Indigenous Peoples' Day at the National Museum of the American Indian

A Free Holiday Morning on the Mall

Monday, October 12, is Indigenous Peoples' Day, and a lot of kids around here are home from school. The National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall fits the day well. It's free, it's open 10 to 5:30, and it has a hands-on activity center built for kids.

That space is the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on the third level, open 10 to 5. It's made for kids 10 and under, with hands-on activities about Native innovations. Space inside is limited, so on a holiday I'd go early and head there first, before the rest of the building.

One thing I want to be upfront about: when I checked the museum's calendar, I didn't find a special Indigenous Peoples' Day program at the DC museum this year. So treat this as a regular museum day, with the holiday as the reason to go and a good starting point for a conversation with your kids. The museum says activity center hours can change, so look at its website the morning you go. When everyone needs to run, the Mall is right outside.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Go early. The activity center has limited space.
• ✓Head to the third level first. That's where imagiNATIONS is.
• ✓Check the hours that morning. The museum notes the activity center schedule can change.
• ✓Talk about the day. The holiday gives you a natural way to start the conversation.
• ✓Run it off outside. The National Mall is right out the front door.