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National museum of african american history and culture.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Getting Here

We encourage the use of Metrorail and Metrobus .

Metro Station: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian (Mall exit)

Nearest Accessible Metro Entrance: Federal Triangle West side of 12th St., NW, between Pennsylvania and Constitution Ave., NW

Check Metrorail's Elevator and Escalator Service Status page for service disruptions.

MetroAccess

To provide an address for  MetroAccess Paratransit , please use 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. However, it is recommended to request drop off on the Madison Drive side of the museum.

There is no public parking facility for Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. A limited number of city-operated metered parking spaces are available, including several accessible parking spaces.

View a map of accessible parking spaces .

Reserved parking near the museums can be purchased in advance through ParkWhiz . Note: ParkWhiz is a third-party vendor (ParkWhiz Privacy Policy) .

Dining and Shopping

Sweet Home Café The 2017 James Beard Award nominated Sweet Home Café showcases the rich culture and history of the African American people with traditional, authentic offerings as well as present-day food traditions. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors may obtain a  Dine and Shop Pass to facilitate museum entry to dine in the Sweet Home Café or shop in the museum store. For assistance with/information on group dining, please visit Group Sales .

Visit the Museum Store or explore a selection of merchandise online at the Smithsonian Store .

Accessibility

See Getting Here for information on accessible parking and public transportation.

Accessibility Information and Programs

  • Smithsonian accessibility for visitors
  • Museum accessibility details

Disability access service requests: [email protected]

  • Exhibitions
  • Collections Sampler
  • In-Person Events

Sort By: Opening Closing View By: display results as list display results as grid

  • Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures March 24, 2023 – August 18, 2024 African American History and Culture Museum
  • Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism, and Popular Culture November 18, 2022 – April 7, 2024 African American History and Culture Museum
  • Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience. September 10, 2021 – Ongoing African American History and Culture Museum
  • Explore More! September 24, 2016 – Ongoing African American History and Culture Museum
  • Double Victory: The African American Military Experience September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Taking the Stage September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Slavery and Freedom September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Cultural Expressions September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Musical Crossroads September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: Era of Segregation 1876-1968 September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Making a Way Out of No Way September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Sports: Leveling the Playing Field September 24, 2016 – Indefinitely African American History and Culture Museum
  • Power of Place September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum
  • Visual Art and the American Experience September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American History and Culture Museum

View all African American History and Culture Museum exhibitions

View all exhibitions

tour of the african american museum

National Museum of African-American History and Culture Tickets and Tours

tour of the african american museum

This post is a guide to visiting the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History & Culture (NMAAHC), including information on tickets, tours, how to get there, and what to expect updated and the new ticketing policies.

Plan Your Visit

Guided tours.

As a tour guide in Washington, DC, for over a decade, I take groups to visit museums every week. The National Museum of African-American History & Culture is one of the most moving museums, especially with school groups.

When the museum opened in 2016, the team at DC by Foot immediately started arranging group visits for the groups we work with and I have been bringing people there ever since.

tour of the african american museum

I am not a member of the Black Washington community, so these are not my stories to tell. I am grateful for the incredible curation of this museum to share the history and culture in a way I cannot.

I agree with the members of our Washington DC Travel Tips Facebook Group that this is a museum worth visiting.

tour of the african american museum

Free Tickets to the African American Museum

Unlike many of the Smithsonian museums, the NMAAHC DOES require timed tickets to visit.

tour of the african american museum

Tickets are free, but we highly recommend you reserve them as soon as possible as tickets often become fully booked. Regardless of age, everyone requires a ticket, and you may reserve up to 9 tickets at one time.

Each day at 8:00 am EST, tickets open for 30 days out. At 8:15 am, a small number of same-day passes are released online.

You can reserve free timed tickets on their website: https://nmaahc.si.edu/passes

Tickets to the African American Museum are timed - but you can enter the museum anytime AFTER your reserved time until 4 pm . It is okay if you are late to your timed tickets to the NMAAHC.

tour of the african american museum

The information in this section will help you plan an outing the National Museum of African-American History & Culture. This is where you will find details on how to get there , the best times to visit , security information, and what to expect .

WHERE IS THE NMAAHC ?

The NMAAHC is located on the National Mall at 1400 Constitution Avenue NW. It is between Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive, next to the American History Museum and the Washington Monument.

Map for NMAAHC

There are many ways to get there and it is a short walk from many other destinations on the National Mall. We recommend this link for specific directions to the museum: https://www.si.edu/museums/african-american-museum

The nearest Metro Stations are Federal Triangle (Blue, Orange, and Silver line) and Smithsonian (Blue, Orange, and Silver line.)

It is also a short walk (10-15 minutes) from Metro Center (Red Line.) The Circulator Bus drops at the Washington Monument, just across the street from the museum. For more information on navigating the Metro, check out our blog post HERE . 

Alternatively, many of the hop on hop off buses have a stop nearby to the NMAAHC.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The NMAAHC is a very in-demand tourist destination with limited capacity. It attracts large crowds throughout the year, especially on weekends, and is always busy. The museum opens at 10 am and by noon, it is pretty crowded.

Best time to visit NMHHAC

The best time to enter may depend on your timed entry passes but if you want to avoid crowds, we suggest planning a visit to the museum for the off-peak season (January-February and September-December.)

Typical weekdays during the off-peak months will be a little more manageable, especially if you arrive when the museum opens at 10am.

Best time to visit NMAAHC on Weekday

Many members of our 50K person Washington DC Travel Tips Facebook group want to know how long to spend at the African American Museum.

tour of the african american museum

A popular suggestion is to split up a visit if you can snag tickets on two different days.

tour of the african american museum

SECURITY SCREENING

Like all Smithsonian museums in D.C., you will encounter security at the NMAAHC. The following items are not permitted in the museum:

  • Tripods, monopods, selfie sticks
  • Knives of any size
  • Food and drink (other than bottled water)
  • Aerosol cans, including pepper spray and mace

There are lockers at the museum to store bags and coats.

You are more than welcome to bring strollers, walkers, and wheelchairs into the museum and it is completely ADA-compliant. Smartphones are also permitted and you may take non-flash, non-commercial photography in the galleries, unless otherwise posted.

You can bring food and drinks into the museum if they are sealed and not eaten inside. A great cafe is open from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm (opens at 12:00 pm on Mondays) if you're hungry!

A GUIDE TO VISITING NMAAHC

The NMAAHC is a very popular museum and you can expect lines to enter, especially right when the museum opens at 10am.

Even if you have obtained a timed entry pass, you might encounter lines at the security entrance during peak season.

Exterior NMAAHC

Once you clear security, the museum itself is self-guided. All guests enter the museum in Heritage Hall (Floor L1.) We suggest taking the escalators (or elevator) downstairs to the lower level, known as the Concourse.

tour of the african american museum

This is where you can access the three floors of history galleries (Floors C1-C3) and it is the only way to enter that portion of the museum.

You can expect there might be a line at this point, especially during peak season. The history gallery experience begins in an elevator that takes you to the lowest level of the museum.

The first exhibit highlights the Atlantic Slave Trade and it works its way chronologically up to 2008 and the election of the first African-American President.

tour of the african american museum

The history galleries empty you right next to the Contemplative Court, a perfect spot to reflect and relax before heading upstairs.

On the upper levels (Floors L2-L4), you will find exhibitions highlighting the cultural contributions of African-Americans, community galleries, and more. You can find a detailed breakdown of the museum here: https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/maps

This museum is HUGE! It has 85,000 square feet of exhibition space with nearly 3,000 objects and 183 videos.

The average guest visit time at most museums in D.C. is 2 hours - the average guest visit time at NMAAHC is 5 hours. Of course, much will depend on your pace, level of interest, and how crowded the museum is, but know that you won’t likely be able to see it all in one visit.

In order to make the most of your visit, we suggest downloading the museum’s free mobile app, which will help you familiarize yourself with the layout, exhibits, and objects that you might want to see during your visit: https://nmaahc.si.edu/connect/mobile/apps . The app also has information in Spanish and French (printed brochures in those languages are available at the welcome desk as well.)

There are no guided tours inside the NMAAHC at this time.

