Experience the National Museum of African American History & Culture 

There’s a reason the National Museum of African American History & Culture is one of the most popular museums in Washington, DC. The layout of the museum tells the story of African Americans. It begins with the slave trade of the 1400s and continues through the era of segregation, leading to the present day. Exhibits in the museum engage you in learning more about the history, challenges and accomplishments of African Americans.

This museum inspires visitors to learn from prior mistakes of the past and encourages more dialogue and change to eliminate racism. I truly believe that the more you come to understand a culture, the more similarities you find. Those similarities build bridges so we can all grow together.

If you have plans to visit the nation’s capital, snag tickets to the National Museum of African American History & Culture. You won’t regret taking the time to explore this museum and learn about the history and culture within its wall.

Directions and Tickets to the National Museum of African American History & Culture

Timed entry tickets are required for the National Museum of African American history & Culture. That’s different than pretty much every other museum in Washington, DC. So plan ahead so you don’t miss out on visiting this treasured museum.

All tickets are free. The timed entry tickets are to help spread out visitors so your experience is much better. You can snag your tickets up to 30 days in advance of your visit. There are a limited number of “Day-of” tickets posted to the website at 8:15 am each day. Plan ahead so you can guarantee tickets.

If you have a group larger than six, you’ll need to have someone else in your group team up to get all the tickets you need. You are limited to only six tickets per individuals reservation transaction.

The museum opens at 10 am and the last entry time is 4pm. It closes at 5:30.

The museum is located on The Mall, directly east of the Washington Monument. The large building stands out from the other buildings on The Mall – it’s more modern.

The two closest metro stops are Smithsonian AND Federal Triangle. They are each less than a 1/2 mile walk between metro station and museum.

Begin Your Visit at the History Galleries (Concourse Level)

The entry line to the museum forms on the west side of the building. Arrive about 15 minutes before your timed entry so you can be near the front of the line for your designated time slot. At the designated time, you’ll enter the museum where your tickets will be scanned and any bags checked.

One of my biggest questions I had at the National Museum of African American History & Culture was where to start. A staff member recommended I start in the lower levels to learn more about the history portion of African Americans. I took her advice and completely agree with that recommendation.

From the main level, head to the west side of the building and take the escalators to the Concourse level. There is a special exhibit area to the left. However, the main exhibit area is about 20 yards to the right. Take your spot at the end of the line into that exhibit area and you’re ready to go.

Level C3 – Slave Trade to the Civil War

To keep crowds controlled, visitors are divided into entry groups. Every few minutes, the groups are allowed into the exhibit area, heading down the stairs (or elevator) to the bottom floor.

The first area helps visitors understand the history of what brought so many people from Africa over to the Americas. This includes exhibits on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the enslavement that occurred in colonial North America. There are lots of panels to read and artifacts to look at. Just go at your own pace and gain that understanding that sets the stage for the following exhibits.

The next exhibit area focuses on the Revolutionary War. It includes details on the African American involvement in fighting for the freedoms published in the Declaration of Independence. But the “Paradox of Liberty” exhibit explains how the “All men are created equal” phrasing in the Declaration didn’t appear to be inclusive. Learn about the people who fought for those equal rights in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

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The story continues with exhibits about the domestic slave trade and what life was like for African Americans. It then moves into the Civil War and the eventual Emancipation Proclamation from President Abraham Lincoln. While that was a big step forward, it came with challenges that are presented in the next level of the museum.

Level C2 – The Era of Segregation

The Era of Segregation is an area that still is challenging for me to understand. Why were human beings pushed to the back of the bus, required to use different bathrooms or drinking fountains, or being persecuted simply because of the color of their skin? This area of the National Museum of African American History & Culture can be tough to experience. However, it’s so important to see what was happening so we can become more aware of it and be able to recognize it in today’s world and not let it happen again to anyone.

As you enter this exhibit area, follow the arrow on the map you hopefully picked up. This will help you go through it along the most chronological path. If you don’t have a map, enter The Jim Crow Era exhibit to learn more about the Jim Crow laws, which marginalize African Americans by denying them the right to vote, hold jobs, get an education or other opportunities. These “laws” were a collection of state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation in those areas.

