National Geographic Explorers Hall

The museum at National Geographic Society headquarters can’t compete with the Smithsonian’s more extensive offerings downtown, but it’s worth a stop if you have kids in tow. They’ll enjoy the rotating, hands-on exhibits on exploration, adventure and earth sciences, drawn from the society’s well-documented exhibitions to the far corners of the Earth (and beyond). The society’s year-round series, Live…from National Geographic, at the Gilbert Grosvenor Auditorium (202-857-7700), located in the National Geographic Society Headquarters next to the Explorers Hall, includes films, concerts and lectures by famed researchers and explorers.