Museum volunteers and staff are at the welcome desk in Heritage Hall and at highly trafficked points in the museum to answer questions and give you guidance on your visit. You can see a list of upcoming museum events here: https://nmaahc.si.edu/calendar/upcoming

While we do not offer guided tours inside the NMAAHC, our National Mall and All-in-One tours begin not far from the museum. Our guides are happy to provide detailed guidance on getting the most out of your visit and can answer any questions you have.

Free Tours by Foot offers guided tours of many of the other Smithsonian Museums , however.

If you're interested in the Black American history of Washington DC, we have two self-guided tours that focus on this area.

Exhibit Highlights

This museum, like all the Smithsonian museums, is massive!

You could spend days here and not see every artifact on display. We highly recommend spending a few minutes at the welcome desk to get recommendations on objects and exhibits that will most fit your interests.

If possible, review the museum map before you arrive here ( https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/maps ) and familiarize yourself with the exhibits.

Map of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

For a first visit to the museum, these are what we consider the must-see areas:

C3: Slavery & Freedom (1400-1877)

This is where the history exhibits begins and it works its way chronologically through the Atlantic slave trade into the American Revolution, the American Civil War, and the Reconstruction era.

Be sure to see the Edisto Island slave cabin, which was brought from South Carolina to be installed whole in the gallery’s main hall as well as the lace shawl Queen Victoria gifted to Harriet Tubman.

Slave Cabin at NMAAHC

C2: Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom (1876-1968)

This is a continuation of the history exhibits, focusing on the century of Jim Crow laws and racial division across the nation. A Southern Railway passenger coach with segregated compartments is a must-see. Right across from the railcar is an interactive element that put you in the position of protesting and organizing - you can sit in a modern recreation of the Woolworth’s lunch counter and explore critical actions that were taken during the Civil Rights movement.

A guard tower from Camp H at Louisiana State Penitentiary is at the end of the lunch counter - you will usually see a line wrapping around the tower. That is the Emmett Till Memorial, one of the most moving exhibits in the museum. Till’s murder at the age of 14 in 1955 was a defining moment in the Civil Rights movement, particularly after his mother insisted that her son be displayed in a glass topped casket for the world to see. The original casket is on display, as well as an exhibit about Till’s life, death, and legacy.

Note: Photography is not allowed at all in the Emmett Till Memorial exhibit.

C3: A Changing America (1968 and Beyond)

This is the final floor in the history exhibits and brings the story of the museum into the present day. The year of 1968 is highlighted, as a landmark year for Civil Rights, with exhibitions highlighting the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The exhibit looks at both advances and setbacks in the fight for equality, including pop cultural items such as the set for the Oprah Winfrey show and the boombox carried by Radio Raheem (portrayed by Bill Nunn) in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing.

Be sure to look for the black and red dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama during the ceremony to mark the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, 1963.

Concourse Level  

You’ll find the Contemplative Court as you exit the history galleries - this peaceful space is meant for reflection and contemplation as you transition out of the history galleries and back into the museum. You might recognize this from the final season of the TV show Scandal - Kerry Washington actually filmed here at the museum!

tour of the african american museum

Heritage Hall  

You’ll find the gift shop, restrooms, and welcome desk here. The Corona Pavilion is currently screening a film by award-winning filmmaker Ava Duvernay here. The film, titled August 28th, looks at one date through multiple years to tell the story of Emmett Till, Motown music, Martin Luther King Jr, Hurricane Katrina, and more.

L2: Explore More  

This level primarily offers resources for researchers, educators, and those wishing to learn more about their own family history. These are a series of rotating interactive activities in this space and is a good place to stop with children who want to get hands-on with the museum.

L3: Community Galleries  

The exhibits here focus on African-American contributions to the military and sports as well as the building of communities across the nation.

Highlights include information on all 89 African-Americans who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the flight jacket of Lt. Col. Woodrow W. Crockett (one of the Tuskegee Airmen), and the efforts taken to desegregate the armed forces.

NMAAHC Tuskeegee Airplane

In the sports gallery, be sure to look for the blazer worn by Althea Gibson, one of the first African-American tennis stars, Jack Johnson’s boxing gloves, a pair of 1985 Air Jordans, and the leotard belonging to gold medal Olympian Gabrielle Douglas.

tour of the african american museum

L4: Culture Galleries

This floor shifts the focus to popular culture, with music galleries, stage, screen, visual art, and cultural expressions. At the entrance to the music gallery, you’ll see the red Cadillac El Dorado belonging to Chuck Berry, one of the pioneers of rock n’roll.

tour of the african american museum

You’ll also see the famed Mothership, the centerpiece prop for George Clinton and his bands. You’ll also see items belonging to movie stars, like the tap shoes of Sammy Davis Jr., and stage performers, like the original costumes from the Broadway hit The Wiz.

NMAAHC P Funk Mother Ship

Be sure to check out our comprehensive list of things to do in DC as well as these related posts:

  • American History Museum
  • Air and Space Museum
  • Natural History Museum
  • Smithsonian Museum Tours

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It's now possible to visit the Smithsonian's African American history museum virtually

Elliot C. Williams

tour of the african american museum

The NMAAHC launched a "Searchable Museum" this week, translating its archives and stories into an interactive digital experience. Alan Karchmer/Courtesy of the Smithsonian hide caption

Anyone who's been to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture will speak of its elevator ride through time, which takes visitors from the present day to the 15th century and kicks off the first exhibit, Slavery & Freedom . With the launch of a new virtual platform, visitors can now travel on the elevator down to that exhibit without ever leaving their homes.

The Searchable Museum , launched Thursday, transforms the artifacts, stories, and interactive experiences of the physical exhibit into a digital platform where museumgoers can take it in at their own pace.

Eventually, the museum plans to bring all of its exhibits online. The next exhibit, Making a Way Out of No Way , will go online this spring.

"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived — but if faced with courage, need not be lived again, " echoes Angelou's voice as a video plays, showing images from the past 600 years of Black history.

While nothing quite matches seeing or touching certain artifacts in person, the digital museum will provide an inside look into some previously off-limits areas. Visitors can, for the first time, go inside the Point of Pines Slave Cabin, one of two remaining slave cabins on Edisto Island, South Carolina, with a 3-D virtual tour.

Unlike other Smithsonian museums, the NMAAHC has required timed-entry passes to enter the site almost exclusively since it opened in 2016. Though these timed tickets are still free of charge, they can be snapped up pretty quickly: Many tickets for December have already been claimed. (During the pandemic, plenty of Smithsonians have followed suit, requiring timed entry passes to avoid overcrowding.)

The virtual project has new elements, like videos, podcasts, and behind-the-scenes looks at the research behind the exhibits. One section, called " Lesser-Known Stories ," captures stories that have been largely ignored throughout history — like the story of Nathan "Nearest" Green , the first known Black master distiller, who taught Jack Daniel how to make Tennessee whiskey; or the story of the largest known mass suicide of enslaved people, an act of resistance at Igbo Landing.

"This ongoing project provides a chance for Americans to realize our shared past, bringing the unique museum experience to their homes and on their phones," Kevin Young, the museum's director said in a press release. "Allowing the public to virtually revisit the originating struggle for American freedom in the 'Slavery and Freedom' exhibition reminds us of the centrality of the African American journey to the American experience—a story of triumph, resilience and joy over the centuries."

The site will also include links to related content elsewhere online, like a time-lapsed video of more than 31,000 slave ships during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, between 1514 and 1860.

"This is just the start," Young told The Washington Post . "We're looking right now at phase two and stories we can tell next."

This story is from DCist.com , the local news site of WAMU.

© 2024 WAMU

Questions or comments about the story?

WAMU values your feedback.

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NMAAHC Building

Welcome to the Searchable Museum

A place to explore history and culture through an African American lens

Kevin Young, Andrew W. Mellon Director Of The Smithsonian's National Museum Of African American History And Culture

Make Good the Promise

Learn about Reconstruction and its legacies. Explore the African American experience after the end of slavery.

A black and white photograph of a family standing in front of a stone house and a large tree.

Afrofuturism

Afrofuturism represents an expressive outlet dedicated to exploring concepts of Black identity, agency, & freedom through creative, intellectual, & artistic work.

