Museums and Attractions in DC Mark Inauguration Day

Washington, DC (January 6, 2009) – With two million visitors or more expected in the District for the inauguration of the 44th President, local cultural attractions will mark the historic occasion by welcoming attendees into warm buildings where inauguration memorabilia will be on full display. Cultural Tourism DC and its members – more than 200 cultural, heritage, and community organizations in the District – will present Washington, DC as a true world capital, teeming with museums, theaters, historic houses, and art galleries.

A comprehensive guide to these attractions and other cultural events taking place on Inauguration Day is available on Cultural Tourism DC’s website, www.CulturalTourismDC.org. The full schedule, including the list of attractions, special events, hours, and fees, is listed under “Presidential Inauguration,” linked from the homepage. Visitors can also call 202-661-7581 for more information.

“Our members represent the wealth of culture and heritage found here in the District. We invite people to use their time in Washington not only to celebrate the new President, but also to explore America’s hometown,” says Linda Harper, Cultural Tourism DC executive director.

On Inauguration Day, several attractions near the parade route in the Downtown, Penn Quarter, and National Mall areas are open and are encouraging visitors to linger after the official festivities are over to explore their special events, including:

• The National Portrait Gallery will open the exhibition, Presidents in Waiting, about the vice presidency on January 20. Additionally, the exhibition America’s Presidents, a collection of portraiture of American presidents, will feature its newest addition – Barack Obama.
• The Smithsonian American Art Museum will offer inaugural-themed tours focusing on the exhibition The Honor of Your Presence Is Requested: Lincoln’s Inaugural Ball, as well as other items from the collection that relate to past inaugurations.

·         Visitors can get a fresh look at Obama’s 18-month-long campaign at the National Museum of American History when author Deborah Willis discusses her new book, Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs, featuring 150 color photographs (1 pm).

• Visitors can relax in a hospitality area at Asbury United Methodist Church (11th and K Streets, NW) featuring a jumbo-screen TV for viewing the ceremony and parade along with lectures, music, and workshops.
• The Marian Koshland Science Museum is offering free admission all day on January 20 (normally $6 admission fee) and commemorative key chains to its first 500 visitors.
• Those who can’t get close enough to the real Obama for a photo should head to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum as it introduces its newest figure. Barack Obama will join other life-size lookalikes of Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Reagan, Nixon, Clinton, and Bush.
• Additional offerings available at attractions such as the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Parish Gallery, the John F. Kennedy Center, and more, are listed at www.CulturalTourismDC.org.

In addition to activities taking place January 20 many events will start Saturday, January 17 in anticipation for the occasion. Cultural organizations across the city are offering up creative connections to President-elect Obama and to past presidents and their inaugurations.

• More than forty groups will commemorate the inauguration of Barack Obama at “Out of Many: A Multicultural Festival of Music, Dance and Story” presented by the National Museum of the American Indian. Daily performances feature live music, dancing, and storytelling (festival runs January 17 – 19; museum is open January 20).
• The Woodrow Wilson House, DC’s only presidential museum, will display memorabilia from President Wilson’s 1913 and 19
  [Back to Press Releases Main]