to repatriate to their decedents for a proper / traditional burial.

By: OddNumber

OddNumber — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:05:20 +0000

I am so accustomed to the free museums in DC that I always feel a little ripped off when getting charged in other cities.

A perhaps less known source of free entertainment in Washington, DC is at the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center can be a downright expensive venue, but EVERY DAY at 6pm there is a free performance on the Millennium Stage.

By: Leah

Leah — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:30:21 +0000

1 – the number of purses that were stolen as my American History/ComputerWorld award group had our photo taken on the lawn of the old Smithsonian building. And it was mine.

By: matt

matt — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:07:40 +0000

gotta love the Hirshhorn.

By: ikillhobos

ikillhobos — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:04:35 +0000

I loved growing up near DC – the Smithsonian was a great no-cost trip many, many weekends…We’d take the metro downtown and pick a museum. If you had a week uninterrupted, you still wouldn’t see a fraction of what was displayed.

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:46:37 +0000

The cost for entry to all Smithsonian museums (and the National Zoo – part of the Smithonian) is FREE.

There are charges for the IMAX movies, but butterfly exhibition, and the planetarium.

Also, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (in New York City), does charge a $15 general adult fee.

Hope you enjoy your visit!

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:28:14 +0000

Admission is free! I had to keep reminding myself of that when I saw the prices of the food offered. Drink are pricey, too. That’s why no sack lunches are allowed. So if you’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, eat before you go. Otherwise, just keep reminding yourself that admission is a real bargain. Because it is.

The National Zoo is also part of the Smithsonian.

By: Monica

Monica — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:08:51 +0000

I think there’s a number missing here – how many dollars it takes to gain entry into the museum(s)

Does anyone know? I’m in the UK, so probably won’t get the opportunity to visit, but I’m curious as to how much it would cost if I could