Sun Ra, a black alien , is dressed in a pharaoh looking headdress and colorful yellow costume.

Constellations

Artifacts and topics illuminating connections to history

tour of the african american museum

Lesser-Known Stories

Shining a new light on the African American past and its people.

A photograph of an African American woman washing laundry outdoors in a yard. Clothes hand behind her on a line.

Atlanta Washerwomen Strike

In 1881, washerwomen in Atlanta formed a union and went on strike to demand better wages. Learn about the harsh conditions they faced and how they won.

Black and white photograph of three children walking down street.  There are houses in the background.

George Henry White

George Henry White was the last African American congressman of the 1800s. Learn about his life before and after Congress and his commitment to justice.

The inside title page is covered in decorative floral and leaf scroll work. The title reads, [ILLUMINATED / DIARY / for / 1868.]. Underneath is an illustrated image of the sea with a mast ship. The publisher below reads, [PUBLISHED BY / TAGGARD & THOMPSON, No. 29 CORNHILL, / BOSTON.]

The Remarkable Rollin Sisters

The Rollin sisters shaped the politics of Reconstruction-era South Carolina. Learn how they challenged society’s views of Black women and fought for equality.

Printed cartoon showing the assignation of Octavius Catto in Philadelphia in 1871.

Octavius V. Catto

Octavius Catto was a civil rights activist in Pennsylvania. Learn about his life and impact in Philadelphia’s Black community during Reconstruction.

Present to Past

Current events and issues from a historical perspective

People waiting in line to vote

African Americans continue the fight for social justice and equal treatment under the law.

Black women in masks at a protest

Structural racism and racist beliefs about African Americans shape access to care and health outcomes.

Black and white photograph of Marva Collins in a classroom with students

African Americans established schools for their communities and have taken innovative approaches to education while challenging segregation and discrimination.

A black and white photograph of two soldiers, in military fatigues, perched on the edge of the windshield, boots resting on the jeep's hood.

While serving the nation, African Americans continued to fight for justice and their own freedom

How We Know What We Know

Methods, tools, and sources used to study African American history and culture

Composite Image of items featured in How We Know What We Know

Visit the Museum

Photograph of museum exterior

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African American History and Culture Bus Tour

The National Museum of African American History and Culture

Often at the epicenter of the activism surrounding civil and black rights in America, the country’s capital holds the key to some of history’s most captivating moments. From the most famous to lesser-known but equally significant sites, your tour guide will paint a picture of the city from the African American perspective. You’ll be picked up at the U.S. Navy Memorial with stops at momentous monuments such as the Emancipation Statue, Howard Theatre, and vibrant black communities.

Feel the weight of the world on your shoulders as you stand where Martin Luther King did when he roused audiences with his legendary ‘I have a dream,’ address. One of the most comprehensive African American history tours in Washington DC, you’ll also get tickets included to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Here, the tour ends so that you can explore the absorbing artifacts and exhibits at your leisure.

US Navy Memorial

Dre is so knowledgeable and makes this tour so interesting! Curtis navigate DC streets like the expert he is! - neet50

Loved it from start to finish. The tour guide and the driver were both very knowledgeable. The weather was a plus also. - Ronald T.

My favorite part of this trip was how much knowledge the tour guide had. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Dre did an excellent job! - Monique C

Google Reviews

Originally scheduled the daytime tour with the riverboat cruise. Had to change due to flight delays and a mix up with rental cars. They were very accommodating and allowed us to switch the tour last minute to the night tour. Our tour guide, Nick was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Thanks so much for the memories!

Great tour that I would highly recommend. Curtis was our driver and nick was our tour guide. Very knowledgeable and had plenty of time at all the stops. They had just taken down the fences at the capitol so we were able to go on the lawn. We did the night tour and they picked us up at our hotel which was perfect since I had just had some foot surgery and walking was difficult. Would recommend this tour to everyone and Great price.

Initially I signed up for the AA tour because I couldn't get tickets to the NMAAHC. The tour guide made this one of the highlights of my trip. Well worth it. His knowledge was amazing. You can tell he loves the history of DC. I can't remember his name, he is in one of the pics below. Highly recommend.

Why type of buses does USA Guided Tours use?

Our luxury tour buses provide a comfortable and climate-controlled environment for an enjoyable touring experience, while also offering protection from the elements. We cater to various group sizes with a diverse fleet of vehicles, from SUVs to premium motor-coaches, ensuring that our private tours can be customized for couples or large groups alike. To maintain a more intimate atmosphere on our public tours, we intentionally limit the capacity of our tour buses to keep the average group size small. We do our best to keep large, same-party groups together on the same bus, but please remember that the seating is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Once you claim your seats – they’re reserved only for you for the duration of the tour.

What is USA Guided Tours cancelation policy?

Free Cancellation up to 24 Hours in Advance > if you cancel your booking 24 hours in advance of your tour departure time – a full refund will be issued

Free Cancellation up to 1 Hour in Advance With Tour Booking Insurance > if you purchase Tour Booking Insurance at $5.99 per person, booking cancellations may be made up to 1 hour in advance of your tour departure time for a full refund

Are we allowed to bring luggage on the tour?

Unfortunately, our shuttles are not wheelchair accessible, nor is there storage for baby strollers. If you have a wheelchair, please call us to make special vehicle arrangements for your tour. Some of our tours involve longer walks so if you like, you may stay on board the shuttle, near the landmark, without exiting the shuttle bus every time.

What are the blackout dates for tours?

Jan 1 New Year’s Day – All Tours Closed Jan 20 March for Life – Day Tours Closed Mar 18 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon – Day Tours Closed Apr 2 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler – Day Tours Closed

Apr 15 National Cherry Blossom Parade® – Day Tours Closed May 7 National Women’s Half Marathon – Day Tours Closed

May 28 AMVETS’ “Rolling to Remember” – Day Tours Closed May 29 Memorial Day – All Tours Closed July 4 Independence Day – All Tours Closed Aug 28 The Commitment March – Day Tours Closed Oct 8 Army Ten Miler – Day Tours Closed Oct 29 Marine Corps Marathon – Day Tours Closed Oct 31 Halloween – Night Tours Closed Nov 23 Thanksgiving Day – All Tours Closed Dec 24 Christmas Eve – Night Tours Closed Dec 25 Christmas Day – All Tours Closed Dec 31 New Year’s Eve – All Tours Closed

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Take a 360 VR tour inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture

The new museum opens its doors to the public on Saturday in Washington, D.C.

A view of The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, Sept. 14, 2016.

— -- One hundred years in the making, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opens its doors to the public in Washington, D.C.

Black Civil War veterans first suggested the museum in 1915, but it had to wait until the 21st century and for Congress to pass legislation in 2003 before plans to make the museum a reality took shape.

Watch in full 360 video here or in VR with the Littlstar app for iOS , Android , Samsung Gear and Apple tvOS .

The 400,000-square-foot museum sits on the National Mall across from the Washington Monument . It includes 12 inaugural exhibitions and close to 37,000 artifacts, but only 3,000 will be on display.

Inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture

tour of the african american museum

The opening of the museum is attracting a high number of visitors with timed entry passes selling out quickly. If you cannot make it to the grand opening and are waiting for tickets, explore the NMAAHC with ABC News in this 360-degree video that features museum highlights, taking you through some of the galleries and spotlighting the museum’s signature artifacts.

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These new museums (and more) are changing the way Black history is told across America

tour of the african american museum

MONTGOMERY, Ala. ‒ From a wooden bench at the edge of the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, visitors can see the Alabama River where enslaved Africans were transported and sold into a life of forced labor.

From the wide windows on the second floor of the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, visitors can look across the Cooper River toward Africa , where people from the continent were kidnapped to be auctioned off.

The sculpture park opens this month. The international museum opened last summe r. Both were built on sites considered sacred and important to telling the history of African Americans, to telling the history of America.

“We have to build these places where we can tell the story, save the story, steward the story,’’ said Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the International African American Museum . “But one of the challenges has been the curation of the story. Who is picking the stories? Who is telling the stories? What stories do we believe should have grand institutions? Arguably, the African American story has not been in the category that was thought to need a grand institution.’’

