National Museum of the American Indian Reviews Summary

Exhibits and Collections

Pros:

• "The T.C. Canon exhibit was incredible, and we spent most of our time there."
• "Beautiful native American artifacts and contemporary arts are displayed."
• "They also have a large museum stop/gallery shop with amazing unique pieces for sale."
• "The architecture is breathtaking, reminiscent of iconic buildings like the New York Public Library."
• "There was a good modern exhibition as well as an excellent gallery that highlights all the indigenous peoples across the Americas."
• "The museum houses tastefully showcased Native American art and history that we don't get taught in school."
• "The museum offers a profound and immersive experience that invites visitors to explore the history, art, and contributions of Native American communities."

Cons:

• "I was actually disappointed with my visit to this museum."
• "The exhibition turned out to be really small; we walked around all the halls in about an hour."
• "Considering the timeline and history of indigenous peoples on this continent….this museum is very underwhelming."
• "It's just a tiny museum, not an airport."
• "There should NOT be a whole wing dedicated to prejudiced stereotypes in media."
• "Hides lots of details especially the part of the killings of the natives. Literally no information on that."
• "But my biggest problem with the museum is there's next to no actual historical information about the native americans."

Staff and Security

Pros:

• "The museum staff were wonderful. We loved meeting Angela Lamphere (AKA Blue Sky Woman) who shared fascinating insights and stories with great warmth and charisma."
• "Security and staff were nice and informative."
• "The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and kind."
• "The staff is helpful and they greet you kindly."
• "The staff were extremely helpful and kind."
• "Very friendly staff."
• "The staff were all really friendly and one talked to me about what happened during the summer of 1779 in Long Island."

Cons:

• "I just didn’t like the security guards from the 1st level, the same people who are in the airports, arrogant and unkind."
• "They are thieves and must be very underpaid if they have the need to steal from the lost and found."
• "The staff is awful."
• "Security there is terrible. They look like they hate working there, and the guy at the security check seems to look for confrontations."
• "The people that work here always look like they hate working there for the officers that manage the metal detector to the security that walk around."
• "And the museum security is really not very friendly."
• "The museum was quite nice, clean and informative. The only downside is that one of the security guards was extremely abrasive and aggressive."

Accessibility and Facilities

Pros:

• "They do have two restrooms, the larger is to the right of the entrance."
• "There is also a scavenger hunt for the Infinity of Nations area on the second floor."
• "Easy public transportation...right in front of the Bowling Green (4/5) train station."
• "The interactive room is open for all ages, although kids may find it most enjoyable."
• "If you have kids (and even if you don't), check out the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on the first floor."
• "An elevator is also available if one doesn’t wish to climb the entrance staircase."
• "Accessible to wheel chair and strollers. Restrooms are available inside."

Cons:

• "They don’t provide a map or any sort of website or app showing what is displayed."
• "The building is quite warm and it feels like the HVAC is under-sized."
• "Parking, as expected, is tough in the area."
• "However there’s a few exhibits where the audio doesn’t work."
• "No place to sit and relax. No cafe."
• "There are signs stating food and drinks aren't allowed. There is no bag/coat check that I know of."
• "Waiting and going through the metal detector wasn't fun."

Value and Experience

Pros:

• "A surprising perk is that it is free to visit."
• "Entrance is FREE all day and every day."
• "This place is awesome! You can literally spend a whole day here, they have many things to see and learn about."
• "The best thing about it is that it’s FREE."
• "Free admission is always a plus, especially for such a great museum!"
• "Admission is free."
• "It's completely free which is always nice."

Cons:

• "It's sad how low this museum. OK, it's free - but I was really disappointed."
• "This place just has bad energy since we’ve been going here."
• "It's a really small museum and you learn nothing about the history of native American people."
• "There is not much to see here and you will finish touring the entire building in 1.5 to 2 hours."
• "Not because of the subject matter or the building itself, but because of the people working here and how miserable they are."
• "We found this museum to be quite lame."
• "I'm honestly a bit disappointed. I was hoping it would be at least as good as it's sister museum in DC, but they're just not a whole lot there!"