Add to the list:

Frederick Douglass Home & National Historic Site
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House
Heurich House Museum (Brewmasters Castle)

The National Arboretum is beautiful these days. I love the bonsai exhibit and the herb garden. Easiest to get to with a car but worth a trip on public transportation -- bus and then a short walk along a very busy park of New York Ave.

Not sure about transport links (busses might be an option), but the Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center by Dulles is impressive.

Oops, saw it had been mentioned up-thread. The hangars at the Udvar-Hazy are FULL of all kinds of flying machines. The range from military, to early airplanes and flying machines, to the Concorde and Space Shuttle Discovery.

They offer free tours. We didn't do one (had sleepy kids), but my husband and I wished we could have.

obxgirl, those are great additions, thanks! I'm adding them to our list for next year's visit.

The Heurich House is on Dupont Circle, isn't it? Or perhaps a block off? If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's always been closed when we've tried to go. But it can easily be combined with a visit to the Phillips, or, if one is a hearty walker, with a walk from Dupont through Georgetown.

Yes, a block off. I used to work next door to it. They have set times for the tours as far as I know.

My picks would be the Kreeger Museum and the Phillips Collection, along with Hillwood House (car is good for visiting that museum, but you need a parking reservation).


Walk the Kalorama neighborhood to see the houses.

Yes, as mentioned, Heurich House is a block or so from Dupont Circle on New Hampshire Ave. Like a lot of those small places they have abbreviated hours so the timing thing can be off.

Last year they did a monthly evening opening for tours and a tasting from a local craft brewery. Never managed to make it for that, but perhaps this year. I did visit the house over the holidays for a Christmas Market and to see the decorations. Worth a trip if you like period homes and some quirky history. You won't spend all day there.

Two more for the list:

1. OAS Art Museum of the Americas. Small galleries mostly focused on Latin American art. It's a very pretty building with a lovely garden in the back. It's at the crux of 18th Street and Virginia Ave across Constitution from the National Mall.

2. The Textile Museum and the Albert H. Small Washingtonia Collection. 701 21st Street NW. The Textile museum reopened here last year under Geo Washington University's ownership. I wasn't especially impressed with first exhibition but the space is gorgeous so hoping for something better to see in the future. Nice museum shop. This isn't an all day affair so it could be combined with other things in the area.

Rasika is a very good restaurant, the staff especially but I would recommend making a booking

I've been to the hangar, it's a bit of a hassle to get there but worth it. I took the metro to Weihle Rest on and then a bus. It also has the Blackbird spy plane and the enola gay which dropped the a bomb on Hiroshima

Rasika for sure. Either location is great but I prefer West End just because it's a bit more casual. The palak chaat is fantastic. Order your own and don't share! I love the Phillips Collection and this thread reminds me to head back down there.

We like Rasika a lot, but I can tell you they were none too pleased to have an infant in their midst when we were last there (he was 8 months old at the time, and didn't make a peep that anyone could have heard). I'm not holding it against them, though, the food is too good for that. (Oh, and it was Rasika West that time).

The Renwick Gallery has recently re-opened with a new 9-room installation art exhibition called "Wonder" which is fantastic! Definitely plan to go early on a weekday morning in order to enjoy the exhibits without a crowd. (I've been twice--the day it was crowded wasn't worth my time.)
See: http://renwick.americanart.si.edu/

I'm not a fan of the International Spy Museum. It's not a big museum and it can get crowded quickly. (They try to alleviate this with timed tickets, but it doesn't always work.) I was under-impressed by the exhibits.

Longhorn55- ooh, thanks. Wonder does look really interesting, so I'm adding it to the list!

Not sure if this counts as "off the beaten path" but I know a lot of people avoid anything east of the Anacostia like the plague. The botanical gardens there are really nice though and there's also a pretty cool Smithsonian in Anacostia that people forget about.

For clarity's sake in response to Peter's post, both the Botanic Gardens and the Arboretum are west of the Anacostia River.

I assume Peter was referring to the Frederick Douglass home??

We were seated near a large family group at Rasika the last time we were there (not the West End location, the other one). They weren't particularly noisy and seemed to be in the middle of a long meal and I didn't see any issues arising.

<i>I assume Peter was referring to the Frederick Douglass home??</i>

I assumed he meant the Anacostia Community Museum which is under the Smithsonian umbrella. Maybe he'll be back to say?

NewbE, they didn't say anything - they just brought all our food really fast, like they just hoped we'd eat and run LOL!

Two of my favorite "off the beaten path" things is the Torpdo Factory in Old Town Alexandria and the Pope Leighley House on Woodlawn Plantation.

The Torpedo Factory, accessible by metro, is a huge art co-op, with some very fine jewelry, sculpture, weaving, painting, etc. The artists have studios and galleries so you can see some working, and often meet them. It really is a fantastic place. Afterwards, amble by all the little shops in Old Town and find a nice place for lunch.

The Pope Leighy House is a wonderful example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Unsonian houses. It is a bit harder to go there as you take a bus from the metro, but certainly doable by public transport, and very worth while if you have any interest in Wright's work.

One other thing you might enjoy - a trip down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon.

I love the Torpedo Factory - it makes art very accessible.