Family-Friendly Museums: National WW2 Museum
Offering a compelling blend of sweeping narrative and poignant personal detail, The National WWII Museum
features immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories, taking visitors inside the story of the war that changed the world. Beyond the galleries, the Museum’s online collections, virtual field trips, webinars, educational travel programs, and renowned International Conference on World War II offer patrons new ways to connect to history and honor the generation that sacrificed so much to secure our freedom.
Background
Since its opening day on D-Day – June 6, 2000 – nearly two million visitors have toured the National WWII Museum. A must-see for history lovers and all patriots, it has been designated by the U.S.
Congress as America’s official WWII Museum. Powerful images and extraordinary artifacts bring to life the American Spirit, the courage, teamwork and sacrifice of the young men and women who won the war and changed the world. From the 1930s prelude to war, to the Normandy Invasion and the battles of the Pacific Islands, visitors trace America’s role in the war and on the Home Front.
The Louisiana Memorial Pavilion
It houses The Union Pacific Train Station, an immersive exhibit which allows guests to experience the sights, sounds, and emotions of going to war. From the beaches of Normandy to the sands of Iwo Jima, the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion gallery and
exhibits tell the stories of dozens of amphibious landings and thousands of men and women who made the Allied victory in World War II possible. The museum’s pavilion atrium includes a reproduction of the LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) or Higgins boat that carried thousands of Allied soldiers to the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, and a soaring Douglas C-47 aircraft.
The Victory Solomon Theater Pavilion
It is home to the Solomon Victory Theater, featuring the exclusive cinematic experience from producer Tom Hanks, Beyond All Boundaries; the Stage Door
Canteen, a unique entertainment venue that showcases the music of the war years as sung by The Victory Belles and The American Sector Restaurant + Bar.
Additional Exhibit Pavilions
The John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion
Visitors can see first-hand the work it takes to preserve and restore some of the treasures of WWII. including a Higgins Industries PT Boat that served in the Mediterranean.
U.S. Freedom Pavilion
The Boeing Center: includes galleries and exhibits that showcases vintage aircraft, tanks, personnel carriers, and Final Mission: The USS Tang Submarine Experience. Tribute is paid to WWII Medal of Honor recipients and the 16 million Americans who served in the war, including those who worked for victory on the Home Front.
Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters
The newest pavilion of The National WWII Museum brings to life the drama, sacrifices, personal stories, and strategies of America’s campaign to defeat the Axis powers and preserve freedom. Dramatic exhibits explore how US citizen soldiers and their Allies
secured victory in the 20th century’s titanic struggle—a fight for civilization itself. The 32,512-square-foot pavilion brings visitors inside the story of how the war was won.
With its masterful blend of storytelling and technology, Campaigns is a thrilling new way to experience the epic story of the war that changed the world.
Step inside the Museum vault, climb into a Sherman tank, and get insider access found nowhere else—it’s all part of Behind the Lines, the exclusive VIP tour of The National WWII Museum. Guests will be treated to hours of behind-the-scenes access like never before with our new, updated tour, which includes three hours with a curator
and two hours in the vault—more than twice as much time as previous tours. Participants see and feel artifacts and rarely seen treasures alongside historians, and attend an exclusive curator’s luncheon in our private dining rooms. A second-day ticket is included, which allows tour members the opportunity to explore every facet of the Museum’s public space at their leisure.
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