Plan Your Visit
- Hours Today: 10:00 am - 7:30 pm
- Open every day except Dec. 25
- Admission: Free
- Maps & Guides
- Directions
Events & Programs
Mini-Urban Challenge
The Museum plays host to a national competition in which teams of high school students build robotic vehicles that must successfully navigate through a mini-city. June 1.Hands-on carts
Get your hands on history at one of our interactive carts. Activities include operating a cotton gin, peeking through a stereoscope, experiencing what it felt like to wear a corset, using a press to print a card, and copying a letter the way Jefferson did. Daily at the Museum.Historic Theater Programs
Train for a civil rights demonstration, learn how the Star-Spangled Banner was made, or meet scientist Joseph Henry. Programs offered daily.
This Day In History
May 19, 2012
Today in 1917: Congress passes the Selective Service Act, giving the president power to draft soldiers. This "Order to Report" is from 1941.
Investigate history with The 39 Clues
Are you or someone you know a fan of The 39 Clues? Watch a webcast with Day of Doom author David Baldacci as he investigates history mysteries behind the scenes at the Museum. Or while visiting, test your clue-hunting skills like Amy and Dan Cahill with our downloadable 39 Clues self-guide.
From our Blog
After answering a question about what may have been in the pockets of Revolutionary War soldiers, another Revolutionary War...
We recently loaned 64 objects from our National Firearms Collection to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a Smithsonian Affiliate in...
Two curators share interesting law enforcement-related artifacts in their collections, inspired by National Police Week.
Curator Eric...
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The Museum collects artifacts of all kinds—from gowns to locomotives—to preserve for the American people an enduring record of their past.
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2013-2018 Strategic Plan
Learn more about the Museum's mission and priorities for the next five years.