• 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. 
  • It can take up to an hour or more to enter the building without a timed-entry ticket during heavy visitor traffic periods. These typically include public holidays, including the Fourth of July; the months of March, April, and May; Thanksgiving weekend; and the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
  • The waiting area to enter the building is outdoors. We encourage you to come prepared for inclement weather.
  • We recommend that you allow at least 90 minutes to visit the exhibit galleries.
  • Chaperones must remain with their group at all times and are responsible for the behavior of their group.
  • Strollers and bags: Strollers, bags (17 by 26 inches or smaller), and other personal items are permitted. All items are subject to security screening and must remain with visitors at all times. Baby backpacks and other types of wearable infant carriers are permitted. There are no lockers or coat checks available.
  • Nursing areas: Nursing is permitted; there are no designated nursing or pumping areas.
  • All restrooms are equipped with changing tables.
  • All visitors will go through security screening upon entry. Only one bag is allowed per person; bags cannot be larger than 17 by 26 inches (43 by 66 centimeters) in size.
  • Strollers, wheelchairs, mobility devices, bags (17 by 26 inches or smaller), and other personal items are permitted. All items are subject to security screening and must remain with visitors at all times.
  • Food, chewing gum, and beverages are prohibited in the theater and exhibition areas.
  • Federal law prohibits the possession of firearms or other dangerous weapons in federal facilities and federal court facilities by all persons not specifically authorized by 18 U.S.C. 930.

Yes! Non-flash photography, filming, and videotaping for personal use is encouraged in all public areas of the National Archives unless otherwise posted. Flash, other supplemental lighting, selfie sticks, monopods, or similar equipment are not permitted. Learn more about our Photography Policy for news and commercial use.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): To personalize your visit, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) uses AI technology in the exhibit kiosks in The American Story and the Discovery Center to connect historical records and artifacts from our holdings to the interests you select. On the interactive screens in these exhibits, you will see digital records and digital copies of paper records and artifacts held by NARA. You may choose to save digital copies of these records and view them again later online in the “Your Archives” website.

This AI technology uses historical documents and data from the National Archives Catalog to identify topics, people, places, and events, generate tags, and recommend historical records to you based on your interaction and responses to an AI chatbot. 

All source data is exclusively drawn from the National Archives Catalog. Some historical records may contain factual errors or outdated language, which the AI technology may repeat. It is the user’s responsibility to review the source documents linked in the search results and other sources to validate any information the AI technology provides.

Your Data: Visitor responses to the chatbot will be used to recommend relevant content and monitor the performance of the technology. This data will be maintained for 30 days before being deleted. Your personal information is not shared with NARA’s AI tool provider. This AI technology stores deidentified information about visitor searches. It will not collect information about individual users or learn from an individual user’s search history or selections.

Please do not use this application to send us sensitive information, such as your Social Security number or credit card number.

Google Analytics: NARA uses Google Analytics in the online kiosks at The American Story and Discovery Center to collect application usage data to better understand how visitors engage with the exhibit. In addition, the "Your Archives" feature, which allows visitors to create customized profiles, uses Google Analytics, which is considered a Tier 2 web measurement and customization technology under OMB M-10-22. NARA uses Google Analytics in accordance with NARA's Archives.gov Privacy Policy. Google Analytics will not collect personally identifiable information through visitor use of the kiosks. NARA will only receive aggregated usage information, rather than individual user information.

Visitors may choose to opt out of the "Your Archives" feature. To opt out, visitors should not continue to scan their ticket barcodes at the online kiosks to use the "Your Archives" feature, but visitors can use the other interactive features in the kiosk displays. Visitors who opt out will still have full access to records in the exhibit and the full NARA Catalog at https://catalog.archives.gov/ using their own personal devices. Please note that NARA also uses Google Analytics on its www.archives.gov website, which allows user opt-out.

If you have a question while visiting, look for our staff in red vests throughout the exhibits or at the Visitor Orientation Plaza. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are here to assist you!

If you have questions prior to your visit, please email visitorservices@nara.gov. We will respond to your email as quickly as possible.

Suggested Itineraries

Concerned about your time? Consult the itineraries below to plan your visit and experience the most with your time at the National Archives. Don't forget to stop at the National Archives Store located next to the Records of Rights exhibit as you exit!

30 Minutes

The Rotunda and Magna Carta

  • Begin your visit on the upper level in the Rotunda with the Charters of Freedom. Here you’ll see our country’s founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This gallery also houses the Emancipation Proclamation and the 19th Amendment. 
  • End your tour in the David M. Rubenstein Gallery on the ground level where you will see an original 1297 Magna Carta, located at the entrance to the Records of Rights exhibit.

60 Minutes

The Rotunda, Featured Documents, The American Story, and Magna Carta

  • Begin your visit on the upper level in the Rotunda with the Charters of Freedom. Here you’ll see our country’s founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This gallery also houses the Emancipation Proclamation and the 19th Amendment.
  • After exiting the Rotunda, continue down to the East and West Rotunda Galleries to check out our current featured document exhibits.
  • Next, explore The American Story, a state-of-the-art exhibit highlighting important moments in our nation’s history.
  • End your tour in the David M. Rubenstein Gallery on the ground level where you will see an original 1297 Magna Carta, located at the entrance to the Records of Rights exhibit.

90 Minutes

Rotunda, Discovery Center, Featured Documents, The American Story, Special Exhibits, Magna Carta, and Records of Rights

  • Begin your visit on the upper level in the Rotunda with the Charters of Freedom. Here you’ll see our country’s founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This gallery also houses the Emancipation Proclamation and the 19th Amendment.  
  • After exiting the Rotunda, stop at the Discovery Center or continue down the steps to the East and West Rotunda Galleries to check out our current featured document exhibits.
  • Next, explore The American Story, a state-of-the-art exhibit highlighting important moments in our nation’s history.
  • Be sure to visit the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery to see the current special exhibit.
  • End your tour in the David M. Rubenstein Gallery on the ground level where you will see an original 1297 Magna Carta, located at the entrance to the Records of Rights exhibit. Continue exploring the gallery to learn more about the ongoing struggle to define, attain, and protect rights.

For additional questions, please contact Visitor Services at visitorservices@nara.gov.