Washington has a remarkable ability to turn a perfectly pleasant visit into a list of obligations.
You must see this memorial. You must visit that museum. You must get a selfie here or there.
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By late afternoon, you’ve taken a lot of photos, developed a complicated relationship with your shoes, and forgotten why you wanted to come here in the first place.
I’ve been showing Washington to guests for 15 years. My advice? Give yourself permission to be selective. Some sites deserve your time. Others deserve it only if they interest you.
Here are a few I’d reconsider.
1. The museum you’re visiting because you think you should
The Smithsonian museums have free admission. That’s a wonderful invitation. It is not a summons.
If you’re not interested in airplanes, don’t go to the Air and Space Museum. If you love art, go to the National Gallery or the Museum of American Art.
One museum that absorbs you is worth more than three you have to endure. There is no Smithsonian attendance prize.
2. The Museum of the Bible
The Bible has shaped laws, inspired reformers, justified oppression, and supplied arguments to people on opposite sides of the same dispute. So, it should be a prime topic for rigorous study.
But that doesn’t happen here. Visitors should be aware that this museum does not meet the academic standards of accredited museums such as the Smithsonian. Some of its artifacts have turned out to be forgeries, and thousands were taken illegally. Further, its funders have a very specific political agenda. If you want to see it, by all means do. Parts can be quite interesting. Just know that it’s not on par with the other museums in DC.
3. The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream
The space is spectacular. And the content is extensive. It really is like an intro MBA class. It explains what capital is, how finance works, and the journey an entrepreneur takes. It also stresses the importance of investing in education and how immigrants strengthen our nation.
But there is a fundamental shortcoming here. There is no serious discussion here of the structural barriers that make moving into the middle class harder now than ever. And without addressing those issues, the place is a new shine on the old up-from-the-bootstraps Horatio Alger stories.
Plus, there’s the history of Milken himself. Michael Milken is a convicted felon who was at the center of the 1980s junk bond scandal. He spent 2 years in prison, and in 2020 he was pardoned by the convicted felon who lives down the street from the Center. The Center is an attempt to whitewash his legacy.
4. The National Geographic Museum
National Geographic’s new Museum of Exploration opened in 2026. It combines photography, artifacts, immersive displays, and technology to introduce visitors to the natural world and build on the Society’s legacy of exploration.
But it’s far from the other city attractions; it’s expensive, and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum covers the same territory and much, much more for free.
5. The memorial you’re going to when you’ve stopped paying attention
This is less about a particular memorial than the moment you visit it. If you’re hungry, exhausted, and mainly concerned with getting back to your hotel, adding one more stop is going to add very little to your trip.
Memorials deserve attention. You need the energy to read, notice, question, and feel something. Whom are we honoring? What are we being asked to remember? Has its meaning changed since the memorial was built? If you don’t have the space to ask those questions, you just end up with a hurried bunch of photos, and you’re still exhausted.
You don’t have to earn your visit by completing a checklist. Choose places that make you curious. Leave time for an unexpected story, a good question, or a conversation you hadn’t planned to have.
That’s how I approach Off the Record Tours: private walks, candid history, remarkable characters, and enough time to explore the people behind the places. Bring the question you’ve always wanted to ask. Washington supplies plenty to talk about.