Beyond IGARSS 2026: A Guide to Washington D.C.’s Geospatial Attractions

Washington, D.C., may be the greatest museum city on Earth. Not only does it have an unparalleled collection of world-class museums, galleries, and memorials located within easy walking distance of the central National Mall, nearly all these attractions are free to visit. That’s right, no admission fee.

This is great news for attendees of IGARSS 2026 because the U.S. capital city also boasts a remarkable array of permanent or ongoing exhibitions featuring maps, satellite images, aerial photos, and other artifacts sure to intrigue Geoscience and Remote Sensing folks.

First, let’s get our bearings. IGARSS events will be held at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Connecticut Ave. The closest Metro subway station is DuPont Circle on the Red Line. The best station to access the National Mall is the Smithsonian Station on the Red/Silver/Orange lines. The National Mall itself is a two-mile open space between the U.S. Capitol Building and Lincoln Memorial, with the Washington Monument almost in the middle.

The Mall between the Capitol and Washington Monument is lined on both sides with museums and galleries, all of which are worthy of visits depending on your interests. The attractions on this list are on, or near, the Mall except as noted. Once out of the Metro, you can walk between most museums, but please be aware Washington is hot and humid in August. Be sure to wear a hat and sunscreen and carry a water bottle, which can be brought into most museums.

Important note — I grew up in Washington, D.C., and still have friends there. Many stopped riding the Metro about five years ago due to safety concerns. However, they began riding it again in the past year in the wake of President Trump’s cleanup. Still, I strongly recommend you ride in groups or with a companion during the day and take Ubers after dark.

These attractions are listed in order of their proximity to the National Mall, starting with those right on the Mall itself and moving outward from there. Always check websites before you go because most of these venues do NOT have evening hours.

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

Aviation enthusiasts will enjoy seeing the Wright Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, and Glamorous Glennis aircraft, while geospatial mavens will be treated to a variety of satellite imagery from Landsat, Terra, Aqua, and GOES missions. The permanent Landsat exhibit is gone, but the images are featured in galleries on Earth observation, remote sensing, and climate. [**At the end of this article, check out two of my favorite memories from my dozens of visits to this museum.]

Smithsonian Natural History Museum 

Every kid who grew up in the DC area had a school field trip to this museum full of dinosaurs, fossils, rocks, and minerals. Check out the Hall of Geology, Oceans, and Climate where Landsat and MODIS images, along with numerous maps, illustrate how the Earth’s surface, oceans, and atmosphere have changed over time.

NASA Headquarters

Located about a block off the Mall and served directly by the Federal Center SW Metro station, the NASA Earth Information Center probably offers the most satellite images, derived maps, and interactive geospatial visualizations you will see anywhere in the city. If you only have time for one geospatial museum experience while at IGARSS, this is the place for you. [This is NOT NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, see farther below.]

National Archives

Maps tell the story of the creation and growth of the United States at the National Archives across the street from the National Gallery of Art. Not only can you view the Declaration of Independence, you can see original maps from the Lewis & Clark Expedition, as well as U.S. Revolutionary and Civil Wars. You can even check out official briefing maps that kept U.S. presidents apprised of key historical events as they happened.

Library of Congress

Laying claim to the largest collection of maps in the world, the U.S. Library of Congress occupies several buildings just east of the Capitol. In the Geography & Map Reading Room within the Madison building you will find a constantly rotating exhibition of rare maps, globes, and atlases from around the world. [Interesting side note — In the early 1990s at EOSAT, I cleaned dozens of large-format Landsat images out of a closet where we stored items from old trade shows. I offered them to the Library of Congress, which then created a temporary Landsat exhibition in the basement of the Madison building.]

International Spy Museum 

Despite the fact this is a private museum with a hefty entry fee, the Spy Museum has become one of the most popular attractions in DC. If you’re intrigued by geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), espionage, surveillance, and reconnaissance, this is the museum for you. You will find lots of well-illustrated examples of how satellite and aerial remote sensing, GIS, and geospatial analysis have played crucial roles in the world of espionage. This museum is located a few blocks from the Mall.

National Geographic Museum of Exploration 

Often overlooked because it’s not close to the other museums, this relatively small museum, referred to as Explorers Hall, displays maps, satellite/aerial/drone images, and artifacts from some of the hundreds of expeditions sponsored over more than a century by the world’s greatest private cartographic and publishing institution. This venue is a long walk from either the Hilton Hotel or National Mall, so your best bet is the Farragut North Metro on the Red line.

Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center 

Where else can you see a huge collection of full-scale satellite engineering models — including Landsat 5 and the Corona film return capsule — hanging above a retired Space Shuttle and SR-71 Blackbird? Only at Udvar-Hazy, which was built to house the overflow of aircraft and artifacts too large for the Air & Space Museum in town. Geospatial experts familiar with today’s small remote sensing satellites will be astonished at the size of Landsat 5, which required its own rocket to get into orbit. Udvar-Hazy is outside of DC adjacent to Dulles International Airport, so you might want to visit on your way home. Keep in mind you can’t walk from the museum to the Dulles terminal. Plan to take the Fairfax 983 bus between them instead. If you drive to the museum, know that museum entry is free, but parking is not.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Located 30 to 60 minutes outside of Washington, D.C., the Goddard Space Flight Center is a featured tour sponsored by IGARSS 2026. But you can go on your own. Just be sure to check public hours before you go. Goddard is NASA’s main facility for Earth Observation programs, so you can expect to see many images and maps from Landsat, Terra, Aqua, Suomi NPP, and JPSS missions in the dedicated Earth Science Gallery in the Visitors Center. You can get there in 30 minutes or so from DC via Uber or private vehicle, but I recommend riding the Metro to Greenbelt Station and then taking a short taxi or Uber from there. Expect a one-hour total commute.

**Personal Anecdotes from the Air & Space Museum

Growing up and living in DC as a young adult, the Air & Space Museum was undoubtedly my favorite for the displays and special events held there. Two such events stick out in my mind:

Chuck Yeager — For many years, the museum hosted a talk by General Chuck Yeager on the October anniversary of his famous sound-barrier-breaking flight. I was fortunate enough to get tickets from GE Aircraft Engines one year and found Yeager to be one of the most engaging speakers I’d ever seen. What I liked most was that he made sure to answer every question asked by the dozens of children sitting on the floor at the front of the theater.

After the talk, he sat at a table under Glamorous Glennis in the atrium, signing books and chatting. I’m not an autograph hound and planned to head home when I saw a friend standing by herself at the end of the long line, so I joined her. Almost an hour later, we were the only people left in the darkened museum with Yeager. I asked him how many aircraft types on display he had flown. He looked at me and said, “That’s a good question. I don’t know. Let’s go see.” With that, we spent the next 20 minutes walking the dimly lit museum counting the types of airplanes he had flown. His total was a remarkable 13.

Captain Kirk — The opening reception of the annual American Society of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing (ASPRS) conference was held in the Air & Space Museum one year, probably 1992. This coincided with a special Star Trek TV show (the original) exhibit in the museum. It proved so popular that tickets were distributed every morning for entry times later in the day. They were almost impossible to get.

As I chatted with colleagues at the ASPRS reception, I wondered aloud if the Star Trek exhibit was open in the otherwise closed museum. A group of us raced upstairs and found the gallery open and unguarded. We had the place to ourselves! And since no one was there to tell us not to, we removed the rope cordoning off Captain Kirk’s chair and took turns sitting in it just like William Shatner did for three seasons. Adding to my delight was a large display case loaded with those troublesome Tribbles. IYKYK!