Visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. except December 25 and Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025.

No, tickets are not required to visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum or its Renwick Gallery.

Yes! We have free audio guides for selected artworks on view at SAAM’s main building available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, ASL, and Descriptive Audio. You can start using them by navigating to our Audio Guide page.

SAAM is located at Eighth and G streets NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood in Washington, DC. The museum is above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station, which is served by the Green, Yellow, and Red Metro lines

SAAM offers daily walk-in tours from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m. every day of the week and 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. All walk-in tours are subject to volunteer docent availability and last-minute cancellations may occur. Please check with the information desk upon arrival.

Visitors are required to pass through screening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum as part of the effort to standardize security throughout the Smithsonian Institution. Check the Smithsonian's visitor guidelines for the most up-to-date information.

At SAAM’s main building, visitors are required to walk through a metal detector; those who cannot go through the metal detector will be hand-screened with an electronic wand by security personnel. Help speed your entry by limiting the number and size of personal belongings and bags brought on-site.

Security officers are located throughout the building to protect the Museum, its collections, and most importantly, our visitors. Please feel free to ask them for assistance. A Security Desk is located by the Museum entrance/exit at the G Street and F Street entrances.

At SAAM’s Renwick Gallery, visitors are required to have their bags hand-screened by security personnel. 

Access ramps are located on both sides of the museum’s 8th and G Streets NW entrance. All visitors may enter SAAM's main building using either the entrance located at 8th and G Streets NW or the entrance located at 8th and F Streets NW.  If you are using MetroAccess Paratransit, please use 800 G Street NW as the address for our building. Barrier-free access and restrooms are available. View more information on accessibility at the museums.

Accessible restrooms are located on all floors of SAAM.

Service animals are welcome at Smithsonian museums. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.