Step through the doors of this majestic neoclassical building, often called a temple to American history. Follow your guide into the National Archives Rotunda to learn about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution while standing before these remarkably preserved documents. Alongside the Bill of Rights and Federalist Papers, you’ll see signatures from famous statesmen such as Alexander Hamilton. Next, explore the Public Vaults Exhibits, where letters from presidents including George Washington and John F. Kennedy are on display. Learn about the Emancipation Proclamation and its role in ending slavery, then see documents connected to the Civil Rights Movement, including a citation issued to Rosa Parks. Finally, in the Rubenstein Gallery, examine the 1297 Magna Carta. Written centuries before the founding of the United States, it profoundly influenced many of the historic documents housed in the National Archives today.
Good communication from the guide who was early. Very knowledgeable and enjoyable. I would recommend giving yourself time after the tour to visit exhibits that were not highlighted on the tour
Annemarie was so knowledgeable and gave us all the details
Annmarie did a fantastic job with the tour! We all learned so much!
Our guide, Brenda, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It was a rainy day and I’m so thankful we were able to skip the long line and get inside. We were able to see the main points of interest in a short period of time and hear some interesting stories about how these important documents were acquired.
Alan was an excellent tour guide and extremely knowledgeable & well prepared! He seemed to enjoy what he does and gave us a summary of our tour, a map of the mall and list of restaurants ect. We definitely will sign up for his Arlington Tour next time.
Allen was Great! Very knowledgeable and personable. We were able to move quickly to all the main historical documents while still being allowed to take time to fully appreciate them. He was spot on with his recommendations on things to do after our tour was over. And we can’t thank him enough for the map he gave us. It helped us move about to see all the things we planned for the day. Thank you again!
This museum is So Much More than the Constitution and Declaration of Independence! You could easily spend several hours here and having a knowledgeable guide to hit the highlights was Fantastic. Rebecca really knew her history and was very dramatic in telling the story behind many great documents and paintings etc. Highly recommend!
We are so glad we did this guided tour rather than attempting to navigate the Archives by ourselves. Our guide, Rebecca, was an awesome historian who made the documents come alive and knew just which ones to highlight. She was genuinely enthusiastic and brought humor to the history as well. Highly recommend.
Jim was an awesome guide. He was so friendly and knowledgeable. He took us to the most important things first so we had quiet time to enjoy before it became busy which was great!
Annemarie was an amazing guide. She was very knowledgeable and personable. She told us things that we didn’t know about existed. We would definitely recommend her as a guide. We would book her again on any other tours as well
Kate, our guide, was amazing! Very knowledgeable, nice and got us to the rotunda first!!! Great time!!!
Our Tour Guide AnneMarie was great. She knew pretty much everything. Took us to all of the different areas and explained everything. Answered our questions as well. Well worth it if you’re interested in hearing all the history and little details that you would miss if you were doing it on your own.
Paul our guide was Amazing!!! So informative and smart and make the tour so fun and engaging!!! Highly recommend him
Kate, our guide, was wonderful. Made it to the archives and got a lot of history and really great views of the documents. Then toured the supporting museums below. Once again, Kate was really great. Get this tour!
Lead up to the tour was fine. The weather was hot. We thought we had adequately prepared with water. We were told we couldn’t bring full water bottles into the visitor center, and that we should make sure that we finished our water before we got to the stairs. And ended up having to declare a medical emergency for my partner due to heat because she had no water standing in full sun for almost an hour. A number of people in our party were really struggling with the situation. Would’ve been better if we had been told to make sure we had finished our water by the time we reached the door.
Kate was great! Got us into the Archive rotunda before anyone else! We had plenty of space and time with the documents. She knew her history and shared wonderful information and interesting facts with us about them.
Great view form the top of the monument. The timed ticket was honored on time and no waiting. Visitors are limited so there is pleanty of room to take in the views from all the windows. Security is a bit disorganized as there is very little room to collect your items after scanning. Would do this activity again.
Allen was a great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about the history behind the exhibits. It was very well done.
Our tour guide, Maribeth Oakes, was above excellent! She was a wealth of knowledge and so great in explaining everything as we went through the National Archives. I thought she was a history teacher, since she knew so much about the history with the documents. Also, she was great in helping the four of us in our tour (one couple did not show up) to get any documents downloaded from the museum's archives if we wanted them. Please let her know how wonderful she is as a tour guide! Deborah & Chuck Gamber
Allen was awesome. Worth the price and then some. Learned things that are cool and fascinating that we didn’t get in school. Book and ask for Allen- you’ll be glad you did!
I visited D.C. with my teenage daughter. We booked Allen for a tour of the National Archives. Walking in solo and looking around is fine. But with Allen you will discover and understand things about the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and one of our personal favorites of the trip the Magna Carta. The history of which you will not believe, very impressive. Allen was amazing. Book it. Worth so much more than the fee.
Amazing tour! Maribeth was the best; a wealth of knowledge & so pleasant!
Great experience and the tour guide was very good and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend this tour.
Great tour! Skipped the long long timed entry line on July 3, 2026. It was literally 100 degrees that day and the line wrapped around the block. Met our Guide Maribeth on the front steps and immediately went to the front of the line and quickly thru security. Saw all the documents that we came to see and much more of the remaining Archives Museum with our guide. Then we were free to wander around at our own pace when the tour was over. Maribeth our guide was excellent. Very personable and knowledgeable about the subject we came to see. Interacted very well with my 17 year old son and included him in the presentations by letting him answer and ask questions. My son’s knowledge impressed me and I think maybe impressed Maribeth a little too! All in all, It was money well spent. A personal thank you to Maribeth, if she sees this review!
