National Museum of African American History and Culture (2024)

FAQs

How to get passes to National Museum of African American History and Culture? ›

Same-day timed-entry passes are released online only at 8:15 a.m. EST daily. Timed-entry passes may not be sold or transferred and are for personal use only. Individuals can reserve up to nine free timed-entry passes for their visit. For groups of 10 or more, please reserve group passes.

The museum tells the story of the African American experience with accuracy, honesty, respect and the unvarnished truth. Rigorous scholarship is at the core of its publications, exhibitions and academic endeavors. We continuously work to maintain its originality, integrity, transparency and credibility.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans.

The NMAAHC is the world's largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture.

The museum's associate director told NPR.com that while most venues have a "dwell" time of an hour and 45 minutes to two hours, visitors are spending up to six hours exploring. It's an important part of many people's list of things to do in Washington, D.C. Open 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 364 days of the year.

The museum is open every day, except December 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and no tickets are required. Wegmans Wonderplace is open Wednesday–Sunday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; closed Monday–Tuesday. Draper Spark!Lab is open Wednesday–Sunday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m.; closed Monday–Tuesday.

The Smithsonian Institution is a trust instrumentality of the United States, lawfully created by Congress in 1846 to exercise the authority of the United States in carrying out the responsibilities Congress undertook when it accepted the bequest of James Smithson "to found at Washington, under the name of the ...

The Smithsonian Institution Archives collects, preserves, and makes available the official records of the Smithsonian Institution, the papers of Smithsonian scholars and other staff members, and the records of related professional organizations.

Dedicated for 159 years to the "increase and diffusion of knowledge," the Smithsonian supports authoritative scholarship in science, history, and the arts and is an international leader in scientific research and exploration.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Billie Holiday, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Louis Armstrong, Led Belly, B.B. King, Sam Cooke and Mahalia Jackson. That should just about cover every major musical genre from the last 150 years or so. And what all of those artists have in common is that they are African American.

Why does the African American History museum look like that? ›

From one perspective, the building's architecture follows classical Greco-Roman form in its use of a base and shaft, topped by a capital or corona. For our Museum, the corona is inspired by the three-tiered crowns used in Yoruban art from West Africa.

On the site of a cotton warehouse where enslaved Black people were forced to labor in bondage, the Legacy Museum tells the story of slavery in America and its legacy through interactive media, first-person narratives, world-class art, and data-rich exhibits.

Underground, a three-story memorial space sits adjacent to a contemplation chamber featuring a waterfall pouring from an illuminated oculus — a reminder of the gravity of African-American history and the influence its population had on the development of the United States.