How the American History Museum Is Celebrating Its 60th Birthday This January

Events include chamber music and a special vegan menu

December 18, 2023

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY
The National Museum of American History turns 60 this month! The museum was dedicated on Jan. 22, 1964, as the Museum of History and Technology. President Lyndon B. Johnson presided over the ceremony and the museum opened to the public the next day. “New Smithsonian Unit to be a Palace of Progress,” was one news headline. The museum was officially renamed in 1980. For more information on the museum’s history, visit the museum’s website.

CHAMBER MUSIC

Smithsonian Chamber Music Society Presents:
Masterworks of Five Centuries
St. Mark's Capitol Hill, 301 A St SE, Washington, D.C. 
Sun. Jan. 28, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Kenneth Slowik, marks the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schönberg's birth, presenting Béla Bartók’s “Rumanian Folk Dances,” Sz.56; Florence Price’s “Andante moderato”; Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Quartetto serioso,” Op. 95, in an arrangement by Gustav Mahler; and Schönberg’s “Verklärte Nacht,” Op. 4.
To purchase tickets:  https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/scms-masterworks-1P0823 
Members $30; Nonmembers $35

VISITING

What to know: 
The museum is open seven days a week, except Dec. 25, between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, and passes are not required. For more information, go to https://americanhistory.si.edu/visit

Food:
The Eat at America’s Table Cafe is open for complete food and beverage service, offering a Vegan New Year’s Resolutions menu in January, designed by Executive Chef Kyre Rochon. Alongside favorites such burgers, hotdogs and fried chicken, specials will include vegan Shepherd’s Pie, Smoked Tofu, Grilled Mushrooms, Zucchini Fritters, Tricolor Cauliflower Salad, Beetroot Panzanella Salad and Avocado Chocolate Pudding. The Leroy Neiman Jazz Cafe offers light lunch, delicious pastries and hot or cold beverages. For more information, visit the website.

Brightly colored cooked vegetables including carrots, cabbage, potatoes and broccoli

Bottled water is allowed in the museum. We recommend bringing a refillable water bottle to use at fountains.
Stores: Open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History seeks to empower people to create a more just and compassionate future by examining, preserving and sharing the complexity of our past. The museum, located on Constitution Avenue N.W., between 12th and 14th streets, is open daily except Dec. 25 between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. The doors of the museum are always open online and the virtual museum continues to expand its offerings, including online exhibitions, K–12 educational materials and programs. The public can follow the museum on social media via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information, go to https://americanhistory.si.edu. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.