Continue to the following exhibits, The Great Migration and the Modern Civil Rights Movements. You’ll then arrive at the Interactive Lunch Counter exhibit. Spend a few moments interacting with the touch screens and learning more about the history of the Woolworth counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. This historic “Whites Only” counter became a national focus when four African American college students sat down and politely requested service.

Ask yourself: If you lived in the South in the 1960s, how would you have acted or reacted to events like this? If you were the waiter at the lunch counter, would you have served those four college students? I really think it’s an important thing to reflect on. Because despite the fact that this event was more than 60 years ago, I know things like this still happen based on the color of someone’s skin.

C1 – The Changing of America: 1968 and Beyond

The final floor of these lower levels of the museum cover history from 1968 to present. This includes a rundown on multiple events taking place in 1968. One of them was the national legislation that was passed, known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, or the Fair Housing Act. Sadly, another one was the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.

After looking at some of the protest signs and information about Civil Rights in the late 1960s, make your way through the decades to watch as more things change. Read about those major events and the milestones of changes in the Civil Rights space. Despite how far forward things have come since the 1960s, there’s a lot more work to do.

How can you keep that work moving forward?

As you exit the history exhibit area to the Concourse level, you’ll be where you started. You can stop into the cafe for a brief snack or drink. Or you can make your way up to Level 4 to learn more about the African American culture.

Venture to Level 4 and Work Your Way Down

After learning all about the history of African Americans in the lower levels, head to the fourth floor. These upper floors cover the culture side of the museum.

L4 – Culture Galleries

The top floor of the National Museum of African American History & Culture shares the arts of African Americans. Enter the gallery entrance near the top of the escalator you rode to the fourth floor. This is the best natural flow through the exhibit area.

The first area focuses on some visual arts of African American culture. There are paintings, photography and even sculptures created by African Americans. As you exit this initial area, you can wander through various aspects of the culture as well.

One of my favorite areas was the Musical Crossroads section. I love jazz music. I grew up listening to Louis Armstrong, among other jazz musicians. Over the past few years, I’ve learn more about artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. But African Americans are involved in so many genres of music… not just jazz.

RELATED POST: Visit the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee (link coming soon)

In the round exhibit area, known as Cultural Expressions, features a variety of smaller exhibits. I found one on linguistics to be pretty interesting. There’s also an area showcasing cooking and foods of the African American culture. There’s a great variety of cultural aspects that are worth reading about.

L3 – Community Galleries

The next floor down (Level 3) covers other areas of African Americans in sports, as well as the military. When I first walked in, I saw a uniform from the Dodger’s baseball team. Sure enough, it was Jackie Robinson’s jersey – the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. I love the movie, 42: The Jackie Robinson Story. If you haven’t watched it yet, I recommend you do.

As you make your way into the sports exhibit area, you’ll recognize the names of many featured. For example, Tiger Woods (golf), Michael Jordan (basketball), Jesse Owens (track) and Muhammad Ali (boxing). But you may also find others who’s names you don’t recognize. If you don’t, take a moment to learn about some of the African Americans engaged in a variety of sports and breaking down barriers.

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As you continue around the exhibit area, you’ll get insights into the African American presence in the military. This includes exhibits of each of the branches of the military.

L2 – Explore More! Exhibits

The Explore More! exhibit on the second floor was pretty sparse. Not many people where there and the exhibit space had fewer items. Based on the map of this floor, it’s possible the interactive exhibits on the floor aren’t running at full speed because of COVID-19 still hanging around.

But it doesn’t hurt to venture into this exhibit area during your visit to see what additional things you can learn.

L1 – Heritage Hall and the Museum Store

Once you return to the main floor of the museum, I recommend visiting the gift shop. My main purpose in stopping in was to grab a collectible coin for my collection. But there are some other great items worth checking out.

There are books and biographies about African Americans or the Civil Rights movement. There are souvenirs, shirts, mugs, postcards and more. It’s a great spot to grab something that can remind you about what you learned and inspire you to do more.

The Details

Address: 1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560

How long to spend: Plan on 1-2 hours for your visit.

Cost: There is no admission fee for the National Museum of African American History & Culture. However, you do need timed-entry tickets, which can be reserved online up to 30 days in advance of your visit.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 7 days a week. Closed on December 25. Visitors must enter the museum before 4 p.m.

Website: https://nmaahc.si.edu/

Phone: (844) 750-3012

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