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Who doesn’t love a bonsai tree? They are a perfect blend of gardening and fine art, and just the presence of a bonsai can make onlookers smile. Bonsai are well known around the world, and perhaps the best collection in the U.S. is at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C. Like the Smithsonian Institution, this museum is an impressive themed showcase, with extensive exhibits that make it worth visiting even for those who don’t know much about bonsai.
The Bonsai & Penjing Museum isn’t actually part of the Smithsonian. It’s one section of the U.S. National Arboretum, located in Northeast Washington. The museum was established in 1976, when Japan gifted 53 bonsai trees to the United States to celebrate the American Bicentennial — today, it boasts a collection of over 300 specimens. The arboretum is generally far less crowded than the Smithsonian’s flagship museums, and you don’t have to contend with downtown traffic or parking. Admission is also free, just like D.C.’s most famous institution…