The Smithsonian museums are a go-to destination for both DMV locals and tourists from around the world, but the popular destinations saw a dip in visitation last year. The Smithsonian’s properties had a total of 14.9 million visits in 2025 — a decrease of 1.9 million visits compared to 2024.
One big reason for such a drastic decrease? The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown lasted 43 days. While many Smithsonian museums used previous-year funding to remain open for some of that time, they were still closed for about a month. This is the second year in a row that the Smithsonian has seen a decrease in total visits since 2023.
Out of the 18 museums located in Washington, DC, including the National Zoo, eight museums had visits decrease by more than 100,000. The museums with the biggest decreases include the National Museum of Natural History (about 600,000), Smithsonian American Art Museum with the Renwick Gallery (about 400,000), National Portrait Gallery (about 362,000), and National Museum of American History (about 300,000).
Virginia’s only Smithsonian museum, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, also saw a decrease from 1.2 million visits in 2024 to 1 million visits in 2025.
Despite the closures, two Smithsonian museums located in DC saw an increase in total visits compared to 2024. The National Zoo had an increase of about 300,000, and the Arts and Industries Building increased by about 17,000.
The National Air and Space Museum in DC stayed steady with 1.9 million visits. The Smithsonian Institution Building, also called “The Castle,” remained closed for renovation and had no visits in 2024 or 2025.
Feature image of National Museum of Natural History by James Di Loreto/Smithsonian
