Museum of the Bible

Museum of the Bible is one of the largest private museums in Washington and the most technologically ambitious, and it works best approached as a cultural history museum rather than a religious one. It opened in 2017 in a converted warehouse two blocks south of the Mall, and you enter through towering bronze gates cast with the opening text of Genesis as printed by Gutenberg. Inside, the floors are organized by theme. The history floor traces how the Bible was written, copied, translated and printed, with manuscripts, early printed Bibles and the story of translation into hundreds of languages. The narrative floor tells the stories themselves through immersive walk-through galleries of the Hebrew Bible and a recreated first-century village of Nazareth with costumed guides. The impact floor looks at the Bible's influence on American history, music, fashion, science and civil rights, which is the strongest section for many visitors. A rooftop garden and restaurant look across to the Capitol dome. The visit has an honest backstory you should know: the museum was founded by the Green family of Hobby Lobby, and early on it had to confront problems in its collection. Fragments it had displayed as Dead Sea Scrolls were found to be forgeries, and the Greens returned thousands of artifacts, including an ancient tablet with part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, that had been improperly brought out of Iraq. The museum has since made provenance a public theme. Admission is paid, entry is timed, and some rides and special exhibitions cost extra. Fit: families, history buffs and curious travelers of any or no faith who like big interactive museums.

What to expect inside: the building is huge, with six public floors, and trying to see everything in one visit is a mistake. The history floor is the most scholarly and object-rich, the narrative floor is the most theatrical (the Hebrew Bible walk-through uses projection, sound and set design to move through the stories in about half an hour), and the impact floor is the most surprising, covering how biblical language shaped American speeches, abolition and civil rights, and popular culture. Temporary exhibitions rotate, from Bible manuscripts to art and archaeology, and seasonal events such as Christmas programs add to the calendar. The museum also has a children's area with hands-on activities based on biblical stories, a performance hall used for concerts and lectures, and a large gallery for traveling exhibitions from libraries and museums abroad, so the experience changes between visits. Because the museum is privately run, it stays open when federal funding lapses close the Smithsonians, which makes it a dependable backup plan.

Visit craft: book a timed ticket ahead, arrive near opening, and pick two floors to do properly. Families usually do best starting with the narrative floor and the village of Nazareth, then the rooftop; adults with history interests should begin on the history floor. Allow a rest stop at the rooftop garden for the Capitol view, which is one of the best free angles on the dome. The museum is closer to the Spy Museum and the Wharf than to the main Smithsonian lineup, which makes it easy to combine with an afternoon in Southwest.

Practicals: 400 4th Street SW, a short walk from the Federal Center SW Metro (Blue, Orange and Silver lines). Weekday hours run through the afternoon, with later opening on Sundays. Bags are screened at entry. Budget two to three hours. Pair it with the Capitol and the Library of Congress across Independence Avenue, or with ARTECHOUSE and the Wharf for an evening.