National Museum of American History

　　Guided Tour
　　From the National Mall, you enter the museum directly onto the second-floor hall. In the center of the hall hangs a large Foucault pendulum suspended from the ceiling, a replica of the one displayed at the 1851 Paris International Exposition by the United States. On the main wall of the hall is a giant painted American flag. Visitors first step into a small screening room where a short film introduces rural life in the American East Coast—then still British colonies, known as “New England”—from 1780 to 1800. From near the Washington statue, you can go up to the third floor, which features exhibits on the armed forces, coins, textiles, and a precious collection of about 75,000 stamps and paper currency. Introduction The National Museum of American History has been open to the public free of charge since 1964. It is a rectangular five-story white marble building that houses many extremely important artifacts in American history, such as the desk used by Jefferson when drafting the Declaration of Independence and the world’s first telephone invented by Bell. By the 1990s, the museum’s collection had reached 16 million items. Transportation Fee: Free. Admission/Ticketing & Opening Hours Fee: Free. Opening Hours: Daily from 10:00 to 17:30, closed on Christmas Day.

　　 Washington, D.C.