The museum and monument park are among a growing number of sites across the country opening in the past decade to preserve and celebrate Black History and the Black experience in America. Some are multimillion-dollar museums , while others are housed in small interpretive centers.

In Mississippi, there is the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson and the B.B. King Museum in the blues legend's hometown of Indianola. In Alabama, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice tells the story of the nation’s troubling history of lynching, and in Washington, D.C., the National Museum of African American History and Culture , showcases the journey of Black people across the United States.

Black museums have long been “cultural anchors’’ in their communities, but it has been only in recent years that more have raised enough money and garnered enough support to open, museum leaders said. The institutions matter even more today as lawmakers in some states push to restrict the teaching of Black history and ban some books that tell this history, experts said.

“History matters in profoundly important ways,’’ said Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and now secretary of the Smithsonian. “And it's partly museums' job to articulate that and to provide an opportunity to use history to define reality and give hope.”

New sculpture park tells history of slavery in the US

On a recent afternoon, the Alabama River rose so high the boat that would have ferried visitors from downtown Montgomery to the new Freedom Memorial Sculpture Park wasn’t in service. The voyage is intended to introduce visitors to the site along the waterway enslaved people traveled.

The park, which opens March 27, sits on a 17-acre site between the river and the railroad tracks enslaved people were forced to lay.

Nearly all the works in the park were created by African American, African and Indigenous artists. Some are part of the permanent collection; others are on loan. Each tells a story.

Acknowledging Indigenous people who lived on the land long before Europeans arrived, there are sculptures honoring their culture, their presence, their resilience. A bronze sculpture created by Allan Houser pictures a man hunting buffalo. Steps away stands Cliff Fragua's “Three Sisters,’’ made of Utah alabaster.

Further along the path, a map tracing the Transatlantic Slave Trade shows nearly 3 million people were trafficked from Luanda, Angola, from 1501 to 1867.

Wooden pillars report dates and counties where enslaved people were brought. From 1619 to 1774, 3,996 were taken to Hampton, Virginia .

Visitors walk along a trail made with resin to make it feel more like earth. They can read ''slave laws'' that banned enslaved people from traveling off plantations without written permission. Punishments included floggings, sometimes death.

The narrative of William Wells Brown tells the story of his escape from slavery. (He went on to lecture against slavery and write what is considered the first novel by an African American.)

There is “Last Seen,’’ panels featuring ads posted by people searching for wives, mothers, husbands. Many spent their last nickels and dimes looking for loved ones, said Bryan Stevenson, who created the park and founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization pushing to end mass incarceration.

“That just reinforces how much for enslaved people the most important thing about slavery was the ability to love someone , to find your children, your siblings, your parents,’’ Stevenson told USA TODAY in an interview ahead of the park's opening. “That was powerful.”

Near the end of the path, visitors look toward the sky at the National Monument to Freedom, a 43-foot-high, 155-foot-wide steel structure that bears 122,000 ''unique'' surnames adopted by Black people in the 1870 Census. It was the first count where enslaved Black people were listed by name.

Plans for the wall went from 20 feet high to 30 feet to 43 feet. ‘‘The history of our people deserves to be on something big,’’ Stevenson said.

Part of the inscription Stevenson wrote for the wall reads: “The country you built must honor you. We acknowledge the tragedy of your enslavement. We commit to advancing freedom in your name.’’

Black museums are about storytelling

Museums bring in lifelong learners, while artifacts help humanize history, Bunch said . They teach visitors about slavery , for instance , through the tale of a family or a plantation.

“They're all about storytelling, making you care about the people whose histories you explore,’’ Bunch said.

Since the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016, people have been more interested in visiting their local museums and creating new ones, said Vedet Coleman-Robinson, executive director of the Association of African American Museums.

The museum had 1.6 million visitors last year.

Today, there are about 300 African American - focused museums, including virtual ones. More are scheduled to open soon, including the National Urban League’s Civil Rights Museum in Harlem, the Go-Go Museum in Washington, D.C, The Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, and the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Now is the time for people to really get familiar with our museums and our history,’’ Coleman-Robinson said. “We’re past due.”

The early Black museums opened decades ago because the history of African Americans wasn’t included in mainstream institutions, Coleman-Robinson said. “Our museums have really been voices for their communities.’’

Charleston highlights local Black history

It’s not lost on visitors to the International African American Museum at what was once the busiest slave port in Northeast America, where hundreds of thousands of Africans were brought to Gadsden’s Wharf to be sold into generations of slavery.

The idea for the museum began about 20 years ago, and plans changed and expanded over the decades. 

“It became clear that Charleston didn't just need to tell its own story ‒ that we were the linchpin in the much larger story of that beginning period of slavery in America,’’ Matthews said.

More than 100,000 people have visited since the museum opened last summer.

In addition to its focus on slavery, museum visitors explore the history of Africa and the African diaspora. They also learn about the region's rich arts and culture.

“The circle got even wider, and folks decided that … this period of slavery is neither the beginning nor the end of the African American journey,’’ Matthews said.

On one recent afternoon, Suzanne Johnson sat on a bench inside the Praise House exhibit at the museum. She hummed along as she watched a video of people singing and celebrating the rich Gullah Geechee culture. She watched it again, then again.

The stop at the museum last month was a must for Johnson and her daughter, Cameron Mine, who were visiting from Miami. They spent hours in the museum seeing exhibits like the slave tags Black people had to wear. There was #758 porter, #672 servant. There was a black wall listing names forced on enslaved Africans and another with names they came with like Cando, Tooguah and Sannar.

The Praise House particularly stirred emotions for Johnson , whose grandmother has roots in South Carolina.

“If they take our stories from us, we cease to exist,” said Johnson, 51. “The beauty of this museum is it weaves our stories together.’’

Johnson believes museums are necessary especially now to counter restrictions like in her home state of Florida, where the College Board's Advanced Placement African American Studies course was banned . “They’re trying to stifle our story,’’ she said.

Johnson was excited to see that next to the Praise House, construction for new exhibits had begun. “I intend to grow with the museum,’’ she said.

'Igniting a cultural renaissance'

Museums help expand public education about African American history, said Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and senior vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation , the nonprofit that established the fund.

“We're at a moment of igniting both cultural reckoning around the gaps in the American story and the need to more equitably interpret American history,’’ Leggs said. “We’re also igniting a cultural renaissance.”

Matthews, of the International African American Museum, said there is finally a recognition that the African American story doesn’t just fit in an art gallery and that it should be included in every museum focused on American history.

“There is also room to have entire spaces dedicated to the story so we can get into the nuances, so we can talk about it from different perspectives,’’ Matthews said.

Heaven Campbell and Karissa Pelichet stopped at the painting of a family in the international museum, discussing the pain of learning the father had been lynched.

The sophomores from North Carolina A&T State University were recently in Charleston to visit the museum and learn more about the city’s Black history. They had also booked a Black Heritage walking tour for that afternoon.

“We love Black History and how it shows how far we’ve come,’’ said Pelichet, 20.

The roommates had visited other museums in the past, including The King Center in Atlanta and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “It ties everything together,” Pelichet said of the visits.

Campbell, who has taken several African American study classes, said it’s on people to explore their heritage.  

“We can’t depend on the public school system to teach our history,’’ said Campbell, 20, adding that visiting museums is only part of learning about Black history. “It should be a stepping stone, but not our only stepping stone.”

Black history restrictions spur more interest

The push to teach more Black history comes as dozens of states, including Florida, Texas and Oklahoma, have adopted or proposed measures that critics say omit crucial parts of Black history . Some have also banned books, many of them by Black authors that focus on race.

The restrictions have spurred more people to educate themselves , museum leaders said.

‘’The more we try to clamp down on some things, frankly, the more people are talking about it and then they start to seek out places to find this story,’’ Matthews said. “Many will look for specifically authentic places.’’

That’s often a Black museum, experts said.

“The broader public understands that museums and historic sites are supplemental places of knowledge and education and are critically important at this moment in our history,’’ Leggs said.

Bunch said there will always be interest in Black museums regardless of political pushback.

“You want to make sure that those museums are strong so when the pendulum swings and more and more people are coming to the subject, they have good museums to explore.’’

To learn more: Black churches in Florida buck DeSantis: 'Our churches will teach our own history.'

