The Official Guide to the Smithsonian

Last week I wrote two brief guides to visiting the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. You can read them both here, in part one and part two. But if you really want to explore the Smithsonian, you need to get to the core of all of the goodies in their buildings, then you should pick up a copy of the Official Guide to the Smithsonian. I bought one, thumbed through it each night while planning my visits, and found it very useful.

As the title would suggest, the Official Guide to the Smithsonian is the authoritative guide to all of the museums. It gives a rundown of what is where in each of the 18 museums. And without it, or a heck of a lot of time spent on their website, most visitors would be lost amongst all of the amazing displays in the various museums. I know I would even after having been to so many of them.

The Official Guide to the Smithsonian is comprehensive, yet concise. At more than 200 pages, it isn’t even an inch thick. So the book is easy to manage and thumb through at a moment’s notice to find what you need. And with the easy-to-follow layout, complete with pictures of many of the highlights, it’s easy on the eyes and easy to follow.

On the down side, though, the guidebook is not easy to carry along on a trip to the museums. It may be thin, but it is 5.5 inches by 9 inches in size – hardly small enough to fit in a back pocket. It would be easier to pack it in a larger purse or backpack, but then you’re forced to dip in and out of the bag all day unless you want to just carry it with you, which can become just as annoying when you’re trying to take photos.

Despite the one drawback, the Official Guide to the Smithsonian is a worthwhile purchase for any traveler to Washington, D.C. Even though I tried to capture the highlights of each museum I visited in my stories, there’s no book that can compete with what the guide has to offer. And, in the end, if the size is too cumbersome, then do as I should have done and just photocopy the pages you need and fold those up to put in your pocket. Without them, or the book, you’ll most certainly be lost – or spending way too much precious time at information desks asking for help.