Exterior photo of Bridge of Democracy at the National WWII Museum

Museum Campus Guide

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations can understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Through exhibits, multimedia experiences, and thousands of personal accounts, the Museum takes visitors on an immersive tour of World War II in every theater of war.

A world of history awaits your discovery—welcome to your WWII journey.

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Building 1

Louisiana Memorial Pavilion

Start your visit in the Museum’s original pavilion, which features the Museum's original D-Day exhibit, the story of the war experienced on the Home Front, macro-artifacts, special temporary exhibits, and the L.W. "Pete" Kent Train Car Experience—the perfect place to begin your journey into the WWII story.

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  • Exhibit

    The Arsenal of Democracy

    Opened June 2017 in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, The Arsenal of Democracy: The Herman and George R. Brown Salute to the Home Front tells the story of the road to war and the Home Front, drawing on personal narratives and evocative artifacts to highlight facets of WWII-era American life through an experiential narrative.

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  • Exhibit

    The Go for Broke Spirit: Legacy in Portraits

    A selection of photographer Shane Sato’s powerful portraits of Japanese American veterans of World War II are showcased in The Joe W. and Dorothy D. Brown Foundation Special Exhibit Gallery from June 30, 2023, through March 31, 2024.

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  • Exhibit

    Malcolm S. Forbes Rare and Iconic Artifacts Gallery

    The newly renovated Malcolm S. Forbes Rare and Iconic Artifacts Gallery provides a new opportunity for the Museum to highlight hidden gems from its vast collection of more than a quarter of a million objects and a wealth of archival materials and oral histories—only a small percentage of which can be displayed at any one time.

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Building 2

Solomon Victory Theater

See, hear, and feel the epic story of World War II in the exclusive 4D experience Beyond All Boundaries, narrated by Tom Hanks.

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  • Beyond All Boundaries

    Beyond All Boundaries, showing exclusively in The National WWII Museum’s Solomon Victory Theater, is a 4D journey through the war that changed the world. This Museum-produced experience is narrated by executive producer Tom Hanks, with Phil Hettema serving as show producer and creative director. Beyond All Boundaries features dazzling effects, CGI animation, multilayered environments, and first-person accounts from the trenches to the Home Front read by Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Gary Sinise, Patricia Clarkson, Wendell Pierce, and more.

     

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Building 3

Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters

Follow in the footsteps of the citizen soldier in 360-degree displays that take visitors through key settings in World War II. The galleries serve as an immersive timeline and provide a servicemember's view of the war.

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  • Exhibit

    Road to Tokyo

    Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries retraces the grueling trail that led from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay by way of New Guinea and Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, Burma, the islands of the Pacific, China, India, and Alaska.

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  • Exhibit

    Road to Berlin

    Road to Berlin brings to life the drama, sacrifices, personal stories, and strategies of America’s campaign to defeat the Axis powers and preserve freedom.

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Dining

The American Sector Restaurant & Bar

Enjoy victory with every bite with our victory garden-to-table menu for lunch. Open daily from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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Building 4

Liberation Pavilion

Complete your journey through The National WWII Museum by exploring the end of World War II, the Holocaust, the postwar years, and how the war continues to impact our lives today over two floors of exhibit space. Don’t miss a brand-new cinematic experience in the rotating third-floor theater.

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  • Finding Hope in a World Destroyed

    The first-floor galleries, In Honor of David W. Trott Finding Hope in a World Destroyed, honor the sacrifices of the WWII generation and explores the immense cost of war with exhibits on the Holocaust, Anne Frank, faith in wartime, and the Monuments Men and Women. Stories of both loss and liberation reveal the true horror of the conflict as victors and vanquished alike began the tough task of rebuilding their shattered world.

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  • Forces of Freedom at Home and Abroad: 1945–Present

    The second floor of Liberation Pavilion, The Goldring Family Foundation and Woldenberg Foundation Forces of Freedom at Home and Abroad (1945–Present), explores the war’s impact in the postwar period and its lasting legacies today. Exhibits examine the rebuilding efforts of a world destroyed, the war crimes trials, the emergence of the United States as a world “superpower,” movements for social change and civil rights, new technological innovations, and the war’s impact on foreign policy.

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  • The Priddy Family Foundation Freedom Theater

    The Priddy Family Foundation Freedom Theater on the third floor of Liberation Pavilion offers audiences a multimedia experience focused on what was at stake during World War II and the meaning of Allied victory. The production, developed by The Hettema Group, highlights how freedom almost vanished from the world in the 1930s and 1940s, efforts to protect and promote freedom during and after World War II, and how each generation has a responsibility to defend democracy, protect freedom, and advance human rights. At a pivotal moment in the show, the theater audience platform itself rotates.

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Building 5

US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center

Stand beside ground-level tanks and trucks to view WWII airplanes—or brave sky-high catwalks for an up-close look. Exhibits describe the history and production of war machines and honor service in every branch of the military.

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  • The George H.W. Bush Aviation Gallery

    From his tours of duty as a US Navy lieutenant during World War II to his term as President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush inspired generations of Americans through his lifetime of service. As a prominent and lasting tribute in his honor, the George H.W. Bush Aviation Gallery—located in the airspace of our US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center—features six fully restored iconic WWII warbirds, including a General Motors TBM Avenger like Bush flew as the youngest pilot in the Navy at that time.

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  • Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience

    Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience places visitors aboard the most successful submarine in World War II for its fifth and final war patrol on October 25, 1944. Guests relive the last epic battle of the USS Tang and feel a deeper appreciation for the bravery and sacrifice of those who served in the intense, confined world of underwater warfare.

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  • Vehicles of War

    From the iconic Jeep to the ubiquitous Sherman, Allied forces depended upon the vehicles that American assembly lines produced. The Vehicles of War exhibit focuses on the equipment that was an integral part of daily life in World War II—often making the difference between life and death for the troops they served.

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  • What Would You Do?

    Designed for up to 36 visitors at a time to participate, What Would You Do? presents difficult decisions faced by real people during World War II.

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Building 6

Hall of Democracy

The Hall of Democracy represents the center of the Museum’s expanding educational outreach initiatives—providing a space that will enable the institution to share its collections, oral histories, research, and expertise with audiences across the world.

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  • Exhibit

    Our War Too: Women in Service

    Our War Too: Women in Service, a groundbreaking special exhibit honoring the nearly 350,000 American women who answered the call to serve their country during World War II, is on display in the Senator John Alario, Jr. Special Exhibition Hall from November 11, 2023, through July 21, 2024.

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Capital Campaign

The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center

The official Hotel of The National WWII Museum, this stunning art-deco style property offers first-class accommodations, meeting spaces, and dining options providing a sophisticated lodging experience for guests.

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Building 7

John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion

Temporarily Closed

Get an up-close view at some of the Museum's extensive collection of macro-artifacts, and learn how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) helped solve some of World War II's toughest problems. 

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Museum Campus

Founders Plaza

Take a break from touring in the peaceful setting of Founders Plaza, at the center of the Museum's campus.

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Capital Campaign

Bollinger Canopy of Peace

The Bollinger Canopy of Peace spans across The National WWII Museum’s architecturally distinctive campus—visually unifying the Museum’s pavilions and the many stories shared within, while also honoring the American spirit that brought the nation together to defeat tyranny during World War II.

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