National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum

Two Smithsonian museums sharing the Old Patent Office Building of 1836, a Greek revival landmark in the Penn Quarter that served as a Civil War hospital and hosted Lincoln's second inaugural ball. The Portrait Gallery's America's Presidents hall is the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House, including the Obama portraits that drew record crowds. The American Art Museum has Hopper, O'Keeffe, folk art and a large Nam June Paik video map of the United States. The glass-roofed Kogod Courtyard between the wings is one of the best free places to sit down in central Washington. Free, no tickets, open until 7 pm, later than the Mall museums.