The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park is the latest of three EJI history projects in Montgomery. More than 2 million people have visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum since they opened in 2018.

Stevenson called the response ‘’affirming’’ and ‘’encouraging.’’

“That has helped me believe that what we're doing can have an impact and has power, and we should keep trying to do it,’’ he said.

The reaction to their first two sites led the EJI to create the sculpture park with its focus on slavery. “I really hope that we begin to understand that the institution of slavery created harms that have a legacy and that we need to understand those harms,’’ Stevenson said.

'An investment well worth making'

Not all new Black museums are mega structures. Some focus on one person or moment in history. Some don’t have a building at all. The Sankofa Mobile Museum recently visited schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland, teaching local Black history.

An old storefront in Sumner, Mississippi, houses the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and features exhibits about the 14-year old Black teenager who was murdered by white men in Mississippi in 1955. Emmett’s death was a catalyst in the Civil Rights Movement.

Other new opportunities: Several Black museums have opened in recent years with more coming soon. Here's a list.

The center opened in 2016. Last summer, President Joe Biden signed a proclamation establishing the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument at three historic sites in Mississippi and Illinois, where Emmett was from.

“It really is going to be a place more of reflection so people can think about (what happened),’’ said Daphne Chamberlain, a civil rights historian in Mississippi who is working with the center. "It's always important that we remember, and if we don't remember, what we're also doing is subscribing to all of these attacks on Black history.’’

African American historic sites have long been underfunded and undervalued, experts say.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has received more than 6,000 requests totaling $700 million in the past six years, including some from museums and historic sites.

Leggs said there aren’t enough funders for such preservation projects. “This is critically important, but this funding is often short-term gap investing,’’ he said.

More local communities should support Black museums, Leggs said, particularly since many are “cultural anchors.’’

The price tag for the International African American Museum grew to $100 million. It received money from private and public entities, including the state, county and city.

“Ask and you shall receive, but ask many, many times,’’ Matthews said.

Museum officials made the case that the new institution would fit with the region's brand of promoting its history. Matthews says that “is what began to make folks more and more comfortable.''

It has been only in more recent years that there has been the capability to build some Black museums, Stevenson said. He doesn’t believe the Equal Justice Initiative could have done it 10 years ago.

“We didn't have the ability to create institutions with autonomy like the institutions that we've created, but now we do,’’ Stevenson said. “We have resources. We have capacity. We just have to make sure we have vision.’’

EJI doesn’t take government funding. Visitors pay $5 for admission to the sites to keep it affordable.

The cost for the sculpture park, where construction is still underway, is expected to climb to about $20 million.

“What we did on the other two sites has made me believe it's an investment well worth making,’’ said Stevenson, adding that the response has been overwhelming. “When I hear some of the things I hear, when the students come through and people come through, there’s no limit to what I would spend to try to create that kind of consciousness.”

Momma Wanderlust - Curating Cultural Travels for Families

Momma Wanderlust | Family Travel

12 Black History Museums You Can Explore from Home

Black History Museums You Can Explore From Home

Looking for Black History Museums you can explore from home?  The Black experience is so vast and varied that there’s no end to what can be learned about it.  This is why when I travel, I visit local African-American History Museums to get a better feel for a new destination. On a trip to Georgia, my family and I visited the Jack Hadley Black History Museum and learned first-hand what it was like for the museum’s curator, Mr. Hadley, to grow up on a plantation.

But you don’t have to travel to explore some of the best exhibits in the country.  Thanks to technology, you can visit some of them virtually . If you’re interested in learning more about African American history and culture in the United States, there’s a bevy of museums and resources available online.

Google Arts & Culture and the United States Civil Rights Trail provide virtual tours, exhibits, and access to online archives that you can explore from home.

Here are some African American History and Civil Rights Museums that you can explore from home:

12 AFRICAN AMERICAN BLACK HISTORY MUSEUMS TO VISIT VIRTUALLY

12 Black History Museums to visit virtually featured by top BIPOC blogger, Momma Wanderlust

National Museum of African American History & Culture Courtesy: bakdc/ Shutterstock

You can find a complete list of all the virtual tours offered by Google Arts & Culture here .

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, DC)

Since opening in 2016, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture has become one of the most popular museums in Washington, DC. Visitors are educated about the Black experience by going on a trip through time. The journey starts in Africa with its history galleries that span from Slavery to Emancipation and then from Segregation to Today.  More than 3,500 exhibits are available online.

Archives of African American Music & Culture (Bloomington, Indiana)

The collections in the Archives of African American Music & Culture museum highlight African American music ranging from classical, and religious, to popular music including R&B and Hip Hop.

The Museum of African American Art (Los Angeles, California)

The Museum of African American Art interprets, promotes, and preserves art by or about people of African descent. It was founded in 1976 to increase public awareness of African American Art.

The Gordon Parks Foundation (Pleasantville, New York)

You can take a trip through time with the life work of famed African American photographer, Gordon Parks. The Gordon Parks Foundation showcases Parks’s career, which spans from the 1940s up until his death in 2006. Parks’ photographs focused on race relations, Civil Rights, and urban life.

Dance Theater of Harlem (New York, New York)

The Dance Theater of Harlem is the first Black classical ballet company and the first major ballet company to prioritize Black dancers. This school was founded more than 50 years ago. There are four online exhibits about the history of this world-famous dance company as well as some amazing photos of the company over the years.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum ( Kansas City, Missouri )

Watch a short film that provides an introduction to the Negro League Baseball League through the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum virtual tour. The film includes interviews with former Negro League players.

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site ( Washington, DC )

While many of the museums in Washington, DC have re-opened Cedar Hill, Frederick Douglass’s Historic home is still closed.  If you would like to learn more about Douglass, an ambassador, abolitionist, writer, and former slave you can explore his home virtually.  He purchased this stunning 21-room Victorian mansion in 1878. There are a number of rooms filled with artifacts that are viewable in the online tour.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) – University Libraries [Online Exhibit: African Americans at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1892-1971] (Greensboro, NC)

The UNCG’s online exhibit offers a riveting look inside the lives of some African American employees who worked on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. This exhibit features not only photos of the Black workers in the late 1800s but there are artifacts listing how much the University paid some of its African American employees.

The Black Archives of Mid-America (Kansas City, Missouri)

The Black Archives of Mid-America offers two online exhibits: one about famous dancer Alvin Ailey; and the other about the Historic 18 th and Vine Jazz District in Kansas City.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) (Atlanta, Georgia)

The King Center is part of the memorial and childhood home of Dr. King. This online exhibit contains various letters and miscellaneous documents and artifacts.

DuSable Museum of African American History (Chicago, Illinois)

Created in 1961, the DuSable Museum of African American History is one of the oldest museums of African American history. Originally started as the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art, this institute was the largest caretaker of African American culture until the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opened.

 Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at Moton Field (Tuskegee, Alabama)

Take a virtual tour of the primary flight-training site for the Tuskeegee Airmen , the famed African American pilots of World War II.

SIX CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUMS TO VISIT VIRTUALLY

12 Black History Museums to visit virtually featured by top BIPOC blogger, Momma Wanderlust

You can find a complete list of all the virtual tours and experiences offered by the United States Civil Rights Trail here .

  • National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel ( Memphis, Tennessee ) The National Civil Rights Museum was built around the Lorraine Motel, the location where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in 1968. The museum which traces the Civil Rights Movement in America is filled with some great gems. My favorite exhibits included: a replica of a Montgomery city bus in which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger and a garbage truck to commemorate the “I Am A Man Sanitation Workers Strike.” This strike, which Dr. King helped organize, was for the improvement of working conditions for Memphis sanitation workers. 
  • National Center for Civil and Human Rights (Atlanta, Georgia) The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a multicultural center, and it highlights the Civil Rights Movement and the modern human rights movement. The museum has a Voice of the Voiceless gallery, which showcases the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection.
  • International Civil Rights Center & Museum (Greensboro, North Carolina) The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is located in the original Woolworth’s building where the four North Carolina A&T State University students (also known as the Greensboro Four) staged a sit-in to challenge the “Whites Only” lunch counter. This museum commemorates the Greensboro Four’s role in launching the sit-in movement.
  • Martin Luther King Birth Home The Martin Luther King Birth Home is the childhood home of Dr. King.  This museum which is part of the National Park Service, allows you to see where Dr. King spent the first 12 years of his life.
  • Howard University Howard University is a historically Black university located in Washington, DC. The university, which was founded in 1867, is one of the premier Black institutions for higher learning in the country.  Take a 3D virtual tour of the university which is home to several buildings that have been designated as National Historic Landmarks. 
  • Mississippi Civil Rights Museum The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum , which opened in 2017 is dedicated to educating visitors about the Civil Rights Movement.  It also provides more insight into the murders of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old teen that was visiting the state when he was brutally murdered, and Civil Rights Leader, Medgar Evers who was assassinated in front of his Mississippi home.

