National Archives

The National Archives holds the original documents of American democracy — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — displayed in a dim, cathedral-like rotunda in a sealed helium-filled case that protects them from further deterioration. The building on Constitution Avenue is John Russell Pope's neoclassical masterpiece, completed in 1935.

The document displays draw the largest crowds, but the Archives also holds research collections of extraordinary breadth: census records, immigration records, military service records, and diplomatic correspondence. For genealogical research, it is one of the most important repositories in the country. Free admission; advance timed entry recommended in peak season.

things to do sight museum the national mall
A story
The Declaration of Independence is displayed in the Rotunda at the National Archives — but the document that most visitors see is badly faded, barely legible. What no one tells you is that there is a second copy of the Declaration, signed by 56 delegates, displayed in the same room. This one is the cleaner copy, though still 18th century. The original was exposed to light for decades before proper conservation became a priority.

Other places in Things to Do