From the Secretary: The American Indian and American History Museums will reopen to the public Sept. 28

Dear Colleagues,

We strive to tell the complete American story, including many voices, acknowledging the difficult moments in our past, and celebrating American creativity and achievement. At a moment unlike any other in our nation’s history and a time when the Smithsonian is most needed, I am pleased to announce that the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of the American Indian’s Washington, D.C., location will reopen to the public on Friday, September 25.

Just as at those facilities that have previously reopened, these locations will have enhanced health, safety, and cleaning measures in place and reduced days and hours of operation to better facilitate crowd management. Visitors will need to reserve timed-entry passes, and some amenities, services, and interactive displays may be temporarily unavailable.

A complete list of open facilities is available on our website: https://www.si.edu/visit, and detailed information for visitors is also available on the individual museum websites. In addition to these indoor spaces, Smithsonian Gardens and the Hirshhorn Museum’s outdoor Sculpture Garden and plaza are also welcoming visitors.

To safeguard the health and safety of our staff and visitors, we have implemented the following procedures for visitors to all our reopened locations:

• Requesting that all visitors who are sick or do not feel well stay home.
• Requiring that visitors ages six and older wear face coverings during their visit. Face coverings are strongly recommended for visitors ages two and older, per CDC guidelines.
• Closely monitoring and limiting the number of people in each museum. Most locations will require visitors to obtain a free timed-entry pass in advance of their visit. Beginning today, visitors can reserve passes online or by phone and select the desired date and time for their visit.
• Implementing safe social distancing, including one-way paths and directional guidance where appropriate.
• Providing hand sanitizing stations for visitors and conducting enhanced cleaning throughout all facilities.
• Establishing maximum capacity for restrooms to accommodate safe social distancing.

Thank you for all that you have done to help us prepare to reopen the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of the American Indian. Thank you also for your formidable efforts to expand access to Smithsonian collections, research, and education programs while our doors have been closed. Because of your good work, the Smithsonian’s ability to increase and diffuse knowledge has never ceased.

Sincerely,

Lonnie G. Bunch
Secretary

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