Current Exhibitions

My Visit

Always Ready: Firefighting in the 19th Century

Explores how the role of citizens in fighting fire changed dramatically over the 19th century along with the technology.

September 16, 2016 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

America on the Move

This exhibition examines how transportation—from 1876 to 1999—has shaped our American identity.

November 22, 2003 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

America's Listening

America's Listening tells the story of recorded sound and innovations that contributed to how we consume music and movies today.

October 19, 2018 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith

Presents national treasures that represent American democracy—based on the bold American experiment to create a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

June 28, 2017 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

American Enterprise

Learn how business and innovation helped the United States develop from a small dependent agricultural nation to one of the world's largest economies.

July 1, 2015 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

Art in Industry

Art in Industry looks back at a time when Americans embraced artistic skills as a way to build a consumer-oriented industrial economy.

March 22, 2018 – TBA

American History Museum
My Visit

Big Band

“Big Band” by American painter LeRoy Neimanm features a composition of 18 iconic jazz musicians, together in what he envisioned to be his “dream” band.

March 31, 2015 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

Change YOUR Game

A family-friendly, interactive exhibition on the intersection of invention, sports, and technology.

March 15, 2024 – Ongoing

American History Museum
My Visit

Entertainment Nation

Entertainment Nation examines how entertainment brings Americans together, shapes us, and provides a forum for important national conversations.

December 9, 2022 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

Food: Transforming the American Table

This mouth-watering exhibition explores the social changes that have changed how we eat and features Julia Child's kitchen.

November 20, 2012 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

Giving in America

Giving in America looks at the history of philanthropy in United States, commemorating the movements and people who made and continue to make a difference.

November 29, 2016 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

Greensboro Lunch Counter

The sit-in of four African American college students at this Woolworth counter helped ignite a youth-led movement to challenge inequality throughout the South.

June 28, 2017 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

Inventing in America

This exhibition focuses on inventions and innovators of the past and present, including Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison.

July 1, 2015 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

Landmark Objects

Large, iconic artifacts in the main corridor of each floor of the East and West Wings highlight the key themes of the exhibitions in the wing.

November 21, 2008 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

Lighting a Revolution

This exhibition reveals how Thomas Edison's incandescent electric light bulb and other inventions transformed our world.

October 9, 1979 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

Many Voices, One Nation

Explore the 500-year journey of how many distinct peoples and cultures shaped and negotiated the culture of the U.S.

June 28, 2017 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

My Computing Device

My Computing Device showcases the complex story of how Americans came to use and own computers.

August 28, 2019 – Ongoing

American History Museum
My Visit

On the Water: Stories from Maritime America

This exhibition traces American maritime history from 18th-century sailing ships, to 19th-century steamboats and fishing craft, to today's huge container ships.

May 22, 2009 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Object Project

In Object Project, visitors consider the impact of innovative things on everyday life in the past.

July 1, 2015 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

Power Machinery

This hall follows the development of the increasingly efficient power machinery that helped the United States become a world leader during the Industrial Revolution.

January 22, 1964 – Permanent

American History Museum
My Visit

Rallying against Racism

This display features the “Fight the Virus, NOT the People” COVID-19 Banner, donated by the San Francisco Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA).

October 1, 2022 – Ongoing

American History Museum
My Visit

Really BIG Money

Artifacts and activities help young visitors understand that money can be a powerful and memorable way to learn about the world.

April 8, 2022 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

Road Warriors/Guerreros de la carretera

This robotic vehicle demonstrates promising research advances in artificial intelligence and driverless vehicles.

July 23, 2024 – Fall/Winter 2026

American History Museum
My Visit

Spark!Lab

Open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spark!Lab reveals the real story behind inventors’ work through hands-on activities that help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. Hours are subject to change.

July 1, 2015 – Indefinitely

American History Museum
My Visit

Taking America to Lunch

On view are more than 50 children's and workers' illustrated metal lunch boxes and beverage containers dating from the 1890s through the 1980s to celebrate the history and endurance of American lunch boxes.

April 13, 2004 – Indefinitely

American History Museum

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