National Museum of the American Indian, Washington D.C.

The National Museum of the American Indian houses over 800,000 items representing most of the indigenous populations from the Americas. This extensive collection spans 12,000 years of history. Some of the artifacts are culturally sensitive and permission must be obtained from the appropriate Native American group to display them.

The building is a nice relief from some of the other buildings around Washington that seem to overpower their environment. The museum's building complements the area; in fact, even the amenities in this museum are different. The Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe explores native foods that would have been available from five different regions and offers them up in contemporary and traditional dishes. Choices include fry bread, corn totopos, and buffalo burgers. Don’t pass up this experience.

The artifacts are divided into four components: objects, photos, media, and paper. The objects in these groups are all intertwined, but this is at least a starting point to organize the massive collections. Events offered at the museum include films, music, audio tours, and special events for children.

Tip:
Start on the top floor with a short (13min) film and then work your way down to the bottom level where you can enjoy lunch.
The café is probably the best museum lunch spot around, with stations representing cuisines of different tribal areas.
Don't miss the gift shop – many creative, beautiful hand made items. Enjoy shopping!

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am-5:30pm
Admission is free