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Visiting the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, DC
Since its opening in 1993 in the historic City Post Office Building, the Smithsonian National Postal Museum has served to honor and celebrate America’s proud postal history. Located next to Union Station in DC’s NoMa neighborhood, the museum houses a vast collection of stamps, historic artifacts and interactive exhibits. Visitors will learn the fascinating evolution of how Americans have used the mail to communicate with each other and the world. What’s inside the Smithsonian National Postal Museum? Whether it be early automobiles on dirt roads, stagecoaches chugging across the country, prop planes in the skies above or being pulled by actual horsepower, guests will take a walk through history and see how mail has been transported in a variety of eye-catching displays. Visitors to the Postal Museum will also discover the art of stamp making and design and how to start their own collection, allowing patrons to see the diversity of postage from around the globe. Collectors will marvel at the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery, the largest of its kind. The Postal Museum houses an atrium sporting a 90-foot-high ceiling and vital objects from the postal past. Three airmail planes hang overhead, while a stagecoach from 1851 and a 1932 Ford Model A postal truck also adorn the room. Take a journey on a colonial post road, browse through a 1920s-style post office and experience the National Philatelic Collection, which features more than 5.9 million items. Planning your visit to the National Postal Museum Hours & Ticketing The National Postal Museum resides at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE and is open from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. daily. December 25 is the only day of the year that the museum is closed and admission is free. Best way to get there. Street parking is available nearby and all-day paid parking can be had at Union Station, located right next to the museum. If you elect to use public transportation, take the Metro's Red Line to Union Station and use the Massachusetts Avenue exit – the museum is across the street. The DC Circulator connects the museum and Union Station to the National Mall. The museum is accessible by wheelchair, with ramps at its 1st Street entrance and North Capitol Street entrance, via the U.S. Post Office.
Where to Eat, Drink & Shop In and Around DC's Union Market
It’s a Sunday afternoon at NoMa’s Union Market. A couple downs dumplings from Laoban Dumplings while, nearby, a tween struggles to eat a taco while walking. There’s a line forming for confections from District Doughnut. Welcome to DC’s hippest feasting ground, a revived mid-century produce- and meat-selling bazaar that holds food stalls, informal restaurants and kitchenware boutiques. Chowing Down Since it was restored and reopened in 2012, the industrial-cool space has grown to include 40-plus vendors, from pop-up dumpling stands to permanent fixtures like Buffalo & Bergen, a throwback, Brooklyn diner-inspired spot where you can munch bagels and slurp egg creams at a long bar. Other businesses offer takeout to eat at indoor or outdoor tables; try TaKorean for addictive bulgogi beef tacos and Puddin' for decadent shrimp ‘n' grits. Stocking Up This is also a place to stock your kitchen pantry and browse unique goods. Salt & Sundry offers artisanal cocktail mixers, crafty tableware, eccentric greeting cards and more; District Cutlery, DC's only high-performance knife shop, sharpens the local culinary scene; while Jungle & Loom blooms with houseplants, related accessories and vintage glassware. Mercado, Arte & Cultura Across from the Union Market building is La Cosecha, a contemporary Latin American marketplace. Open daily, the market is home to all sorts of merchants and culinary experiences, from made-to-order Salvadoran pupusas and Panamanian coffee roasters to Mexican fine dining and vegan Bolivian fare. Keep an eye on the events calendar for live music, social dancing and more. Other Attractions Near Union Market Also in the market’s orbit is Dock5, a top-floor event space that hosts periodic events like American-made clothing festivals. Outside of the market is a heart-filled mural that LA-based graffiti artist Mr. Brainwash created for International Women’s Day in 2015. The mural has quickly become one of the neighborhood’s most Instagrammable images (even First Lady Michelle Obama had her photo taken there). There's also a text-based mural from Yoko Ono, designed specifically for the market in a partnership with the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum. Adjacent to the market, other similarly taste-obsessed businesses thrive. Slick, dinner-only Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Masseria plates fixed-price menus dreamed up by star chef Nicholas Stefanelli – think porcini mushroom and parmigiano risotto or a caviar-accented burrata appetizer. The Puglia-inspired digs include a buzzy outdoor patio area with firepits and colorful tiled floors and a glowing indoor dining room with a wall of wine. Savor traditional sushi and sophisticated small plates at O-Ku, which also features a quaint rooftop and omakase experience. Nearby, DC diners can feast on the finest grilled dishes at St. Anselm. There's also Cotton & Reed – one of many local distilleries you should know about – where two former NASA employees are producing rum in a creatively outfitted former ice warehouse. Once you’re through making your Union Market discoveries, explore the rest of the NoMa neighborhood.