National Museum of the American Indian

Activity Overview

The National Museum of the American Indian houses one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of its kind. The museum’s sweeping curvacious architecture and its exhibitions, were all designed in collaboration with tribes and communities from across the hemisphere, combine to give visitors from around the world the sense and spirit of Native America.

Things to Do

Be sure to stop by the Welcome Desk as you enter the museum. Ask for a schedule for activities and programs, and pick up the Family Guide to the museum's exhibits or download a copy in advance. If you are visiting the museum with kids, you may particularly enjoy hands-on activities in the ImagiNATIONS Activity Center.

Join a Cultural Interpreter in the Potomac Atrium at 1:30 PM daily for a 60-minute tour of the museum. Tours are designed for a general audience.

There are often teaching carts in the rotunda featuring specific tools or crafts that are great for kids.

The museum hosts an ongoing series of outstanding feature-length films.

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) has one of the most extensive collections of Native American arts and artifacts in the world—approximately 825,000 items representing over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 indigenous cultures throughout the Americas.

In addition to the object collections, the museum’s holdings also include the Photographic Archive (approximately 324,000 images from the 1860s to the present).

National Museum of the American Indian Insider Tips

• The National Museum of the American Indian DC is located on the National Mall between the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum and the U.S. Capitol Building.
• Getting there by Metro - The most convenient Metro stop is L’Enfant Plaza (Blue/Orange/Green/Yellow lines), exit to Maryland Avenue/Smithsonian Museums.
• Parking - The museum does not have parking. Consider Public Transportation. Parking is available by meter on the surrounding streets and in local paid parking garages.