Newseum

Activity Overview

The Newseum is a 250,000 square foot museum dedicated to teaching us about five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. There are 15 main exhibition galleries, many interactive features for all ages, gift shops, a food court and The Source, a restaurant by Wolfgang Puck.

Things to See & Do

Each of the seven levels in this magnificent building is packed with interactive exhibits that explore how news affects our shared experience of historic moments. Whether you have just a few hours or want to spend all day, you’ll find something for everyone in the family in the Newseum's 15 theaters and 15 galleries.
NBC News Interactive Newsroom (Level 2) where patrons of reading age read a news script from a teleprompter while they are being taped in front of a green screen. Kids will be thrilled to see their performances integrated into a faux newscast on overhead TVs, for only $5.00 you can purchase a link to the video and a picture of the starring moment.
HP New Media Room (Level 4). Visitors can take photos of themselves and then add captions while watching as they were projected overhead throughout the room. Games like "Dunk the Anchor" and Wii-like games in which they used their body motions to choose between media trivia options are also a big hit with school-aged kids .
The Berlin Wall Gallery: A Barrier That Couldn't Block Information - The Berlin Wall was strong enough to stop a tank, but it couldn't stop news from getting into East Germany by word of mouth, smuggled messages or radio and television.
Watergate Door - The News History Gallery features the taped door that led to Richard Nixon's resignation.
Bloomberg Internet, TV & Radio Gallery: Getting the News Electronically - As technologies improved, the speed of news increased. First there was radio, carrying the sound of news simultaneously to thousands of listeners over long distances. Television and the Internet added impact.
A 4-D movie, I-Witness, plays in the Annenberg Theater (Level 1). This is a 3-D film with 4th-dimension special effects that recreate some of the most dramatic events in journalism. In addition to having better visual effects than the 3-D movies common in today's theaters, this theater is specifically set up with moving chairs and other "4-D" effects to enhance the moviegoers experience.
Greenspun Family Terrace - This terrace offers a panoramic view of one of the most famous streets in the United States. Have your cameras ready!
The Unabomber's Cabin - Ted Kaczynski's cabin is one of 200 artifacts featured in "G-Men and Journalists: Top News Stories of the FBI's First Century."
*Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery: Award-Winning Images and Photographers Who Took Them. This gallery features the most comprehensive collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs ever assembled as well as interviews with many of the photographers. (*includes some graphic images)
*9/11 Gallery: Chronicling an Attack on America - This gallery explores the horrendous events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the extraordinary challenges that faced the journalists trying to report the news to a shaken nation and world. (*includes some graphic images)

Newseum Insider Tips

Getting There: The Newseum is located between the U.S. Capitol and the White House and just one block from the National Mall. Take Metro to Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter (Green Line and Yellow Line ) or Judiciary Square (Red Line ).
Parental Advisory: This Museum is recommended for ages 7 and up. Some exhibits do contain upsetting or graphic content that may not be appropriate for younger or sensitive children. Specifically, we'd advise using good judgment with regard to the 9/11 Gallery (Level 4) and the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery (Level 1) both of which contain stunning images, but many of which were graphic in nature.
Navigating the Museum Layout - The museum has a recommended traffic pattern for its patrons (starting at the Concourse level to see exhibits and Orientation Theaters; take the impressive glass express elevator to Level 6 and view level by level back to the ground floor).
If you are not going to follow the recommended traffic pattern, you should definitely stop at the information desk first to find out the best way to get between the specific exhibits that you want to target. Otherwise your visit will become frustrating as the conventional elevators don't stop at all floors; the stairwells don't necessarily open at certain floors; (can't get there from here!) and there is no centralized staircase or escalator to go between all floors without walking through an entire exhibition level.
Discounts for military, college students, & AAA members are available at the admissions desk w/applicable ID.