Smithsonian Castle Gardens: The Mary Livingston Ripley Garden

The Smithsonian Castle is an iconic structure roughly in the middle of the Southern side of the National Mall.  It is surrounded in the larger sense by the greatest collection of museums and sculpture Gardens in the world, in my opinion.  Up close, between the castle itself and the nearby Arts and Industries Building, it nestles among a collection of beautiful garden spaces.

The Mary Livingston Ripley Garden sits on the western side of the Arts and Industries Building.  A modest, but lush garden with ample shade and places to sit.  A tiered fountain with a heron on top anchors the space providing a focus and a tranquil soundscape.  I love this little place and that it is so easy to miss makes discovering it even more endearing.