Smithsonian Castle

When you see the impressive Smithsonian Castle, it's easy to imagine that it must be an amazing museum of some sort.  If you had, infact, visited it back in the 19th century after it first opened to the public in 1855, you would not have been disappointed.  Today, however, it's more of a central hub for administering and promoting the wide range of Smithsonian institutions and museums.  It often surprises people to realize that the National Museums of the United States are collected under the umbrella of the Smithsonian name.  While most are located in DC, some are not, like the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design in New York City.  While most are thematic and function as repositories of precious, unique and interesting artifacts and artwork, at least one isn't--The Smithsonian National Zoo.

What you will discover when you enter is that a lot of the space is not open to the public.  The great hall is and basically hosts a small gift shop, a little self-serve cafe with ample seating and a few artifacts.  An adjacent lesser hall contains displays illustrating the history, organization and function of the Smithsonian Institution itself.