National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened in 2016, is the newest Smithsonian museum on the Mall and one of the most significant. It documents African American history from the era of slavery through the Civil Rights Movement to the present, and does so with emotional directness and historical depth that are unusual in a national museum.

The underground levels, which explore slavery and its aftermath, are the most affecting — particularly the reconstructed slave cabin from a South Carolina plantation and the section documenting lynching. The upper levels cover the Harlem Renaissance, jazz, civil rights, sports, and contemporary culture. Timed entry passes are required and run out quickly — book months in advance at si.edu. Free admission.

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The museum's building, designed by David Adjaye, is clad in a bronze-coloured latticed exterior based on the ironwork of enslaved craftsmen in the American South — a deliberate reference to the history the museum documents. The corona shape of the exterior is derived from a Yoruba crown. It is one of the most architecturally significant buildings constructed in Washington in the 21st century.

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