USHMM Review

Have to agree with other users on their "security"-the worst attitudes of any in the DC area. Tickets are limited so don't try to walk in and visit. You will rudely be turned away. We went back the next day with tickets and the crowd was so overwhelming you could hardly move through the museum. What's the use of limiting tickets if they are going to pack the place to that point? Overall, very disappointed in this museum's operation.

A must see experience. Be prepared to spend several hours here, there is so much to see. It is a moving experience that you should see if you Vista Washington.

It's very nice, it has a lot of history but you feel very sorry to be in there, you feel a weight

Easy to maneuver and so much emotional packed into a museum. Might be my favorite.

Amazing and informational experience. I spent a good two-and-a-half hours here and skipped some of the reading and did not go to the kids section. This museum gives the points of view of almost every country involved in the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. There was lots of information here that I learned that was skipped or glossed over in my normal history class. The curators were very brave in depicting several countries complicity in this tragedy, including the United States.

The only downside was the museum was insanely crowded, especially at the front. Plan to get there early and miss these crowds.

Beautiful, painful, moving, inspiring! Four floors and I didn't get all the way through. It was emotional, but by the end you sort have hope for the future, and it definitely reaffirmed my commitment to helping communities affected by violence/ hate, because never again are words I intend to live by.

Great learning experience the exhibits were sad but historically perfect

The history is interesting my only complaint was the prices at the gift shop.

Not worth a visit ..! Security on the door exaggerated what I saw in all museums of America and the world .. People flown electrifying and reading some suspicious manner .. Unorganized nor the path of the wings scattered .. In short lie .. !!

Everyone should visit. It's a hard look into how horrible people can be to one another and a reminder to never do it again to anyone. Once you see the bad, you can strive for the good!

Enlightening experience that tells the sad story of The Holocaust. Educational and makes you reflect on how mankind can be so evil.

Quite an experience. Especially, to listen to Marcel Drimer, a Holocaust survivor.

A sad tribute to mans inhumanity, as well as some positive stories of liberators and risk takers to help restore your faith in people .

A sad but fantastic walk through a very awful time in history.

This is a living story, they should finance a documentary and spread it to the world so that everyone can see what happened so that no one denies it and never repeat it, it is a shockingly shocking place in emotional emotion.

Very well done and heart wrenching display. Everyone should visit this museum at least once in their life. Book ahead, tickets sell out way in advance. We were fortunate to get same day tickets first thing in the morning. Very glad we did.

Even if it was one of the darkest times of the 1900's, The Holocaust was an important event of history. This Museum shows just that along with stories from survivors of The Holocaust.

A solemn reminder that the attitudes we have toward other people can spiral into the darkest corners of the cellar of hatred. If you don't exit this museum a better human than you were when you entered, then you had your eyes closed. As well as your mind and your heart. A must-see. Short walls keep the worst of the video screens from children's view. A reflection room is available, in which there should be no talking. Photos are not allowed, but the gift shop has plenty of material available with pictures of the museum, and your purchase supports the museum.

This is definitely one of the most important museums that anyone in DC should go to. Admission to see general exhibitions is free, but what you really want to go for is the Permanent Exhibit. I can't even go on to explain how impactful that exhibition was. Make sure to buy Permanent Exhibit tickets before they sell out for the day!

Very emotional, this museum is well thought out. It Is definite a must see.

Unfortunately disappointed. Overly crowded. Space them out more. If you have read up on and watch documentaries on the holocaust, there is not much more to learn here. The shoes were haunting and the photos. Otherwise, I think my expectations were too high.

This museum is such a moving experience. It makes you feel like you are there while it is happening! It is excellently done. We discovered while we were there that you could get passes without waiting in the outside line if you are a veteran or active military. When you go in you are able to get passes to the upper level exhibits even if all passes had been given out because they reserve some for this purpose.

The holocaust was real and we can never forget. I went with a coworker who had no idea what it was really about. He is 25. Everyone should visit this museum and see what really happened.

The history is wonderful. It is very time consuming. They say 2 hours but if you're into the history and you take your time to read everything (which is a lot) it's closer to 3 1/2 hours, maybe 4. Definitely worth it.

Amazing exhibit
Everyone needs to go see it. Make sure you go early and spend 5-6 hours to truly see everything. Educational and eye opening. So much to learn!!

Not as interesting as I had hoped, but it was very sad.

Tickets sold out.. missed out on a lot. Was here before. Was worth the visit to the free sections, so children can learn about the Holocaust.

I visited the special exhibit. The tickets were free, easy to get and they let us choose what time worked best for us. Tickets are required for the special exhibit because of the fire code. The staff said they get upwards of 5 thousand visitors a day during peak tourist season. The special exhibit was incredible and unforgettable. I also visited the 2nd floor research area and staff helped me find and get free copies of documents about a relative of mine who died in the Holocaust. They gave me information about resources available to me to research other family members. I was referred by the 2nd floor research staff to the 5th floor archives. They told me about the research opportunities available to me in the archives and library. I was able to get the information I need to use the Holocaust museum's online research and archive materials and how to request materials and research in their library on my next DC visit. The staff were all amazing, from the cafe to the librarians, I thank them all so much for making my visit unforgettable.

Go and have your mind opened and heart touched by not just the stories, exhibits, photos, and people but by those who survived. Too soon they will not be around to tell speak to you, answer questions, or be the living legacy.

Hard to say I loved this, but it was one of the most worthwhile things we did in DC

At first didn't think there was much there until we found a line to go in to an exhibit . Had to get tickets to see the exhibit. 4 floors of items from the Holocaust. We had a little bit of time but could have spent hours in it. It was very crowded at first and they probably shouldn't allow so many in at once. Also liked the children's exhibit for my kids to see it from a more relatable perspective. Well done

Been here twice. If u love history, this is one of the better museum in the area.