If you want to learn more about Black History, in addition to virtual tours Black History documentaries also provide some insight into the Black experience in America.  For more Black History inspiration follow us on Instagram .

12 Black History Museums to visit virtually featured by top BIPOC blogger, Momma Wanderlust

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

For more articles on Black History in Travel:

  • 10 Best US Cities to Learn About Black History
  • Top 20 Best Black History Museums in the US to Visit
  • 7 Best Sites to Learn about Black History in Washington, DC

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The Museum Of Natural History New York

Latest posts, african american history museum virtual tour, how long to visit vatican museum and sistine chapel, metropolitan museum of art online tour, portland art museum student membership, safety measures and guidelines.

We ask that all visitors, including those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, follow these safety measures to protect everyones health. Visitors who do not adhere to safety policies and guidelines may be asked to leave.

COVID-19 GUIDELINES AT THE DuSABLE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

We look forward to your visit to the DuSable Museum of African American History! The health and safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers is our top priority. Effective immediately all visitors ages five and up will be required to provide proof of vaccination, or a negative PCR Antigen test within 48 hours before entering The DuSable Museum.

Visitors ages 12 and older must be fully vaccinated showing that they have at least two doses of an FDA authorized vaccine or one dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine. International visitors must provide proof of vaccination from the vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization.

Children ages 5 11 years must provide proof of at least one vaccination dose. Guests under the age of 5 are not required to show proof of vaccination but must be accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult.

Proof of vaccination may include:

CDC Vaccination Card

Digital record or phone app

Printed documentation from your vaccine provider

Visitors 18 and older must provide ID with the same identifying information as proof of vaccination such as:

Drivers License

American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours

The State of Pennsylvania Monument is the largest memorial at the Gettysburg battlefield, commemorating the tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians who fought there.

Most on-site battlefield tours require a leap of imagination: the ability to walk around a perfectly peaceful open field and overlay a mental movie of smoke and combat and fallen warriors, all the while considering the military strategy and broader political stakes. ABTs website may not offer the sunshine on your back, but it marries the setting, action and context far more seamlessly, with its 360-degree virtual tours of more than 20 American Revolution and Civil War battlefields. In the Gettysburg tour alone, there are 15 different stopsno walking requiredeach of which features clickable icons with granular detail about all the whos, whats and whys. And when youre done touring, be sure to explore the sites other robust resources, from battle summaries to generals biographies.

Click HERE for the experience.

READ MORE: 7 Important Civil War Battles

Tour D’alexandria Spring Ride: Resilience

Volunteers are needed for the Tour d Alexandria bike ride in . The theme for this ride is resilience and will feature points of interest that reflect the resilience of Alexandria communities past and present, the growth of diverse neighborhoods, and to include the commemoration of the lynching of Joseph McCoy.

The Alexandria Black History Museum is currently closed for renovation. This page has admission information and directions to assist in planning your visit once the museum reopens.

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Connect To Inspiring Authentic Representations Of Life In The 18th And 19th Centuries In A Unique Place Where Black Communities Organized And Advanced The Cause Of Freedom

The African Meeting House, a registered National Historic Landmark, and Abiel Smith School on Beacon Hill were built in the early 1800s and are two of the museum’s most valuable assets. Located steps away from the Massachusetts State House.

Explore our Nantucket campus, which features two historic sites, the African Meeting House and the Florence Higginbotham House. These buildings were at the center of a thriving nineteenth-century African American community on the island.

Smithsonian Museum Virtual Tours

Inside the National Museum of African American History and ...

If youre interested in visiting some of the DCs iconic sites from home, the Smithsonian museum virtual tours are a great option, keep reading for our favorites!

Millions visit Washington, DC each year to explore and visit some of the countrys most iconic landmarks and world-class museums. While many places continue to reopen, some attractions like the Smithsonian Museums are still closed due to COVID.

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Google Arts And Culture Black History Month Collection

Photo by Florencia Viadana on Unsplash

is a wonderful source of online learning opportunities! Check out the Black History Month collections on the Google Arts and Culture site which features videos, photo galleries, virtual tours of museums, and many other works that reflect Black history and culture.

These are some of the exhibits currently available to view:

A Virtual Museum Tour

On September 24, 2016, President Barack Obama 83CC opened the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture an institution, he said, that seeks to reaffirm that African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story. Its not the underside of the American story. It is central to the American story. The four-hundred-thousand square-foot museum, designed by David Adjaye, displays more than three thousand artifacts. Mabel O. Wilson 91GSAPP, a professor at Columbias Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and a scholar of African-American studies, wrote the official companion book to the museum. Here she highlights some of the buildings most meaningful architectural features.

DISTINCT FAÇADE The building has a triple-tiered corona, a decorative façade that gives it a very distinct shape. It is particularly striking on the National Mall, which is dominated by classical architecture. The tiers are meant to recall hands raised in celebration, and also the West African caryatid, a ceremonial sculpture from Yorubaland, in what is now Nigeria.

OPEN SPACES Most museums have a cloistered, enclosed interior. This museum opens into a huge space with vast floor-to-ceiling windows. You feel suspended between the inside and the outside. The space evokes the clearing field the middle of an open field of crops which was the only community gathering space for many slaves.

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How Did The Revolution Survive Its Darkest Hour

Americans would soon learn that it was one thing to declare independence, and quite another to secure it. The Battle for New York, during the fall of 1776, tested Commander-in-Chief General George Washington and his Continental Army. Travel virtually through the American retreat from New York through the Battles of Long Island, White Plains, and Fort Washington, as 1776 came to a close and American troop numbers and morale began to dwindle.

Exhibit Highlight: Winter at Valley Forge

After the British’s triumphal seizure of Philadelphia, the Continental Army withdrew to Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78. Read about the common soldiers and families who endured the harsh winter at Valley Forge.

Find the prominently displayed painting and zoom in on the details depicted by William Trego in 1883 as the hardened veterans of the army limped into their winter encampment at Valley Forge. Their bare and bandaged feet leaving trails of blood on the cold ground.

It’s Now Possible To Visit The Smithsonian’s African American History Museum Virtually

The NMAAHC launched a “Searchable Museum” this week, translating its archives and stories into an interactive digital experience. Alan Karchmer/Courtesy of the Smithsonian hide caption

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Anyone who’s been to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will speak of its elevator ride through time, which takes visitors from the present day to the 15th century and kicks off the first exhibit, Slavery & Freedom . With the launch of a new virtual platform, visitors can now travel on the elevator down to that exhibit without ever leaving their homes.

The Searchable Museum , launched Thursday, transforms the artifacts, stories, and interactive experiences of the physical exhibit into a digital platform where museumgoers can take it in at their own pace.

Eventually, the museum plans to bring all of its exhibits online. The next exhibit, Making a Way Out of No Way , will go online this spring.

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived but if faced with courage, need not be lived again, ” echoes Angelou’s voice as a video plays, showing images from the past 600 years of Black history.

Unlike other Smithsonian museums, the NMAAHC has required timed-entry passes to enter the site almost exclusively since it opened in 2016. Though these timed tickets are still free of charge, they can be snapped up pretty quickly: Many tickets for December have already been claimed.

