The National WWII Museum facts for kids

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The National WWII Museum

Main Entrance
Former name	D-Day Museum
Established	June 6, 2000
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Type	Military history museum
Visitors	706,664 (2017)

The National WWII Museum is a museum about military history. It's in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. It used to be called the National D-Day Museum.

This museum shows how the United States helped the Allies win World War II. It opened in 2000. In 2004, the U.S. Congress officially named it America's National WWII Museum. It is also connected to the Smithsonian Institution, which is a famous group of museums and research centers. The museum's main goal is to share the American experience during World War II.

History of the Museum
What You Can See at the Museum
The Museum and New Orleans
Gallery
- Airplanes
See also

History of the Museum

The museum is partly located in an old building called the Weckerling Brewery. This building was made new and opened as the D-Day Museum on June 6, 2000. This date was the 56th anniversary of D-Day. The first exhibits focused on the water invasion of Normandy.

Higgins Industries designed, built, and tested special boats called Higgins Boats in New Orleans. These boats were very important for water landings during the war. Because of this, New Orleans was a perfect place for the museum. Also, a famous historian and author named Stephen Ambrose lived in New Orleans. He helped start the museum. Ambrose also wrote a book called D-Day in 1994. It described the plans for Operation Neptune, which happened on June 6, 1944. All these reasons helped the museum start in New Orleans.

What You Can See at the Museum

The museum has grown a lot since it first opened. It now has many different buildings and exhibits. These include the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, the Solomon Victory Theater, and the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center. There are also the Campaigns of Courage pavilions. A new building, the Liberation Pavilion, is being built.

Louisiana Memorial Pavilion

In the main area of the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, you can see several airplanes. These include a Supermarine Spitfire and a Douglas C-47 Skytrain hanging from the ceiling. A "Higgins boat" (LCVP) is also usually on display here. The exhibits in this part of the museum show the water landings in Europe. They also show what people did at home to help the war effort. This pavilion also has changing exhibits and an interactive train car. This train car is part of a bigger "Dog Tag Experience" that opened in 2013.

This part of the museum has several permanent exhibits. These include the Home Front, Planning for D-Day, and the D-Day Beaches. On the third floor, you can get a closer look at the hanging airplanes.

US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center

In January 2013, the museum opened the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center. This is the biggest building on the campus. Here, you can see many famous aircraft. These include a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber. You can also see a Douglas SBD Dauntless, a Grumman TBF Avenger, and a North American P-51 Mustang. There's also a Vought F4U Corsair.

A cool part of this pavilion is an interactive submarine experience. It's based on the last mission of the USS Tang. The B-17E airplane here is famous. It's called My Gal Sal. This plane was lost over Greenland and found 53 years later!

Campaigns of Courage Pavilion

In December 2014, the museum opened the Road to Berlin part of the Campaigns of Courage pavilion. This section focuses on the war in Europe. A Messerschmitt Bf 109 airplane hangs in this building. The Road to Tokyo part of this pavilion opened in 2015. This section focuses on the war in the Pacific. Both parts of this pavilion are very large.

Other Exhibits and Activities

In June 2017, a new exhibit called The Arsenal of Democracy opened. It is in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. This exhibit shows what life was like on the home front during the war.

The museum also plans to open the Liberation Pavilion. This pavilion will explore the meaning of freedom. It will also show how World War II still affects us today.

The museum has interactive exhibits where you use a "dog tag." You get this dog tag when you enter. Each dog tag represents a real person who helped in the war. You can learn about their journey as you go through the exhibits. These interactive exhibits include Road to Tokyo, Road to Berlin, and The D-Day Invasion of Normandy. There is also the U.S. Merchant Marine Gallery. Each exhibit is designed to feel like the place or topic it covers.

Planning Your Visit

You can buy tickets for the museum online or at the door. Children under 5 and World War II veterans get in for free. There are also special prices for seniors, college students, and active military members. General admission costs $30.00. The museum also offers extra activities like guided tours. These have different prices.

Visitors should plan to spend about 2.5 to 3 hours at the museum. When you arrive, you can board a train simulation. This train ride shows what it was like for soldiers going off to war. Your interactive dog tag helps you follow a specific person's story.

After the train ride, you can explore the museum. An amazing 4-D movie, Beyond All Boundaries, is shown in the Solomon Victory Theater. It gives you a great overview of the war. Many exhibits also have videos of veterans sharing their stories. The museum has two restaurants: the American Sector Restaurant & Bar and the Soda Shop.

The museum also has fun events. It sponsors a wargaming club and holds a wargame convention each year. It also hosts a robotics challenge using Lego Mindstorms. There's even a World War II-themed quiz bowl tournament. This tournament is shown on TV in New Orleans.

The Museum and New Orleans

Artillery and a "Higgins Boat" on display in the museum lobby

The museum closed for three months after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005. It reopened on December 3, 2005. A banner at the museum said "We Have Returned." This phrase was made famous by General Douglas MacArthur. He said it when he returned to the Philippines in 1944.

The museum has been working on a big expansion project called The Road to Victory. This project has helped more people visit the museum. The Solomon Victory Theater and American Sector restaurant opened in 2009. The John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion opened in 2011. The US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center opened in 2013. The first part of the Campaigns of Courage pavilion opened in 2014. The second part, Road to Tokyo, opened in 2015. The last part of the expansion will be the Liberation Pavilion. This big project is expected to finish in 2022.

More and more people visit the museum each year. In 2010, about 400,000 people visited. By 2016, nearly 700,000 people visited. The museum helps the economy of Louisiana a lot. It brings in about $132 million every year. It is also one of the biggest employers in New Orleans. It directly supports 300 jobs and helps create 142 more jobs.