Washington, D.C. Is Getting a Huge New Museum – and It’s Not a Smithsonian

For over a century, the National Geographic Society has nurtured exploration around the world, championing photographers, writers, and those curious about the wonders of our planet. 

Later this year, the organization will open the doors of the National Geographic Museum of Exploration in Washington, D.C., welcoming visitors to a stunning public space on its nearly 140-year-old campus. General admission tickets will start at $29.99 for adults, though plans are in the works for flexible pricing through advanced booking. Additionally, the organization will collaborate with the Museums for All initiative to offer discounted admission to qualifying visitors. 

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The museum, which spans over 100,000 square feet, brings together multiple National Geographic buildings into a more cohesive campus and will serve as a central hub not just for museum visitors but also for staff. Visitors will enter into a sweeping lobby decorated with sustainably sourced ash wood, which has been dry stacked and is held together by gravity and compression in a curve inspired by the canyons of the American West, before being ushered into interactive areas, with both permanent and rotating exhibits on display. 

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A global food hall with American, Italian, Vietnamese, and Moroccan food stalls, as well as a coffee shop and cocktail bar named after National Geographic explorer Bob Ballard, will be in what used to be the staff cafeteria. The museum’s auditorium will hold around 400 people and feature updated technology for an immersive experience. 

“National Geographic has always been about sending our explorers out,” Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society, told Parade, reflecting on the platform’s opportunity to be relevant for new generations, and noting that visitors should ideally set aside a few hours to explore the museum. “We are hoping to bring visitors here to get excited about our mission.”

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When the museum opens to the public on June 26, visitors will be able to visit The Archives, an exhibition all about National Geographic’s storytelling history, from assignment to reporting to final magazine layout. Visitors will also be able to dive deep into topics via a digital research station and curate images on a touchscreen photo editor. The exhibit will feature National Geographic’s iconic maps and films, and a 38-inch tactile globe, which was designed with low-vision and blind visitors in mind. 

Accessibility and inclusion has been integral to the museum’s design process, with content in both English and Spanish across the museum. Captioning and American Sign Language will be available for media, with Braille messaging at key wayfinding points, visual descriptions for exhibits, and a selection of tactile photographs in the “In Focus” photography exhibit. 

The “In Focus” exhibit is a celebration of National Geographic’s photographic legacy, from George Shiras’ first photo of wildlife taken at night to Ami Vitale’s photo of the last male northern white rhinoceros. Another moving photography exhibit, “Photo Ark: Animals of Earth,” propels conservation to the forefront in collaboration with photographer Joel Sartore, whose Photo Ark project seeks to document every species living in captivity, from zoos and aquariums to wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers. Over 17,000 species have been photographed in the decades-long project. 

“To see my life’s work featured as an inaugural immersive exhibition in the new National Geographic Museum of Exploration is truly an honor. To me, ‘Animals of Earth’ is more than an exhibit — it’s an opportunity to use this groundbreaking interactive technology to bring visitors face to face with all of the wonderful species that I have had the pleasure to photograph from around the globe, while also serving as a testament to the species diversity on our planet that we must work together to protect,” Sartore said in November. 

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