17 Awesome Things to See at the National Museum of American History

The National Museum of American History is one of the Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC. This museum houses objects which are important in American history. From presidents to pop culture, this museum has something to interest just about everyone.

Know Before You Go

Like many of the museums in Washington DC, the National Museum of American History doesn’t charge admission. However, you will have to go through security upon arrival.

The National Museum of American History is HUGE! There are 3 gallery floors filled with treasures. It would be easy to spend a whole day there. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a whole day to allocate to this museum. We spent about 3 hours at the museum.

Getting to the National American History Museum is easy. The Federal Triangle Metro Stop is nearby. It is also located next to the National Museum of Natural History and near many of the other museums and monuments on the National Mall.

If you need a quick meal, the LeRoy Neiman Jazz Cafe is conveniently located on the first floor of the Museum. We ate BBQ sandwiches which were pretty tasty.

The National Museum of American History offers digital audio guides for a small fee. We selected the adult tour. While I typically love an audio tour, I don’t recommend this one. I found the directions to each item to be frustrating to follow.

17 Awesome Things to See

The National Museum of American History has so many treasures. It would be impossible to see everything. However, here are 17 WAY COOL objects which are worth making time to see:

1. The Batmobile

2. A Piece of the Berlin Wall

3. World Trade Center Steel

4. Abraham Lincoln’s Hat

5. The First Ladies’ Dresses

6. The Presidential Football

7. George Washington’s Chair

8. The Gunboat Philadelphia

9. George Washington’s Uniform

10. Thomas Jefferson’s Desk

11. Apolo Ohno’s Skates

12. The Swedish Chef

13. Penicillin Mold

14. The Incandescent Lamp

15. Abraham Lincoln’s Life Mask

16. Julia Child’s Kitchen

17. Muhammad Ali’s Boxing Gloves

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has so many interesting artifacts on display for everyone to see. It is such an awesome way to spend an afternoon or an entire day. I can’t wait to go back!

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Bonus: 5 Fabulous Finds at the National Museum of American History

For more information on Washington DC, check out my Washington DC page and Fabulous DC Weekend.