City: Bethesda, MD

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (301) 496-1776

Address: 45 Center Drive

Description: NIH is where doctors, scientists, and technicians wage war against some of society’s most devastating illnesses and disorders, including cancer, AIDS, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. This sprawling federal research complex—a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—is perhaps the nation’s preeminent medical resource. NIH’s National Library of Medicine (8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, 888-346-3656), is the largest medical library in the world and features a reading room and a department specializing in historic and rare books. The NIH’s visitor information center offers a slide show, films, and a “working” lab. Free overviews are available for walk-in visitors at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. An overview and tour of the clinical research center is offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 a.m.; special-interest tours also can be arranged. The Visitor Information Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.