Tours and Tickets

New Options for Visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture Starting Dec. 19:

To best serve the public during the winter months, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will introduce new ways of obtaining passes for entry to the museum. Starting Monday, Dec. 19, the museum will make the following changes:

• The museum will no longer distribute same-day, in-person passes at 9:15 a.m. daily.
• A limited number of walk-up passes will be available starting at 1 p.m. on weekdays.
• No walk-up passes will be available on weekends due to high visitation.
• Same-day, online, timed passes will be available only through the museum’s website, nmaahc.si.edu beginning at 6:30 a.m. daily.
• Non-commercial group visits of 10 or more, including student groups, will now be available for scheduling up to one year in advance by visiting nmaahc.si.edu/groups.

On Jan. 4, 2017, NMAAHC will issue advance timed passes for April 2017. Advance timed passes will be available online starting at 9 a.m. by visiting nmaahc.si.edu or by calling 866-297-4020. Advance timed passes for May 2017 will be available starting Feb. 1, 2017.

“The safety, security and comfort of our visitors are of utmost importance to us,” said Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the museum. “We are honored to have welcomed more than 600,000 visitors since opening. We are committed to reviewing and making the appropriate changes to ensure that as many people as possible can visit the museum.”

Beginning Monday, Dec. 26, and continuing through Friday, Dec. 30, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to accommodate high visitation during the holiday season.
The museum will be open on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, but there will be no same-day online passes or any walk-up passes.  

Passes are required for entrance into the museum and will continue indefinitely. Passes may be printed or displayed on a smartphone. There is no limit on the amount of time visitors spend inside the museum.

Due to the historic significance and its high visibility, the museum is attracting an unprecedented number of local, national, and international visitors.  Because of this level of interest, the museum has implemented a Timed Pass system to serve as many visitors as possible while maintaining a secure, safe and smooth flow of people into the museum. Timed Passes for the general public and nonprofit organizations are free of charge.

Release dates for Timed Passes: Advanced Timed Passes through March 2017 are no longer available online. A limited number of Same Day Timed Passes are available each day at the Museum are still available. Passes are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis by the Visitor Services staff starting at 9:15 a.m. For more, visit: https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/passes.

From The Washington Post: The National Museum of African American History and Culture will begin allowing walk-up entry on weekdays later this month, but timed passes will still be required on weekends, officials said. Timed passes have been required for admission to the newest Smithsonian museum, which opened on the Mall Sept. 24. But starting as early as Nov. 14, the museum will offer more walk-up passes, said spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas. The museum distributes same-day passes each weekday morning starting at 9; it plans to allow walk-up visitors throughout the day as crowds permit, she said.

The museum is averaging 6,000 visitors daily on weekdays and 8,000 to 8,500 on weekends, St. Thomas said.  That means about 260,000 people have toured its galleries in the five weeks since it opened. Free timed passes for admission through December were made available in late August and snapped up within hours. Another batch for January through March were distributed in early October, and those, too, ran out. The museum has not said when the next group of passes will be released.

Other featured tours

All tickets are provided to constituents on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the large number of visitors, please request them as early as possible in order to maximize your chances. For information on sightseeing and attractions, please visit the Washington, DC Tourism Information page. White House tours require at least four (4) week's advance notice and constituents can request tours up to three (3) months in advance. Visiting the White House and U.S. Capitol are popular and time-honored traditions when in Washington, D.C. Because these tours are so popular, my office is only able to assist residents of Georgia's 4th Congressional District.  If you do not live in the 4th District, you are welcome to get in touch with your Representative or Senator to arrange a tour. Once you fill out the appropraite form and submit, constituents can follow up with Ms. Chelsea Grey in our D.C. office at 202-225-1605 or e-mail her at chelsea.grey@mail.house.gov.