From the street, the building always looked nice, but up close, it is really beautiful. Made of limestone and flanked by flowing water, it is a very serene and peaceful place.
We enjoyed walking around, catching snip-its of exhibits while entertaining a 3 year old. The Pacific Northwest, Mississippi Valley and Central America exhibits were especially interesting. They have a large collection of clay/terra cotta pieces and beautiful gold adornments and early coins, as well as weapons.
There was a great area dedicated to Mexico's Dias de las Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a custom I'm very interested in. Ceiba was able to see some history of her native Maya Indians, while we also heard of my Cherokee roots. Chris enjoyed pointing out which arrowheads were similar to those he'd found back in Illinois and Missouri. And the Tlingit and First Nations art and tools reminded us of our time in Alaska.
It's a great place to make you remember how much history and culture the Americas encompass.
This is one of my favorite Smithsonian museums. Did you get a chance to eat lunch there? YOu must try it out. The food is amazing and all regional.
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