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SmithsonianAssociates.org and your Encores will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance on Sunday, April 20, 2025, between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. ET.

Smithsonian Associates In-Person Programs

Join us in person on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, for a variety of programs and studio arts classes and workshops, as well as a range of local and regional destinations in our walking tours, full-day study tours, and overnight tours.

Frequently asked questions

All upcoming In-Person programs

Programs 1 to 10 of 191
A Day at SERC
Friday, ​April 18, 2025 - ​7:30 a.m. ​to 4:30 p.m. ET​
In-Person Tour
Register

The 2,650-acre campus of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland, encompasses a mix of forests, farmland, wetlands, and shoreline and is home to some of the world’s most enduring environmental research projects. Spend the day with SERC’s expert staff as you explore this environmental research hub and learn about its cutting-edge ecological studies.

Springtime Sketching in the Smithsonian Gardens - In Person
Saturday, ​April 19, 2025 - ​10:00 a.m. ​to 1:00 p.m. ET​
In-Person Studio Arts Course
Register

April and May are magical in the Enid A. Haupt Garden. Sketch there using watercolors to capture the changing light of the season.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Wednesday, ​April 23, 2025 - ​10:15 a.m. ​to 11:00 a.m. ET​
In-Person Discovery Theater
Register

Ages 3 to 6. Meet the grocer, the baker, the pizza-dough maker, and all of the friendly people who make our neighborhoods terrific places to live every day.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Wednesday, ​April 23, 2025 - ​11:30 a.m. ​to 12:15 p.m. ET​
In-Person Discovery Theater
Register

Ages 3 to 6. Meet the grocer, the baker, the pizza-dough maker, and all of the friendly people who make our neighborhoods terrific places to live every day.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Thursday, ​April 24, 2025 - ​10:15 a.m. ​to 11:00 a.m. ET​
In-Person Discovery Theater
Register

Ages 3 to 6. Meet the grocer, the baker, the pizza-dough maker, and all of the friendly people who make our neighborhoods terrific places to live every day.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Thursday, ​April 24, 2025 - ​11:30 a.m. ​to 12:15 p.m. ET​
In-Person Discovery Theater
Register

Ages 3 to 6. Meet the grocer, the baker, the pizza-dough maker, and all of the friendly people who make our neighborhoods terrific places to live every day.

Two of Virginia's Historic Gardens: Oak Spring and Blandy Experimental Farm
Friday, ​April 25, 2025 - ​7:30 a.m. ​to 5:30 p.m. ET​
In-Person Tour
Register

Historic Garden Week in Virginia offers the opportunity to visit beautiful homes and gardens in the state, ranging from classic to modern. Horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey leads this tour of Oak Spring, the former home of philanthropists Paul Mellon and Rachel “Bunny” Mellon which is usually closed to the public, and the University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm, which includes the State Arboretum of Virginia.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Friday, ​April 25, 2025 - ​10:15 a.m. ​to 11:00 a.m. ET​
In-Person Discovery Theater
Register

Ages 3 to 6. Meet the grocer, the baker, the pizza-dough maker, and all of the friendly people who make our neighborhoods terrific places to live every day.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Friday, ​April 25, 2025 - ​11:30 a.m. ​to 12:15 p.m. ET​
In-Person Discovery Theater
Register

Ages 3 to 6. Meet the grocer, the baker, the pizza-dough maker, and all of the friendly people who make our neighborhoods terrific places to live every day.

An Introduction to Watercolor: Loose and Beautiful - In Person
Saturday, ​April 26, 2025 - ​10:15 a.m. ​to 4:15 p.m. ET​
In-Person Studio Arts Course
Register

Discover the versatility and fluidity of painting in watercolor, an exciting and unpredictable medium. Learn techniques such as graded washes, wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, dry brush, splattering, lifting, and glazing.