Smithsonian National Museum of American History

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"One of the most-visited Smithsonian museums, known for heavy foot traffic during peak season; it's best experienced during shoulder or low-season visits when galleries are less crowded and advanced booking pressures are reduced." - Nicholas DeRenzo Nicholas DeRenzo Nicholas DeRenzo knows where to eat, stay, and play in almost any locale. A travel writer and editor, he has contributed articles to Condé Nast Traveler, BBC Travel, Travel + Leisure, New York magazine, The New York Times, and Sunset. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

José Andrés, Jacques Pépin, and More Honor Alice Waters at Smithsonian Food Gala | Eater DC

"Hosting the Smithsonian’s food history gala to bestow the 2024 Julia Child Award on Alice Waters, the National Museum of American History — which has been the home of Julia Child’s kitchen since 2002 — staged an evening that gathered culinary luminaries (José Andrés, Jacques Pépin, Toni Tipton-Martin, Danny Meyer, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken, Grace Young, Sean Sherman and others) and even politicos like Merrick Garland; Jacques Pépin designed a menu honoring Waters’s love of seasonality with dishes such as roasted carrots with harissa yogurt and braised short ribs with cannellini beans, the award carries a $50,000 grant to a food nonprofit of the winner’s choice, and the gala kicked off the museum’s Food History Weekend, which includes talks (Toni Tipton-Martin on October 18), a Rick Bayless cooking demo, industry discussions, and book conversations through Sunday." - Missy Frederick

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"I enjoyed seeing cultural treasures here, including Julia Child's kitchen, Dorothy's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz, and a striking display of gowns worn by former First Ladies." - Dobrina Zhekova Dobrina Zhekova Dobrina Zhekova is a writer with over a decade of editorial experience in Europe and the U.S. She covers luxury travel, art, architecture, and design. Her writing has appeared on InStyle.com, Vogue.com, Elle.com, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

"Museum of American History Originally founded as the National Museum of History and Technology in 1964, this museum charms visitors with over three million artifacts and national treasures related to formative events in American history. Highlights include the original flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the "Star Spangled Banner," the First Ladies gowns, an 1850 John Bull locomotive, Abraham Lincoln's top hat, White House china and porcelain, Thomas Edison's 1879 light bulb, the original Greensboro lunch counter from the 1960 sit-ins, George Washington's Revolutionary War uniform and saber, and an "American Stories" exhibit that includes Dorothy's ruby red slippers and a Kermit the Frog puppet."

10 Best Museums in D.C., from History to Kid-Focused | Condé Nast Traveler

"The National Museum of American History's brief is all-encompassing: tell the story of America using a collection of more than 1.8 million historical objects. For a quick jaunt through the highlights, the museum suggests seeing the original Star-Spangled Banner, the lunch counter from Greensboro's famous sit-in during the Civil Rights movement, Dorothy's ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” Julia Child's exact kitchen, and Michelle Obama's inauguration dress in "The First Ladies" exhibit. Most exhibits are ongoing, but recent special exhibits include "Reckoning with Remembrance: History, Injustice, and the Murder of Emmett Till." In pre-pandemic times, this was school group field trip central—and a must-stop for tourist families as well. (Note that a number of exhibits are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, but are slated to return in late 2021.)" - Amy McKeever, Adele Chapin