National Museum of the American Indian

First and foremost: I would like to apologize to you, my readers (hi mom), about my delinquent blogging of late.  No excuses other than just life. 

Anyhoo, onto the part you care about: the National Museum of the American Indian.

I visited the museum around Thanksgiving (again sorry for the delay of posts), and, honestly, I found the museum overwhelming.  I’m sure a large part of that feeling is my fault: I just do not know the history of many Native communities.  As such, it was a lot of information to learn in an afternoon.  Also, the Lelawi Theater, which shows the Who We Are video which should be the first stop for any visitor to the museum, was down the day I visited the museum.  Perhaps with that movie, I would not have felt so overwhelmed.  And I only had a few hours, I should have given myself more time. 

However, I think it is still a museum worth visiting, especially if you want to visit a museum a bit off the beaten path.   The architecture of the building is breath taking.  So you should go just to see the building and walk around outside in the gardens.

This is the view from the cafeteria.  So gorgeous! Honestly, I would love to be able to pop over there during the middle of the work day and just stare out that window and relax.  I'm jealous of any of you who can take advantage of that!

Speaking of the cafeteria, it is fantastic.  I love that they have different types of native food from the many different Native communities represented in the museum.  I think it would be a fun learning experience for kids.  And if your kids are picky, don’t worry, some of the Native communities eat taco-like meals.  Also, if all else fails, the cafeteria does serve hamburgers.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the many different histories are fascinating, although at times troubling.  I’m really glad that the museum includes histories of Native communities not just in North America but also Central and South America.  It helps to understand how the land that each community is from helps to ground and form each community’s history and traditions.  It was a powerful realization and lesson for me. 

I plan to go back to the museum.  But this time I will give myself more time.  Also, I will look at their calendar and go at a time that I can take the “Highlights Tour.”  Hopefully that will help give more context to the many exhibits and histories represented in the museum.

Time: You will need at least half a day, if not a full day to fully enjoy the museum

Cost: FREE

Thoughts: Great if you are looking for something off the beaten path, but if you want something fast or more traditional then choose a different museum.