The Museum at Dumbarton Oaks

The definition of a hidden gem. A free historical museum tucked away in a very pretty corner of Burleith/Georgetown, filled with Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art that rivals collections of The Met and other great galleries. Housed in an estate owned by a former diplomat, this is Georgetown's own little museum gem along with the Tudor Palace. I've always envied other great schools for having their own university museums. For 4 years at Gtown I didn't know we had such a great museum in our backyard (though owned by Harvard, sadly)! Kevin (moonlighting as a tour guide to the music room!) was such a delight to encounter. He's so enthusiastic about the exhibits and is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, despite being museum security. Swing by if you have time!

Fabulous Philip Jihnson designed Pre Columbian extension..like living in a tree house! Gardens are extensive and steep. Delightful helpful witty guards will walk you back when lost. Entrance is confusing..garden is R st? Museum is NW side of the house...2 and 4 time slots. nice and cool in summer...

It’s like taking a tour in your super rich friends’ house. It’s quiet, well-maintained and more of personal touch than big museums. Upon entry, the security guard at the front door is very friendly and welcoming. She showed us the coat&locker room, told us about the restroom. It’s a “small” museum but still can easily take up to 2 hours. There weren’t many rare book opened up for viewing in the rare book room but you can still peek through the shelves, there are so many of them about gardening! Another security guard showed us, in any of the pre-Columbian circle room with a dome, standing in the center and speak, there’s surrounding echo coming back straight to your ears! Side note, as of today the museum gift shop opens from 1pm.

Fabulous museum. Couple who owned mansion it is in collected mostly early CE Roman and pre-Columbian from South America. Medallion room is well displayed to see different sides and explained very well pre- Columbia was one of the best displays to learn from. Entering this section is back in time nature trip. The house library, room & contents are worth going.

I walked there through Georgetown and really enjoyed the neighborhood. The museum itself is excellent, and the staff is very helpful. Even the cashier in the museum shop shared some interesting facts about Dumbarton Oaks. I was impressed by the unique collection of Pre-Columbian art. Admission is free, and if you don’t want to pay for the garden (18 dollars), there’s a beautiful park nearby.

Free museum. No tickets needed. It's small as a museum, but it's part of someone's mansion. The collection is very focus on byzantine and pre columbian old artifacts. While this doesn't normally interest me, I must admit that the craftsmanship and age of several of the pieces is impressive. The added wing for pre columbian artifacts is a very nice way to showcase the collection through a series of round rooms.

The museum is free! I especially loved the Maya artifacts section and it is in a roundabout exhibition with some natural lighting and a water fountain. I really enjoyed this place. You can also purchase the tickets in advance to the garden. It had some nice cherry blossoms and others. It was a pleasant afternoon to spend your time.

I didn't go inside the museum however the garden offers a truly peaceful, quiet, and beautiful experience. The timed entry system is great because I rarely encountered other visitors, enhancing the feeling of having the estate's garden all to myself. It was incredibly serene.