National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

The Sculpture Garden is a beautiful little park in DC, with several interesting sculptures to view, and plenty of seating around a large central fountain, which apparently becomes a skating rink in the winter. In the park is the Pavilion Café, and the food is delicious – I recommend stopping there for lunch before heading to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, unless you have a desire for digestive issues. The café is also a good pit stop if you need to use the washroom or fill up your water bottler while walking along the National Mall. We did not partake in this, but between May and September, there are free Jazz concerts on Friday evenings.
Story time: cycling is not permitted in the park, but of course things like rules and public safety are ignored by many cyclists (I come from Vancouver). One day I was walking through the park, and some asshole is on his bike, coming towards me. Rules aside, not wanting to get run over, I stand to one side of the path to allow him to pass me without seriously injuring me. I chose to stand to the left, as I was closer to the left side of the path and didn’t want to dart across him, and from the way he was maneuvering his bike, he looked like he was going to the right (ie. he swivelled his front wheel to my right to indicate he was going to the right). So I clearly moved over to the left, and then after a few seconds of him coming towards me on my right, he deliberately moved to the left, and rode straight to where I was standing. He stopped his bike right in front of me, blocking me from walking, and I told him that if he wanted to pass me, he could move around me. He tried to argue that I should have moved to the right, but I told him off and would not move, forcing him to get off his bike and walk on my right. There was no way I was going to be bullied by that asshole, especially when he should not even have been cycling in the park!

Here you will find an utterly Fabulous art stroll, and enjoy the beautiful gardens, ze tre famous art work and even skate during winter in the fountain from December to March.
Designed by OLIN, the gardens were opened in 1999 so make it the the most recent addition to the beautiful museum to house the sculpture garden of the National Gallery.
Stop off at the Pavillion Café for a much deserved respite for your tummy and belly, grap a frothy cap and croissant and sit beneath the shadow of Graft, by R. Paine. As you marvel at the surroundings.
It is well worth the visit for the amazing works of über-​well-​know artists and see these pieces that are worth millions.
Here is a list to help you identify each glorious piece along your stroll. We played a game to ID the artist/​title of each. See how well you do on your art hunt.
The works:
Claes Oldenburg; Coosje van Bruggen, Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, 1999
Joan Miró, Personnage Gothique, Oiseau-​Éclair, ¹⁹⁷⁴⁄₁₉₇₇
Louise Bourgeois, Spider, ¹⁹⁹⁶⁄₁₉₉₇
Tony Smith, Wandering Rocks
Magdalena Abakanowicz, Puellae, 1992
Mark di Suvero, Aurora, 1992 – 93
Scott Burton, Six-​Part Seating, ¹⁹⁸⁵⁄₁₉₉₈
Joel Shapiro, Untitled, 1989
Ellsworth Kelly, Stele II, 1973
Barry Flanagan, Thinker on a Rock, 1997
Sol LeWitt, Four-​Sided Pyramid, 1965
Lucas Samaras, Chair Transformation Number 20B, 1996
Tony Smith, Moondog, 1964
David Smith, Cubi XXVI, 1965
Alexander Calder, Cheval Rouge, 1974
Roy Lichtenstein, House I, ¹⁹⁹⁶⁄₁₉₉₈
George Rickey, Cluster of Four Cubes, 1992
Hector Guimard, An Entrance to the Paris Métropolitain, ¹⁹⁰²⁄₁₉₁₃
David Smith, Cubi XI, 1963
Roxy Paine, Graft, 2008 – 2009
Robert Indiana, AMOR, ¹⁹⁹⁸⁄₂₀₀₆

Nice small outdoor park that has a mixture of art, seating, and a beautiful water fountain! FREE admission.
It’s a fantastic park to visit, snack at, or catch a break at if you’re touring the DC Mall or one of the nearby Smithsonian Museums. Easily walkable. It has a café, but expensive.
Inside you’ll find a mix of old art and modern art, you don’t have to be a art fanatic to enjoy it! It’s inspiring and motivating art, not art you would find at an art museum. The only thing to note is that you cannot touch any of the art. In the winter time the water fountain is converted into a ice skating rink, I’ve never been but I’ve heard it’s a COOL time!

While small in scope, the sculpture garden is a must-​see for art lovers. The grounds are well-​kept, admission is free, it is generally not too crowded, and it showcases a variety of contemporary sculpture from Roy Lichtenstein, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alexander Calder, Claes Oldenberg, Lucas Samaras and others. In addition to the fascinating art, the garden also contains a large water feature with a fountain that converts to an ice skating rink in winter. It was a very memorable stop among the other sights of D.C.

Fun gallery and harder to appreciate outside when walking out and about. Definitely a path you should choose when walking through the area.

Nice place to walk around and look at the different art sculptures. It’s also nice to sit and relax between the miles that you walk in DC. That’s what we did. Im sure some locals come here to kick back and tourist watch.

Spent a short time in this park. It is gorgeous with the backdrop of the museums. We visited during the winter months and the ice skating rink was in operation. It was nice to see people skating and enjoying the park year round. Very pretty place to lounge if on the Smithsonian track or just in the National Mall for a visit.

