The National Geographic Museum

Even if you are familiar with the magazine, you may not be aware of National Geographic’s Museum. Located at the center of Washington, D.C,, the museum is just a few blocks from the White House in a building connected to the original National Geographic Society. The museum is an exhibit and public event space. It also houses the National Geographic Society and its archive.

There are usually two large-scale interactive exhibits taking place simultaneously, alongside one or two photography exhibitions. Currently, the augmented reality exhibit “The Tomb of Christ” is in the main gallery. The National Geographic Society participates in archaeology projects around the world and, in 2016, led a team to help conservators restore the tomb at the center of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Using the results of the work in Jerusalem, National Geographic created an augmented reality exhibit that guides the visitor through the church and into the center of the tomb. This exhibit is ongoing through January 2019 and tickets cost $15. There are also permanent exhibits up in the gallery highlighting the history of the magazine and society.

The most recent exhibit, opened May 30, is “Titanic the Untold Story.” This special exhibit takes the visitor into the world of historic steamship travel while transporting them into the more recent past of the 1980s in order to uncover the link between the Cold War and the discovery of the Titanic wreckage. This exhibit is worth a visit and is also up until January 2019.