National Museum of the American Indian - History museum in Washington - 4th St SW, USA

Beautiful building! Very educational/informative, beautifully put together. Much more enjoyable than the stampeding that occurs at many other museums. It was so nice to actually truly absorb and enjoy everything. The food court has amazing food, good restrooms, elevators are available. I did not take a lot of pictures here because I was actually very busy enjoying the museum. Our Natives deserve so much love and cred for their beautiful contributions to all of our lives.

A great museum on the National Mall specific to Indigenous heritage. It was great that there is a real effort to shift the perspective from a white centered history. I think I would have gotten a bit more if I had taken an actual tour, it was still worth the effort going through by myself. I think you have to give yourself plenty of time because it is a large museum. The main restaurant was closed so I bypassed the quick food options. The gift shop is pretty large with a lot of things related to various Indigenous cultures. But only certain tribes seemed to be offered. It is a gorgeous building and the grounds are educational as well.

One of my favorite Smithsonian facilities, this museum is dedicated to the Native Americans and the diverse cultures represented with that population. The grounds include 150 different native plants surrounding the facility, a memorial inside and outside to the warrior culture and Native American veterans, and inside exhibits that are hundreds, even thousands of years old through modern times. There are multiple theatres, a little coffee shop and a cafe/food court specializing in themed foods, like fried bread, buffalo burgers, etc. The cafe is shut down for renovations but the coffee shop is still serving food from their shop - it’s reasonable and good. In the summer, this is one of the best seats in town as it overlooks the waterfalls (shutdown for winter) in the sculptured little gardens. Also, look for the website before coming out - there are generally multiple types of free tours of the facility that help interpret and make sure you get the most out of your visit.

Went here for a field trip with sociology class. I got there early before they were open. I decided to walk to the deck near the water which was peaceful until the music chants startled me. The museum displays were not always interesting and there was a sign about Pocahontas blood which is not great because it suggests that all Natives are descended from Pocahontas. There was so much Native American artifacts laid out with only some information that made it overwhelming. Depictions of Native Americans were serious and a little disturbing. I enjoyed a few interactive exhibits such as writing a postcard. The gift shop was decent and well laid out. I bought two items and walked around the entire store reading about items.

Museum is free to enter. It is recommended by the museum you start your tour at the fourth floor. The fourth floor covers info of the treaties between the Native Americans and the English settlers. And then the third floor, I was surprised and happy to see there was a section for the kiddos. In order to enter all you are asked is your ZIP Code or the country you’re visiting from and how many people will go in.

I was a bit disappointed at the size of the museum. The building is large and impressive but half of it is an open atrium that extends all four floors in height. The exhibits are well laid out and interesting, I just found them to be a bit lacking. Most of the information on history was very generic and only relating to the indigenous interactions with the American government. I guess this is a Smithsonian so that is the intention, but there is so much rich history in our tribes across the nation that is being missed.

We did not reserve tickets and were able to walk right in on a Friday afternoon. The museum has a cool kids area with interactive exhibits and a craft room. Our child had a blast. The gift shop is phenomenal!

I'm ashamed to say that I've been to D.C. several times and somehow missed coming to this museum. Both the content of this place and the physical building itself are incredibly inspiring. Plan on at least 2 hours for the amount of exhibits, artifacts, and stories. It is hard to articulate how heartbreaking I find some of the history of this place.