Tips & Guidelines

Web Page
Tips & Guidelines Web Page … Entry and Wait Times Tickets are not required to visit the National Archives Museum and walk-in visitors are welcome! To ensure smooth and timely entrance into the building and enjoy the museum’s all-new personalization system, visitors are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance of their visit.  Visitors can reserve a free, general admission ticket . Visitors can reserve a timed-entry ticket to avoid long wait times during heavy visitor traffic periods.  It can take up to an …

General Order No. 3, June 19, 1865

Past Exhibit
General Order No 3 June 19 1865 Ongoing Exhibit … Celebrating Juneteenth General Order No. 3, June 19, 1865 National Archives, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s–1917 The Juneteenth holiday celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It combines the words “June” and “nineteenth,” the historic day that the U.S. Army marched into Texas and secured the freedom of the last 250,000 Americans to learn of their emancipation. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the …

Great Seal of the United States

Past Exhibit
Great Seal of the United States Current Exhibit … On July 4, 1776, just hours after adopting the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress tasked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams with creating a national seal. As members of the First Great Seal Committee, each man proposed designs for a national emblem that reflected the independence and aspirations of the new nation. The task proved difficult, and ultimately it took more than three committees and six years to complete the …

Tickets

Web Page
Tickets Web Page … Entry to the National Archives is free. Visitors are encouraged to reserve a free general admission ticket or a $1 timed-entry ticket to visit the museum. Tickets are not required but are recommended to improve visitor experience and leverage new personalization system throughout the museum. Advance Tickets Visitors can acquire several types of tickets to the National Archives Museum: Free general admission tickets:  reserve free tickets online here . Timed-entry tickets:  avoid long …

The American Story

Current Exhibit
The American Story Current Exhibit … An American History Experience Like No Other Now Open Beginning November 21, 2025, the National Archives Museum debuted a once-in-a generation redesign of its permanent exhibits: The American Story and the Discovery Center - connecting visitors with the National Archives in revolutionary ways. The American Story showcases items and records in the National Archives that tell important moments in our nation's history. Visitors will get up close to more than 40 original …

Visitor's Guide

Document
Charters Café Lower level Visitor’s Lower Level The CHARTERS CAFÉ offers soups, salads, sandwiches, snacks, and beverages from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday–Friday. NATIONAL ARCHIVES MUSEUM Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, Washington, DC. Daily, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (Closed Thanksgiving Day and December 25). Admission Free. Visit museum.archives.gov for up-to-date hours and program information. Reservations are suggested March–Labor Day. Visit museum.archives.gov/ reservations-and-tours to …
national-archives-museum-visitor-guide.pdf

Visitor's Guide - French

Document
Charters Café Niveau inférieur William G. McGowan Theater Niveau inférieur Le CHARTERS CAFÉ propose des soupes, des salades, des sandwiches, des collations et des boissons de 10 h à 14 h 30, du lundi au vendredi. NATIONAL ARCHIVES MUSE UM Constitution Avenue, entre les 7e et 9e rues, NW, Washington, DC. Tous les jours, de 10 h à 17 h 30. (Fermé le jour de Thanksgiving et le 25 décembre). Entrée gratuite. Visitez https://museum.archives.gov/ pour obtenir les horaires et des informations sur les programmes. …
national-archives-museum-visitor-guide-french.pdf