You've come to Washington, D.C. for the amazing collection of museums and art galleries the nation's capitol offers its visitors. But now that you're here, how will you know where to start? It seems like every street corner features a museum on new hip hop music or an art gallery dedicated to Peruvian antiquities. If you're stymied, here are the biggest, best, and most amazing places in D.C., which make great places to start.

The Smithsonian

The Smithsonian in Washington is the largest of a chain of 19 museums across the North American continent. This publicly funded museum offers enough material on a variety of subjects from Y strainers to early aviation to keep you occupied during your entire trip. It is home to the Freer Gallery of Art, the Hishhorn Sculpture Garden, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of History, and the National Zoological Park, which together chronicle the life and times of a nation. It is open to the public at no charge.

The National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery is one of the few major national collections in Washington not directly run by the Smithsonian Institution. Anyone who has been learning faux painting techniques or art appreciation will be bowled over by its collection, which includes paintings, sculptures, pottery, and decorative art pieces from the United States and around the globe, and is widely regarded as one of the finest Western collections in the world. A few of the big names you may recognize have works here, including Jackson Pollock, Rembrandt, da Vinci, Picasso, and Andy Warhol.

The National Building Museum

There are many stunning structures in North America that are tributes to their designing architect. Canada's CN Tower, New York's Guggenheim Museum, and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco are just a few. At the National Building Museum, you can see these structures, urban spaces, and architects celebrated for the contributions to the nation. Famous names you may recognize include Frank Lloyd Wright and Frederick Law Olmsted.

The United States Memorial Holocaust Museum

There are few historical subjects that are as moving and disturbing as the Holocaust, when millions of Jewish people and dissenters were crushed beneath the iron keel of Hitler's Third Reich. This museum, which contains more than 12,000 artifacts, is meant to honor those whose lives were taken or uprooted and to promote universal tolerance and respect for human dignity.