If you're a emotional person you're going to cry. Our history is truly awful, but it's a lesson that needs to be learned.

This memorial is as gripping, graphic, and grief-inducing as you may expect. The museum covers the rise of Nazi Germany and antisemitism in the 1930s through the establishment of labor/extermination camps and eventual liberation. Many videos and images are graphic and entirely uncensored. The exhibit is educational and moving, and presents an eternally valuable political message. The Holocaust museum is a must-see!

While visiting DC don't skip this Museum. The history of this place is incredible.

Very organised it is very informative. I liked the fact that they also have a section for the prevention of genocide. In the museum there is a section that shows the other disgraces around the word regardless of religion and in a non-political way. Excellent experience. You must see this museum.

It tells the history. I didn't find the staff to be too helpful about directing you where to go. I was not sure where the tour was to start. Also the first hall was so narrow and packed with people it was stifling. If someone where to tell fire someone would have been trampled. But that could have been the feeling they were going for though.

A impressive museum about a terrible period of our history.

EVERY high school student (really everyone) should experience it but give it @ least 2 days.

It was very educational, emotional, and very crowded i think they should send in small groups at a time, because allowing everyone to go in at the same time gets very congested. People are trying to read every picture and every one is on top of every one and some are trying to move along but sometimes it was difficult to do so. But i got to say over all i really enjoyed my experience. This is my second time here and it has definitely been updated and i loved it.

We listened to an 80 year old survivor and toured the museum. One of my favorite places in DC. They have done a great job with this one!

This a museum you will have to visit. You will have to get a ticket to get in during this time period due to the crowd this museum attracts. The tour will take a long time if you want to take in the history of that period. I thought I knew about this period thru studying history, but this tour will open your eyes to the horrors of that period.

Excellent, sobering experience. You absolutely need to see the main (permanent) exhibition. The memorial, etc. are only a very small portion of this museum. You will need to register for tickets (typically online) to ensure that you can go through the permanent exhibition - this is to prevent the museum from exceeding it's capacity, and allow visitors to safely and comfortably experience this well done exhibition. Depending on how busy it is, tickets may be immediately available to military, police, and ems personnel, and their group. It would seem like one of the previous reviewers did not know about the tickets, and never went through the museum's primary, centerpiece exhibit. They mentioned only seeing Daniel's story, the memorial, and the Syria exhibits. It would appear that they missed the permanent exhibition which constitutes the vast majority of this museum.

Words cannot describe how heartbreaking the exhibits in this museum are. A friend and I came to this museum out of curiosity and my God am I glad we did. Bring tissue and be ready to delve into a dark place, while at the same time admiring the strength of those that survived.

Exceeded my expectations! A great museum looking back on a sad part of history. Expect to spend a few hours going through exhibits

Very informative to learn how other cultures suffered just like the African slaves.

You must visit this powerful museum and memorial when you're in DC.

Amazing and sad museum. Really hard to get through this one. A must see for any visitor.

Very informative. Certainly a difficult experience seeing what happened during the Holocaust. There are 4 floors so wear comfortable shoes, and make sure to begin on the top floor and work your way down! The bottom floor is always changing which exhibit is being shown. Word of caution, not a suitable place for young children. Most gruesome things to see are hidden behind a barrier but some things are not.

Very sad everything those people went through ... definitely regrettable and painful.

My daughter insisted we visit this place. We only did the Daniels Story child friendly section and it was amazing. I would love to return and do the rest.

First time ever going to the Holocaust museum. Very somber and at times a very overwhelming experience. So much information, to read, watch and look at. The photos are just heart wrenching to say the least. It's makes you really think how such horrible things actually went on and how many despicable people carried out these actrocities. The displays were so well done and you actually get the feel for what it was like for these poor souls. Left with a very sad feeling, but grateful to be able to have a better understanding of what the Holocaust was really about..

Its was so inpiring and emotional great place to visit while in DC

The shear amount of history held within this museum is incredible. I have always been interested in learning about the World Wars and this place gives so much information it is unbelievable. I will say, however, that it can be a bit overwhelming at points, especially for those with weak stomach's. Overall I was thrilled with the chance to experience this sobering museum and learn so much in such a short period of time.

Worst layout and rudest customer service ever. No crowd control and nasty staff. What a disgrace.

The entire collection, documentaries, videos is a plunge into history.

How can you explain everything in one building? Don't rush this experience. Take breaks, it can be overwhelming. I visited with a group of students. At the entrance pick up a card to learn about one of those who lived then. Amazingly one of our students had the info card for one of the volunteers, so she was able to learn first hand more than the card told.

Very humbling experience and lots of history in the museum!

In 2019 the museum becomes the focul ooint for not only for the past but for present and future too. Main point we need to change.

Extremely informative. This museum is one of the best in D.C. It is free (sometimes you do need tickets) and located just off the Mall. You can get through this in 2-3 hours. I recommend taking Smithsonian Metro station, or if you're on the mall somewhere, you can take the Circulator bus to it. When you arrive, you will be directed up to the top floor. Make sure to grab an 'identification card', you'll see what I mean when you get there. The content is great for history buffs and people who may not know a lot of details about the Holocaust alike. While this museum is open to everyone, I recommend personal discretion when it comes to children under the age 7. It is very educational but can be scary at times just purely due to photos and content, not to mention mood lighting and presentation. However, this is a must-see for anyone in the D.C. area with some time.

Very interesting museum a must for remembering history's darkest moments