Brandon Harpold

Review of USHMM

The Holocaust museum is not for the faint of heart...

The Holocaust museum is not for the faint of heart. If you are on family vacation or with a school field trip this is not the museum to attend if you want to keep things casual and fun. This is not to say that you should skip this museum but to understand what you are getting yourself into if you do go.

Given the gravitas of the subject matter this place will leave a sinking feeling in your gut, but I find that it is necessary to see to remind ourselves of the atrocities that were committed not so long ago.

As far as practicality goes I suggest not trying to read everything and to move at a decent pace. If you do try to stop at every plaque you will likely wear yourself out on all the reading and get tired from standing still. Wear comfortable shoes and keep moving and maybe spend a lot of time at a few things instead of a little time at a lot of things. This museum is quite extensive and it is easy to spend over 3 hours inside so plan ahead to make sure you eat before and have food plans afterward.

My favorite parts were actually at the end where there are exhibits on the heroes of the Holocaust and video interviews of survivors. Try to save some energy to fully enjoy those.