Discover National Gallery wheelchair accessible attractions, things to do, tours and activities for disabled travelers. Read our informative review to learn if the National Gallery of Art is wheelchair accessible and wheelchair friendly or if Wheelchair Jimmy recommends this attraction be avoided by travelers in wheelchairs.
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are a national art museum in Washington, D.C., located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in 1937 for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of the United States Congress. Andrew W. Mellon donated a substantial art collection and funds for construction. The core collection also includes major works of art donated by Paul Mellon, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Lessing J. Rosenwald, Samuel Henry Kress, Rush Harrison Kress, Peter Arrell Brown Widener, Joseph E. Widener, and Chester Dale. The Gallery’s collection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, medals, and decorative arts traces the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present, including the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas and the largest mobile ever created by Alexander Calder.
The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, located between 7th and 9th Streets NW on the Mall, is wheelchair-accessible. Accessible restrooms are available at the Pavilion Café. The Gallery has two entrances with ramps:
• West Building: Constitution Avenue at 6th Street
• East Building: 4th Street
Jim’s Accessibility Comments:
Click on the Disability Information tab above which is helpful. The art gallery is huge and you may wish to be dropped off and start in the west building where permanent exhibits are located (use Constitution & 6th St for west bldg. drop-off). All floors are accessible via elevator but since it was built in 1941 the elevators in the older west building can be complicated. Follow the signs. If you plan to drive and park, use the 4th St. entrance at the Mall. The most accessible restroom is near the cafeteria. There’s also a family restroom near the men’s restroom.
The use of public transportation, including taxis, in Washington is recommended. Available street parking is extremely limited. Floor plans of the West and East Buildings showing these accommodations can be viewed online.
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