The Downtown Washington, D.C. Art Museum That Is Considered One Of The World's Best For 2025

Home to over 70 museums, Washington, D.C., is certainly a museum city. And, according to Radical Storage, it's also home to one of the best. In a study called The World's Most and Least Disappointing Museums, the National Portrait Gallery was named the least disappointing museum in the world, edging out a win over the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Scotland's underrated gem, Glasgow.

That's high praise, given that the study evaluated 82,445 visitor reviews of the world's 100 most-visited museums. The National Portrait Gallery, which is home to portraits of every U.S. president and influential American, is undoubtedly a worthy winner. So what is it about this museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institute, that makes it stand out from the crowd?

According to the data, which was pulled by analyzing 102 keywords in visitor reviews, the museum made a great impression. In fact, more than half of the reviews (54.5%) were glowing, with only a tiny fraction (3.5%) having negative sentiment. Though the positive comments were fairly vague — "great," "beautiful," and "amazing" were the most common — we have a pretty good idea of what makes the National Portrait Gallery so special.

Washington, D.C.'s National Portrait Gallery, which opened in 1968, is housed inside a beautiful 19th-century building that was once the Old Patent Office. Recently restored, it is a work of art in its own right and provides an incredible setting for visitors. The stars of the collection are the presidential portraits, which provide an overview not only of U.S. history but also of the development of American art. From Gilbert Stuart's iconic 1796 portrait of George Washington to Barack Obama's modern portrait by Kehinde Wiley, this art can't be missed.

Beyond the presidents, there's plenty to see, from permanent exhibitions about the early development of photography to the Great Hall, which showcases portraits of significant 20th-century Americans. There, you'll find portraits of everyone from Albert Einstein and Jane Addams to LL Cool J. On Tripadvisor, one reviewer summed up why they never miss a chance to visit the museum: "You could spend the whole day there. All important people and events in American history are on display." Another reviewer goes a step further, calling it the "best of all the Smithsonian museums and galleries."

And the best part? Entrance to the National Portrait Gallery, like many museums in Washington, D.C., is free of charge. While there, visitors can also take a stroll through the American Art Museum, which shares the building with the National Portrait Gallery. Just beware of being fooled into thinking that all Smithsonian museums are made equal. The National Air and Space Museum, also in Washington, actually topped the list as the most disappointing museum in the world.