We had some extra time in between activities and decided to go to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights in person. The line wasn't very long a… Full review by Kate S
Mar 9, 2024
This is amazing. But there are pros and cons. Pros: •Has the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the deed to the staute of liberty. •It's great. •It's free. Cons:… Full review by E4741QJcassies
Mar 1, 2024
Even though the museum is under renovation this is a must see. The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, & The Bill of Rights! So powerful to see them in person. Make sure to make a free re… Full review by Car7177
My questions are Are the staff (security guard /special police) of this place friendly to foreigners? Are foreigners not welcomed at this place? The reason I am asking these questions is because of the reviews here. I am planning a family trip to the National Archives Museum. We are from a foreign country where English is our second language. My family members and I read the reviews here. It seems foreigners were not treated well here. In one of the reviews, a foreigner did not violate any regulation, but one of the security guards threatened to toss this foreigner out of the museum. Another reviewer, we think he is a foreigner, or looks like a foreigner. The moment he entered the gift shop, a security guard yelled at him, "Do not touch anything if you not going to buy. If you not going to buy anything, you shouldn't be in here!" But he just got into the gift shop and did nothing, why all the yelling? In other reviews, similar to the previous two, security guard yelled at foreigners a lot. It seems that foreigners are presumed guilty of something. Should we skip this place? Or, if we decided to visit this place, what should we prepare? What should we do to please security guards here?
A:
I did not find this to be the case at all and I am sorry to hear other people had this experience. All though there were several of the guards who had ‘mean’ looks on their faces, I found …
I did not find this to be the case at all and I am sorry to hear other people had this experience. All though there were several of the guards who had ‘mean’ looks on their faces, I found them all to be nice when I asked a question. Their main job is to keep people from taking photographs of the documents because they are so worn and hard to read from years of photography and traveling to get where they are in the archives. I really encourage you to go to the archives. It holds some truly amazing documents from the past, including the Magna Carta from the 13th century. Put your camera away in this building and enjoy. Like all the other Smithsonian museums, it’s free to get inside. Enjoy your trip to DC. It’s a lovely city and overall, the people are very kind. If you have time, take the moonlight monument tour with Sam and Sal tours. The tour guide is from Africa so English was not his first language either. He was a great guide and it was a fantastic tour that is away from all the crowds. I hope you have an amazing time!
What makes the Special Police so special here? Why many reviewers experienced rudeness and condescension of the special police officers at security checkpoint, rotunda, exhibitions, and the gift shop since 2009? Are most of the special police officers trained to treat museum visitors with rudeness and condescension? One of the reviewers mentioned military honor guards. Can you still see them at this facility?
A:
I travel a great deal and it never ceases to amaze me how difficult tourists/visitors can be. My guess is that their demeanor is really needed to make sure that rules are followed. SO …
I travel a great deal and it never ceases to amaze me how difficult tourists/visitors can be. My guess is that their demeanor is really needed to make sure that rules are followed. SO many people want to create their own rules. I have found that if you are pleasant, you will be treated fairly.
Mar 9, 2024
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