Recommended Visit in DC: Freer Gallery

The Freer Gallery http://www.asia.si.edu/ is one of two National Museums of Asian Art in the Smithsonian Institution. The Freer specifically focuses on East Asian art. Unlike the more well-known Smithsonian museums, the Freer is less crowded and unique in its collection; a jewel of a find that you will remember long after your trip to DC!

Visitor favorites include Chinese ceramics and Chinese paintings, Korean Ceramics, and Korean pottery, Japanese folding screens, Indian and Persian manuscripts, and Buddhist sculpture from various regions and time periods. Artwork ranges from Neolithic to modern, with emphasis on the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties of China.

A highlight of the Freer is the Peacock Room, a dining room designed for the British shipping magnate F.R. Leyland. In 1876, the artist James McNeill Whistler lavishly decorated the room with a blue and gold peacock design. After the owner's death, Freer purchased the entire room and had it shipped to the United States and permanently installed in the Freer Gallery true to its original look. It's my favorite part of the museum!

The Freer is located on the National Mall, steps from the Smithsonian Metro stop. Two blocks east of the Washington Monument, the Freer lies between the Hirshhorn Museum and the Department of Agriculture on Jefferson Drive between 9th and 12th Streets NW. More detailed directions can be found at http://www.asia.si.edu/visitor/default.htm