Hello - Maribeth was our guide, and we really appreciated her knowledge and experience she has with being a tour guide. The information was very interesting; we loved the detail in every story she told about our history. She was very thoughtful of our needs and made sure we got the most out of our money. The money was well spent, and we even tipped her after the tour. We really enjoyed Maribeth.
Annamarie was a great tour guide at the Washington Museum of National Archives. She was very knowledgeable. We purchased the VIP tour. Little or no waiting.
Ryan was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide. We would do this plan again anytime to avoid lines and to gain the valuable information we received from him.
We had a wonderful time! Anne Marie was the best tour guide we have ever had. Her Archive knowledge was so deep and interesting. She was kind and patient and we did not feel rushed through our tour. We learned so much and left very happy and fullfilled and proud to be an American! Thank you Anne Marie for making our trip to DC extra special!
Such a wonderful trip with Brenda! We were lucky it was just us so it felt incredibly personalised. Got us straight in and no need to wait to see these impressive documents. So much valuable information given, with additional insights/documents to boot. Just simply worth every penny! Felt very VIP and learnt far more than I would otherwise!
E has a fantastic and personalized experience with Allen. He was such a great guide with an abundance of fascinating stories and details. He was so great with our children as well. He made sure to answer their questions in ways they could understand. We truly enjoyed the “skip the line” experience as we were able to spend our time actually viewing the museum rather than standing in line.
Annemarie was very knowledgeable and flexible with guiding us through the archives. She was on point with her communication prior to our tour in letting us know where she would be and when to be there. Because of her promptness we were the first eyes to see the Declaration of Independence on the day of our tour. I can’t imagine doing the archives without a guide and having to stand in line. Definitely worth the money if you are able.
Annemarie gave us an amazing tour of the national archives, and added so much more knowledge and information to the documents and paintings than we ever could have found on our own. She is personable, fun, and engaging - just awesome!
Great tour guide! Very knowledgeable.
Had an amazing time. Our guide Matibeth was so incredibly knowledgeable and gave an amazing tour. If you book, try and book her
Annamarie was our guide and was excellent. Her knowledge of the Archive documents and murals were outstanding. Fascinating information about the murals and the people in them. Thoroughly enjoyed our tour. 5 ⭐️’s
Allen, our Guide, is extremely knowledgeable, covers high points, little known details about our nation’s cherished documents and history. He comes prepared with his own guide book/manual to accompany his narrative. Additionally, he is personable, relaxed, welcomes questions. I booked this tour so we would understand the overwhelming scope of The National Archives Museum in a condensed period of time. There were 3 of us touring with Allen; he is superb! Additionally, when you view the original documents and realize the depth of character & divine inspiration of our Founding Fathers, you will well up with gratitude for the greatest nation in the world! An experience we will never forget!
Maribeth presented an excellent wellquided tour with great historical perspectives. She tailored the tour and presentations to our interests. Would highly this tour with her!
Annemarie made history interesting for our family! She was the best!
Maribeth was so amazing on this tour. Gave us so many in depth information about the building itself, it's history and symbolism throughout as well as the history behind documents inside. I never knew all the stories and interesting history behind the signers of the Declaration. I 10/10 would recommend this tour. On a rainy day we breezed right through without having to wait for access to anything at any time. Maribeth was wonderful about connecting with us and staying in touch so she was easy to find at the start of the tour. I would definitely choose this tour you will not be disappointed!!!
It does get loud and busy. Annmarie did a great job! She made history interesting. It's a must see in DC!
Marybeth was an amazing guide! So much information about the Nat'l Archive both exterior and interior. We learned so much from our fuide-even back stories for the signers of the Declaration. 10/10 would recommend!
Helpful information and congenial guide. The tour took 2 hours and moved at a good pace. It was helpful to have a guide. I did not see the option for an audio tour and I think without one or the other you would miss some information.
Our guide, Megan, was amazing!! She brought everything to life for us. She was professional, approachable, knowledgeable, and adapted to our needs. I hope we get a chance to work with her again next time we are in town!!
Brenda was an excellent storyteller and kept us moving through the archives. The tour was definitely worth our time.
We had a fantastic experience on the National Archives Tour with Annemarie as our guide. She was incredibly knowledgeable and brought the history to life with her insights. Everything was well organized and ran smoothly from start to finish. A real highlight was getting to see all of the constitutional amendments on display — such a special treat! Highly recommend this tour, especially with Annemarie leading the way.
Kate was awesome. She has put tremendous effort into her presentation and it shows. She loves the material and enjoys people. The combination is five-star.
Great tour, our guide Meghan was very knowledgeable. Loved that Babylon sent a photo of our guide before the tour so we knew who we were looking for.
This was a Mom/adult daughter trip. She is a recent college grad, history major. Megan was absolutely amazing! She knew her stuff. Was fun to listen to and was very helpful!!
We had an excellent experience at the National Archives with guide Annemarie. She has impeccable knowledge of the freedom documents, the paintings in the main gallery, and about the building itself. She was personable, friendly, professional, and fun to be around. It was like having our own history expert at our side. Highly recommended.
Our guide Annemarie was excellent in every way. She checked in with us before the event and provided precise directions to the meet point. She arrived early and started our tour right on time. She is a font of information, history and is a great story teller. She presented information in a way that our 11 year old grandson understood everything. She answered every question we asked. I don’t think we could have had a better experience.
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