This category of museums includes natural history, planetaria, oceanography, literary, music, archeology, earthscience, aerospace, ecology, nature, and medical museums, etc. The Smithsonian Museum was established in 1846 with with funds bequeathed to the United States by James Smithson. The Smithsonian is composed of 16 museums and galleries, the National Zoo,and numerous research facilities in the United States and abroad. Nine Smithsonian museums are located on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. Five other museums and the Zoo are elsewhere in Washington, D.C., and both the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian Heye Center are in New York City.
Admission is free.
It's an outstanding institution. Don't miss it. This site is a link to a museum of art, science and human perception. World Wide Arts Resources Fine arts, performing arts, and more are found at this site. This link will take you to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian.