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Glenstone Museum

ArtArchitectureClosed · Opens 10amFreeNo Metro station nearby — Glenstone is a car or bus trip from DC (30–45 minutes from downtown without traffic)

Founded in 2006 by Mitchell and Emily Wei Rales, Glenstone sets roughly 1,300 works of post-war and contemporary art into 230 acres of meadow, woodland and stream about 25 km northwest of downtown Washington. Its centrepiece is the Pavilions, a 204,000-square-foot building by Thomas Phifer completed in 2018, where eleven single-artist rooms of cast-concrete blocks ring an 18,000-square-foot Water Court open to the sky. Outside, trails wind past monumental works by Jeff Koons, Richard Serra, Andy Goldsworthy and Felix Gonzalez-Torres, with landscape design by Peter Walker and some 8,000 newly planted trees. Admission and parking are always free, but a timed ticket booked in advance is required — the museum caps entry at around 600 visitors a day and admits no one under 12.

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Permanent Collections

Plan Your Visit

Getting there

12100 Glen Road, Potomac, MD 20854, United States

Nearest station: No Metro station nearby — Glenstone is a car or bus trip from DC (30–45 minutes from downtown without traffic), Montgomery County Ride On bus route 301 stops on the Glenstone grounds; arriving by this bus earns guaranteed walk-in entry, No museum shuttle from Washington, DC; on-site parking is free

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Hours

MonClosed
TueClosed
WedClosed
ThuToday10:00–17:00
Fri10:00–17:00
Sat10:00–17:00
Sun10:00–17:00

Admission

Free

Admission and parking are always free, but a timed ticket must be booked in advance. Tickets are released on the 1st of each month at 10 a.m. for that month and the following month. Visitors must be 12 or older. Arriving on Ride On bus route 301 earns guaranteed walk-in entry; no ticket is needed for the Bookstore in the Arrival Hall.

Nearby

American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

ArtFree237 min walk

The Kreeger Museum

Architecture252 min walk

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

Design260 min walk

Dumbarton Oaks Museum & Gardens

ArtFree278 min walk

Visitor Information

Is Glenstone Museum free to visit?
Yes, general admission to Glenstone Museum is free. Admission and parking are always free, but a timed ticket must be booked in advance. Tickets are released on the 1st of each month at 10 a.m. for that month and the following month. Visitors must be 12 or older. Arriving on Ride On bus route 301 earns guaranteed walk-in entry; no ticket is needed for the Bookstore in the Arrival Hall.. Some special exhibitions may charge a separate ticket, so check the museum's website before visiting.
What are the opening hours of Glenstone Museum?
Glenstone Museum is open Open Thursday–Sunday 10:00–17:00; closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Gates open at 09:45; last ticketed admission 15:15 and last guaranteed entry 16:15. The Woodland trail closes at 17:00 or sunset, whichever comes first; the Café serves 10:30–16:00. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Some trails and outdoor sculptures close in extreme heat, extreme cold or thunderstorms.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.
Where is Glenstone Museum?
Glenstone Museum is located at 12100 Glen Road, Potomac, MD 20854, United States, in the Potomac, Maryland area of Washington, DC. The nearest stations are No Metro station nearby — Glenstone is a car or bus trip from DC (30–45 minutes from downtown without traffic), Montgomery County Ride On bus route 301 stops on the Glenstone grounds; arriving by this bus earns guaranteed walk-in entry, No museum shuttle from Washington, DC; on-site parking is free.
What can I see at Glenstone Museum?
Mitchell and Emily Rales's 230-acre art landscape in the Maryland woods: Thomas Phifer's Pavilions, postwar masterworks, always free. Current highlights include Ties of our common kindred, Simone Leigh, Nick Cave: Louder Still.
Do I need to book Glenstone Museum in advance?
Glenstone Museum is free to enter and most days you can walk in. Admission and parking are always free, but a timed ticket must be booked in advance. Tickets are released on the 1st of each month at 10 a.m. for that month and the following month. Visitors must be 12 or older. Arriving on Ride On bus route 301 earns guaranteed walk-in entry; no ticket is needed for the Bookstore in the Arrival Hall.. For special exhibitions, weekends, and school holidays, booking a timed slot can help you skip queues. Check the museum's website for current requirements.
When is the best time to visit Glenstone Museum?
Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.

Ron Cogswell, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

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