For those wishing to be engaged in a cultural activity during the holidays, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has some good news.
The museum has decided to offer its visitors entry without a pass ahead of the New Year’s Eve, between December 26 and 30.
Visiting hours will also be extended from 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. to 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. during this period. Regular schedule will be back on December 31.
It is noted that groups of 10 people or more cannot benefit from the no-pass entry.
You have a wide range of exhibit options to see: A Century in the Making, an overview of the century-long journey to open the museum; A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond, which explores leading African American social movements and figures, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and former President Barack Obama; Musical Crossroads that “tells the story of African American music from the arrival of the first Africans to the present day” and many others.
Opened to the public three years ago, the NMAAHC is the country’s “only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture.”
The museum has collected almost 40,000 artifacts so far. Earlier this year, the museum’s administration announced that they would initiate a six-month hiatus on accepting new collections starting from August 1, saying that their collecting efforts had been tremendously successful and expressing gratitude to donors and supporters.
After updating its collections processing, the NMAAHC will relaunch its collecting efforts in February 2020.