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National Museum Of African American History And Culture

Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100-Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture

American History TV presented live coverage from the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall . read more

American History TV presented live coverage from the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall . They showed exhibits chronicling the African American story from slavery through the inauguration of the first African American president. This featured a selection of artifacts, including a South Carolina slave cabin, Harriet Tubman s hymnal, and a segregated railroad passenger car. Museum curators and William Pretzer , and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Robert Wilkins also responded to viewer comments and questions. Judge Wilkins is the author of Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100-Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture . close

National Museum Of African Art Virtual Tour

The National Museum of African Art has a collection that includes 9,000 works of traditional and contemporary African art from Sub-Saharan and Arab North Africa.

The institution was first founded in 1964, with a collection focused on traditional African art. It joined the Smithsonian Institution in 1979 and became the National Museum of African Art two years later.

As the Smithsonian Institutions African art museum, it was the first institution dedicated to African art in the United States.

Today the collection is exhibited in a mostly underground museum building that was completed in 1987, just off the National Mall and adjacent to other Smithsonian museums.

The National Museum of African Art collects traditional and contemporary works of historical importance.

The collection ranges from 15th-century sculptures and masks to multi-media contemporary art and includes 300,000 photographs with significant contributions from photojournalists covered major 20th-century events.

The museums library has over 50,000 volumes in visual arts, anthropology, cooking, history, religion, and travel especially works published in Africa.

The Smithsonians National Museum of African Art

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Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle Peabody Essex Museum Salem Massachusetts

From 1954 through 1956, while the civil rights movement was unfolding right before him, the late artist Jacob Lawrence created a series of paintings called Struggle: From the History of the American People. Now, for the first time in more than 60 years, 30 panels from the original collection have been reunited for an exhibition titled Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle at the Peabody Essex Museum. Beginning with the American Revolution and working its way through 1817, Lawrence directed his attention on such important events as the Boston Tea Party, examining the struggles of a young nation getting its footing from the perspectives of African Americans, Native Americans, women and anyone else whose stories are rarely told in history class. His works are interspersed with those of other contemporary artists, including Derrick Adams and Bethany Collins . Take this virtual tour of the exhibit. On view through August 9.

Portraits Of African Americans National Portrait Gallery Washington Dc

African American Museum Virtual Tour

From former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama to poet Langston Hughes to entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker, the National Portrait Gallery’s comprehensive exhibit , “Portraits of African Americans,” serves as a whos-who of both well-known and lesser-known history makers. The museum holds, after all, more than 1,000 portraits of African American notables who have made significant contributions to science, the arts, politics and sports. Each portrait includes biographical information about each individual and their importance in history. On view now .

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The National Women’s History Museum Standing Up For Change

The National Womens History Museum launched an online photo exhibition in 2016 documenting the role of Black women during the civil rights movement as leaders, organizers and faces of movements titled Standing up for Change .

The online exhibit features art and documents dating from easily anti-abolition efforts to the mid-20th century. The exhibit states that African American women were the critical mass, the grassroots leaders challenging America to embrace justice and equality for all and that is something that we can definitely stand behind.

History Of The Alexandria Black History Museum

Alexandria Black History Museum incorporates the Robert H. Robinson Library as one of two exhibition galleries. The Robinson Library was originally constructed in 1940 following a sit-in at the segregated Alexandria Library. Learn more about the Sit-Down Strike, the Parker-Gray School and the Alexandria Black History Research Center.

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National Women’s History Museum

Come for the deep well of biographies and digital classroom resources , stay for the wide array of virtual exhibits , many of which are enabled by Google Arts & Culture. For two decades, the National Womens History Museum has been the largest online cultural institution telling the stories of women who helped transform the U.S. Heavy with slide shows and graphics, the virtual exhibits document women making waves in politics, sports, civil rights, science and technology and more. Check out its collection of oral histories from the American Rosie Movement, relaying women’s contributions to the nations defense production.

READ MORE: Womens History Milestones: A Timeline

African American Heritage Sites

Over the course of four centuries, Columbias black community transformed itself from that of a predominately enslaved population to a society whose members overcame the restrictions of Jim Crow and charted the course of the Civil Rights era. The story of this journey remains today within the home places, workplaces, and resting places of Columbias African American community.

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Smithsonian Launches Virtual African American Museum

The NMAAHC recently launched a “Searchable Museum,” translating its archives and stories into an interactive digital experience.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture takes visitors on a tour of the past from the present day back to the 15th century.

A new virtual platform allows visitors to take the journey without leaving their homes. The museum’s artifacts, stories, and interactive experiences can now be explored through the website’s new digital platform known as the Searchable Museum .

“Welcome to the Searchable Museum,” the website states. “A place to explore history and culture through an African American lens.”

The first exhibit titled Slavery & Freedom is available now. The next online exhibit coming in the spring of 2022 is Making a Way Out of No Way.

Poet Maya Angelou narrates the digital experience while visitors see a succession of images from the past 600 years of Black history. The NMAAHC opened in 2016 using a system of timed entry passes that are both free of charge and in high demand.

The digital museum offers visitors a look at some artifacts previously closed to the public, including a 3D virtual tour of the Point of Pines Slave Cabin in Edisto Island, South Carolina. The cabin is one of two remaining on the island. Both are closed to the public.

This article contains information from National Public Radio. To read the story at www.npr.org click HERE .

Mission And Objectives Of The Jim Crow Museum

The mission of the Jim Crow Museum is to use objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice.

The Museum’s mission is achieved through the following objectives:

  • Collect, exhibit and preserve objects and collections related to racial segregation, anti-black caricatures, civil rights, and African American achievement.
  • Promote the scholarly examination of historical and contemporary expressions of racism.
  • Serve as a teaching resource for Ferris State University courses which deal, directly or indirectly, with the issues of race and ethnicity.
  • Serve as an educational resource for scholars and teachers at the state, national and international levels.
  • Promote racial understanding and healing.
  • Serve as a resource for civil rights and human rights organizations.

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How Did People Become Revolutionaries

The rumblings of the American Revolution began more than a decade before the shot heard round the world ignited Americas War for Independence. Discover through seven galleries how the American Colonistsmost of them content and even proud British subjectsbecame Revolutionaries as the roots of rebellion took hold.

Learn how the words of the Declaration of Independence immediately helped fuel the aspirations for personal liberty of ordinary Americans. Explore the story of Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved woman who sued for her freedom on the basis that she was entitled to natural rights. Explore what the Declarations promise of equality meant for all people, including women, enslaved people, and laboring men.

National Museum Of African American History & Culture Virtual Tour

National Museum of African American History and Culture ...

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is one of the many Smithsonian Institute museums located in Washington, DC. Nearly 5 million people have visited the NMAAHC since it opened in September 2016, which makes it one of the most popular museums in DC. So, now is a great time to check out the museum virtually.

There are a number of collections available for viewing on the museums website. The site also features a Learning Lab for children ages 0-8, which could be a great addition to your distance learning curriculum. The NMAAHC is one of a number of African American History museums you can explore from home.

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The African American Museum of Bucks County – A journey to a permanent home

The African American Museum of Bucks County (AAMBC) is celebrating its 10th anniversary of operation as a mobile museum.

The AAMBC’s mission is to honor the rich legacy of the African American experience, inspiring pride in our heritage and sharing untold stories about the diverse journey of our people and our shared history.

Today, the Museum is embarking on its next milestone: becoming the only permanent brick-and-mortar African American Museum in Bucks County at Boone Farm:

  • Built-in 1716, the Boone Farm property has a rich history that spans three centuries and has historical ties to the Great Migration, making it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
  • During the 20th century, six million African Americans moved from rural Southern states to Northern states, including Pennsylvania, in search of economic opportunity.
  • In the 1930s and 1940s, the Boone Farm offered good-paying jobs and steady employment for African Americans, allowing them to raise their children and have a better and safer life in Bucks County.

The farm’s connection to the history of the African American community in Bucks County will be one of the exhibits highlighted when the museum opens.

  • Boone Farm is currently under renovation with a tentative opening date of early 2025.
  • The building was leased to the AAMBC by the Bucks County Commissioners in 2020 for $ 1 per year for 30 years.
  • The AAMBC is responsible for the remaining costs of interior renovations and outfitting the building into an operational museum. The AAMBC needs an additional $2 million to accomplish its goal.
  • Bucks County needs an African American museum that highlights African American History and culture while telling the untold stories and hidden figures of Bucks County that shaped our shared history.

tour of the african american museum

The South's Best New Museum Is The International African American Museum

T he Charleston museum aims to tell the full story of the African American experience and to help visitors trace their ancestors' footsteps.