An interesting park with plenty of strange statues «ART» to look at. The fountain gets turned into an ice skating rink for winter and was well used when we stopped by during our walk from Lincoln to the Capitol. Great place for kids to burn some more energy. Nice park to stop at about half way between The Washington Monument and the capital on the north side.

It’s a petit chute garden. I like going there during winter the best because they have a tiny skate ring. There is a small café and a metro station is close. Cool sculptures will keep you entertained.
Price: Free.
Parking lot: Street parking.

The ice was rough. With «pot holes» almost an inch deep, you gotta watch out where you’re skating. You also have to avoid all the people falling around all over you because it can get crowded. The ice skates are really uncomfortable but it’s pretty fun nonetheless.

It’s a nice place for a break from all the walking & enjoy the autumn colours & sculpture. There’s a little café too. The ice skating rink is open & the skates can be hired for 2 hours block. It’s opened till 2300.

I really enjoyed this sculpture garden. All the sculptures were magnificent. My favorite was the colorful house. The guard informed us that from different angel of the sculpture, you can see the 3D effect. There was also a café in the middle of garden where you can purchase salads, sandwiches and coffee. I wish the garden was bigger.

Running around from museum to museum in the National Mall? Then rest your tired dogs by sitting on one of these park benches and enjoy the unique sculptors. There is a café in the garden if needing a snack. The garden is well maintained. The landscaping is great with a paved path that circles the garden. What I did like was the lack of ponds (less bugs). I had just missed the ice rank as it opened a day or two after I walked though. I would estimate about ten minutes to explore, walk through it between museums and check out their checkered white pyramid.

The National Gallery of Art (NGA) Sculpture Garden is in a lot adjacent to the NGA’s main «west» building on the Mall in Washington. It features 20-​odd, large, primarily late 20^th century American, sculptures (the notably exception being a 1902 Paris Metro entrance by famed art noveau architect and designer Hector Guirmard) among plantings. Although admission is free, gates are locked except during open hours. An ice skating rink replaces the central fountain during the winter season.

A good resting place: Sit down in the shade and enjoy the fountain breeze. There are plenty of seating space around the fountain. The stone is actually quite comfortable, not at all rough. Browse around and enjoy the interesting artwork.

This is one of the best spots in DC to relax and enjoy the sky.
In chilling spring and fall, i always go to the park reading my favorite books and savoring the drinks.
I also love music in the garden on friday during summer time.
In winter, it’s also a great spot to strolling on ice.

I love this spot! You can come and sit on the benches and just enjoy the weather. There are sun and shade spots available. The fountain is fun to watch, and listen to as you relax.
Some people enjoy sitting on the edge of the fountain and dipping their toes in the water.
In the winter the fountain is covered and an ice rink is set up. It is a very romantic spot to skate around, and it’s also kid friendly.

After catching a glimpse of the AMOR sign, I eagerly told my friends I wanted to check out this park. Or at least, I thought it was a park. It turned out to be an art sculpture garden (with an ice rink when it’s colder)!
With cool sculpture pieces spread throughout the garden, it’s a nice to be able to check out each one and enjoy it before seeing the next. The place isn’t as crowded as other touristy places so you can really enjoy nature at the same time.
Make sure you check out that trippy house piece. You can even capture it on video or via snapchat. o_​_​o #mindblown

I once again loved my ice skating experience at the ice rink in the National Sculpture Garden (across the street from the Archives). My boyfriend and I visited the ice rink together recently and had an absolutely magical time. It was even snowing on the day we went! :)
Note — they close the ice rink when it rains or when the temperature dips below 20 degrees (as has been the case several times this winter), but not when it snows. I’d never been ice skating in the snow before and it was a magical experience.
The admission is $ 8 and skate rental is $ 3 per adult and the locker rental is $ 0.50 with a $ 5 deposit. Totally worth it for a very fun experience.
Other tips: the ice rink is just a couple blocks from the Archives metro station, if you plan to metro as we did. Also, if you’re really chilly after your ice skating experience, the sculpture garden’s café, Pavilion Café, has tons of sweets and warm drinks. I will write a separate review for the café.
Overall, a lovely experience and I recommend it to everyone in the DC area wanting a great ice skating experience!

Free Jazz in the sculpture garden; the band plays a latin jazz with the spanish guitar (that kind of sound), very tranquil and soothing. Perfect for after work on a Friday. A girlfriend and I came with a blanket, the security guard Smitty found us a prime piece of real estate under a tree right in front of the stage. It was perfect! People are just hanging out munching, drinking, and relaxing. The fountain is filled with people sitting on the edge soaking their feet.
The Café offers wine, beer, normal soft drinks, water, and sangria .We got the pitcher of Sangria for $ 18.50. They also offer salads, sandwiches, and flatbread pizza from inside the café, the price range for food is on average $ 10. People get up and dance, one lady asked me to watch her purse while she took a few spins. And low and behold the security man Smitty leaves his post and gets out on the floor. It’s just that kind of an atmosphere. Ends at 8:30pm. Best to come around 4:30, because the park was already filled with people by 5:30 when we arrived. Definitely going to make my way back a few more times before it gets cold!