Recommended Visit in DC: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Dedicated in 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum http://www.ushmm.org/ is one of the most moving and thought-provoking experiences you can have while in DC. I can personally attest to the powerful exhibits and the impact it has on visitors. Even though I already was well-versed on the history of the Holocaust, I was strongly affected by this experience.

The exhibits begin on the top floor and work their way downward. As you descend you follow the Holocaust chronologically, viewing some nine-hundred artifacts, seventy video monitors, and four theaters that include historic film footage and eyewitness testimonies. The museum also rotates special exhibitions that address topics such as propaganda, anti-semitism, genocide.

At the conclusion of your tour, you enter the Hall of Remembrance. This chamber serves as a fitting memorial to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. As you enter you are struck by the use of light and silence - a sense of sacredness pervades the room. Visitors can light candles in remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust as a final act commemorating your visit to this special place. As an extension, the museum also has its own channel on YouTube that provides free videos to viewers, its own official account on Facebook, a Twitter page, and an email distribution list for those who who want to learn more not only about the Holocaust, but about human rights violations in the world today.

The U.S. Holocaust Museum is recommended for children age 11 and older. Exhibitions and the Museum Shop are open 10 AM - 5:20 PM daily, and admission is free. You can find a series of helpful visitor's guides on the museum web site http://www.ushmm.org/ to help you prepare for your visit.

The Museum is located near the National Mall, just south of Independence Ave., SW, at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW adjacent to 14th Street. The Smithsonian Metro stop is on the orange/blue lines, one block from the Holocaust Museum.