The American Journeys exhibit at the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina , which is the South's Best city for 2024 , starts with a white cutout of Africa in front of muted photos of Black American heroes. The word “we” stretches the width of the continent in capital letters, and the statement continues on the floor below: “begin here.”

The IAAM opened in June 2023 on Gadsden’s Wharf, the former port on Charleston’s riverfront where nearly half of the enslaved Africans brought to this country first landed. The museum centers around the stories of these people and their descendants as well as the broader narratives of Black citizens across the United States.

Related: The South's Best 2024

I began researching my family’s lineage about seven years ago, when I was pregnant with my son. I felt a strong desire to share my ancestry with him but realized I only knew about my living relatives. I used the last of my fleeting free time before he was born to sort through data in census records and on genealogy websites.

Recently, I took my son to the IAAM because I want him to engage with the full, unfiltered African American story at an early age, whether we’re finding out about our own family or the wider Black American experience. The galleries are full of interactive panels and videos that hold the attention of people of all ages and learning styles. 

“The African American journey meets at the intersection of incredible trauma and joy,” says Malika N. Pryor, IAAM’s chief learning and engagement officer. “That can be a little tougher for a young person to process. So having a grownup (whether that’s their grandpa, mom, or another mentor) there can help them as they walk through that. I think that’s where the intergenerational component really comes into play.”

Halfway through the American Journeys exhibit, we stepped into an airy rotunda called the Center for Family History. Pictures of the Obamas, Catherine Braxton and Rebecca Campbell (sisters who had free and enslaved relatives at Drayton Hall, a former plantation on the Ashley River), and Darius Brown (a genealogist at the center) are displayed on the walls the way a matriarch places her family photos throughout her living room. My son touched the screen of an interactive kiosk, which invited him to delve into his own history.

"“Don’t believe the myth that doing enslaved genealogy is impossible. It’s difficult; it’s challenging. Sometimes, it can be painful, but it’s not impossible.” —BRIAN SHEFFEY"

More than just an exhibit, the center hosts in-person classes as well as virtual one-on-one sessions to help people of color from around the country further their family knowledge. “I’ve really gotten into African American genealogy to encourage people of African descent to start researching their history and to come away feeling empowered to do that,” says Brian Sheffey, the director of the center. “Don’t believe the myth that doing enslaved genealogy is impossible. It’s difficult; it’s challenging. Sometimes, it can be painful, but it’s not impossible.”

One common roadblock for African American genealogy is called the “1870 brick wall.” “From the present day back until about then, everyone has the same kind of records,” explains Sheffey. “But for those of African descent, looking for anything from earlier than 1870 can go one of two ways. You have free people of color, whom you can research much like you would someone of White ancestry. And then you have the enslaved side, which has a different type of genealogy. You have to deal with other records.”

I, too, stumbled near the 1870 brick wall. I knew that my great-great-great-grandfather Henry Turner was born enslaved and that he served in the 53rd Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry during the Civil War. After exhausting online databases, I wasn’t sure where else to look. Sheffey recommended that I request his pension file from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., or St. Louis, Missouri. These documents can give biographical information, including where someone lived, a physical description, and even who enslaved them. Before my visit to the center, I didn’t know this type of record existed.

The museum has ambitious goals to help Black families explore their origins, much in the way that Sheffey assisted me. According to Pryor, they intend to digitize the pertinent records to make pre-1870 research more accessible. Their loftiest plan is to gain access to slave ship logs, many of which are housed in the United Kingdom and the Caribbean. Having that information would allow more people to discover which countries their ancestors originally came from. What makes the Center for Family History unique, as an incubator within a historical museum, is that it challenges museum guests to think of genealogy beyond its value to one person or lineage. It reminds us that our collective histories form the foundation of the African American story—an integral part of the American journey.

IAAM is open Tuesday through Sunday. Timed-entry tickets are available online; the museum recommends purchasing them in advance.

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Read the original article on Southern Living .

Peter Frank Edwards The garden features Tide Tribute, a work by Hood Design Studio. Each figure represents an enslaved person who was brought to Charleston Harbor.

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2024 HBCU Tour & African American Museum

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FOX 29 LIVE: Dox Thrash Exhibition at African American Museum of Philadelphia

Bill visits the African American Museum of Philadelphia and gets tour of the latest exhibits, include the featured Dox Thrash art exhibition.

National Museum of African American History & Culture

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Celebrating Women and Music

  • Saturday, March 23, 2024
  • 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Add to Calendar

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Highlights from the Event

Celebrate Women’s History Month with music!    11:00 am – 3:00 pm 

In the Explore More! Gallery, visitors of all ages can participate in craft activities inspired by musical objects used by female artists in the Museum’s collection. 

On the 4th floor, explore Musical Crossroads to discover the influence of women in music.     Shared Voices In the Oprah Winfrey Theater 11:00 am – 1:00 pm 

Shared Voices , the flagship program of The Denyce Graves Foundation, is a collaboration between HBCUs and top schools of music that promotes equity and inclusion in American classical vocal arts by championing the hidden musical figures of the past while uplifting diverse young artists. 

DGF pic

In the classroom in the Explore More! Gallery on L2 engage with guitars led by a teaching artist from the Levine School. 

Header Image: Terri Lyne Carrington on the drums, 1977. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Terry Lyne Carrington, copyright Johnson Publishing Company, Courtesy of J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Musuem of African American History and Culture.

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COMMENTS

  1. Plan Your Visit

    Please note: museum entry is subject to building capacity; weekends and holidays are peak visitation times. If the museum is at or near capacity, all visitors standing in line will be asked to wait until the museum has room to accommodate them. Additional Information . All children (under the age of 18) must be accompanied by an adult chaperone.

  2. National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Dr. N. Anthony Coles will serve as Chair of the Advisory Council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. ... Reimagining Faith in the 21st Century" Film Tour . Wednesday, January 10, 2024 National Museum of African American History and Culture Celebrates Black History Month. All News. Toggle credits.

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  4. Ongoing Tours & Activities

    Sunday, March 24, 2024 9:45am to 12:10pm. Program meets at the entrance to Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibition, located on C2. Each 25 min talk takes place at 10:45 AM and 11:45 AM. Series: Black History Month. Free; walk-in. Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur.

  5. National Museum of African-American History and Culture Tickets and Tours

    The NMAAHC is located on the National Mall at 1400 Constitution Avenue NW. It is between Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive, next to the American History Museum and the Washington Monument. There are many ways to get there and it is a short walk from many other destinations on the National Mall. We recommend this link for specific directions ...

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  9. Washington DC: Walking Tour and African American Museum

    Visit the African American National Museum at your own pace. Full description. Step into the pages of history on a captivating walking tour of Washington's iconic monuments. Your journey begins at the front gates of the storied White House. Listen in awe as your guide shares tales of the presidents, first ladies, and pivotal moments that have ...

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    Discover the history of African Americans on a guided bus tour of Washington DC. Explore the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Travel in a comfortable, climate-controlled bus, which is ideal for sightseeing. Gain a fascinating insight into the most significant moments and landmarks related to the civil rights ...

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  17. Plan Your Visit

    By entering the International African American Museum, you are entering an area where photography, audio and video recording may occur. Your entry and presence on the premises constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media ...

  18. Black history's fresh voice: How new museums curate complex stories

    Since the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016, people have been more interested in visiting their local museums and creating new ones, said Vedet ...

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    A Virtual Museum Tour. On September 24, 2016, President Barack Obama 83CC opened the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture an institution, he said, that seeks to reaffirm that African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story. Its not the underside of the American story.

  21. Explore More!

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  22. The African American Museum of Bucks County

    In the 1930s and 1940s, the Boone Farm offered good-paying jobs and steady employment for African Americans, allowing them to raise their children and have a better and safer life in Bucks County. The farm's connection to the history of the African American community in Bucks County will be one of the exhibits highlighted when the museum opens.

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    Bill visits the African American Museum of Philadelphia and gets tour of the latest exhibits, include the featured Dox Thrash art exhibition. Posted 34 mins ago Share

  26. Celebrating Women and Music

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