National Museum of African American History and Culture

10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday
12 to 5:30 p.m. Monday*
*10 a.m. on federal holidays
Closed Dec. 25

1400 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC

About

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives, and how it helped us shape this nation.

Highlights

Harriet Tubman's hymnal; Nat Turner’s Bible; a plantation cabin from South Carolina; guard tower from Angola Prison; Chuck Berry’s red Cadillac convertible; and works by prolific artists such as Charles Alston, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, and Henry O. Tanner.

MetroAccess

To provide an address for MetroAccess Paratransit, please use 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. However, it is recommended to request drop off on the Madison Drive side of the museum.

We encourage the use of Metrorail and Metrobus.

Metrorail

Metro Station: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian (Mall exit)

Nearest Accessible Metro Entrance:
Federal Triangle
West side of 12th St., NW, between Pennsylvania and Constitution Ave., NW

Check Metrorail's Elevator and Escalator Service Status page for service disruptions.

Parking

There is no public parking facility for Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. A limited number of city-operated metered parking spaces are available, including several accessible parking spaces.

View a map of accessible parking spaces.

Reserved parking near the museums can be purchased in advance through ParkWhiz.
Note: ParkWhiz is a third-party vendor (ParkWhiz Privacy Policy).

Dining

Sweet Home Café
The 2017 James Beard Award nominated Sweet Home Café showcases the rich culture and history of the African American people with traditional, authentic offerings as well as present-day food traditions.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Don't have a museum pass? Visitors may obtain a free free Dine and Shop Pass to enter the Sweet Home Café or museum store without a museum entry pass. For assistance with/information on group dining, please visit Group Sales.

Shopping

Visit the Museum Store or explore a selection of merchandise online at the Smithsonian Store.

See Getting Here for information on accessible parking and public transportation.

Accessibility Information and Programs

Disability access service requests: [email protected]

My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

Forces for Change: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women’s Activism Added

~~Forces for Change: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women’s Activism~~ Removed

View My Visit

Forces for Change: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women’s Activism

Learn about renowned educator and reformer Mary McLeod Bethune and other Black women social change agents, past and present.

July 19, 2024 – Ongoing

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Reclaiming My Time

Reclaiming My Time features work by contemporary Black designers that engages ideas about cultural heritage, bodies at rest, and histories of labor and leisure.

May 31, 2024 – January 2026

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.

This exhibition explores the Black Lives Matter movement, violence against African Americans, and how art depicts Black resistance, resilience, and protest.

September 10, 2021 – Ongoing

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Explore More!

Explore More! is an interactive, multifaceted educational space dedicated to helping visitors connect and engage with African American history and culture.

September 24, 2016 – Ongoing

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Musical Crossroads

This exhibition tells the story of African American music from the arrival of the first Africans to today’s hip-hop.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Making a Way Out of No Way

Learn about the ways in which African Americans created possibilities in a world that denied them opportunities.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Visual Art and the American Experience

This art exhibition illustrates the critical role that African American artists played in shaping the history of American art.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Power of Place

Experience the broad diversity of African American life and regional cultures in communities that took root in different areas of the country.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Double Victory: The African American Military Experience

Learn about the service and sacrifice of African American soldiers, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and sailors.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Slavery and Freedom

As the centerpiece of the museum, this exhibition explores the complex story of slavery and freedom, a story standing at the core of our national experience.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond

This exhibition illustrates the impact of African Americans on life in the United States—social, economic, political, and cultural.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Sports: Leveling the Playing Field

Learn how African Americans have contributed to sports in American and how sports have helped people respond to injustice.

September 24, 2016 – Indefinitely

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture Added

~~A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture~~ Removed

View My Visit

A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture

This exhibit explores the journey toward fulfillment of the long-held dream of building the museum.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Taking the Stage

See how African Americans transformed the ways they are represented onstage by challenging racial discrimination and stereotypes.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: Era of Segregation 1876-1968 Added

~~Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: Era of Segregation 1876-1968~~ Removed

View My Visit

Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: Era of Segregation 1876-1968

This exhibition takes visitors from the end of Reconstruction through the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

Cultural Expressions

This exhibition serves as an introduction to the concept of African American and African diaspora culture.

September 24, 2016 – Permanent

African American History and Culture Museum