Museum passes and hours this winter

When are NMAAHC timed passes released?

Advance passes 30 days ahead, on a rolling basis. Same-day passes online only, by 8:15 a.m. Eastern.

The museum's passes page sets the rules, and they apply to everyone, whatever their age. One person can reserve up to nine passes, which covers most families. A larger party needs a second person to book.

Rolling release means a date opens exactly 30 days before it. Want Saturday, November 28? Look on October 29. Weekends in the Thanksgiving week and the days after Christmas go first.

The same-day drop is the backup, and it is only online: no line at the door hands out passes. Set an alarm for 8:00, refresh at 8:15, and pick the first slot that fits. Missing it is the most common reason people stand outside a free museum.

What are the museum's hours this fall and winter?

10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, last entry 4:00 p.m. Closed December 25.

These are the hours on the museum's visitor page. Monday is the trap: doors open at noon, except on Mondays that are federal holidays, when they open at 10 a.m. Two of those fall this winter. The 4:00 p.m. last entry matters more than the 5:30 close. Arrive at 4:10 and you are not getting in.

The Smithsonian keeps its museums open every day except Christmas Day, so Thanksgiving and New Year's Day run on normal hours.

Could a government shutdown close the museum again?

Only if Congress lets funding lapse. The current stopgap keeps the government funded through December 11, 2026.

The museum is part of the Smithsonian, which runs largely on federal money. In October 2025 the Smithsonian kept its doors open for the first days of the shutdown on prior-year funds, then closed on October 12. The African American museum reopened on November 15, 2025, after the longest shutdown in US history.

This year Congress passed a clean continuing resolution that funds the government at current levels to December 11, 2026. Nobody can tell you today what happens after that date. What you can do: if your trip falls in mid or late December, book tours with free cancellation (every tour on this site has it, up to 24 hours before) and check the news in the week of December 7.

A closed museum hits the driving tours hardest, because they end at its door. One guest on the private tour reported exactly that during the 2025 shutdown.

Which tours include museum entry, and what does that mean?

No tour sells entry, which is free. Some reserve a pass for you, one lists museum entry, and others end outside or drive past.

The distinction matters most on busy weekends. The private history tour reserves a complimentary timed pass for after the tour, and its own listing says entry is not guaranteed and that it is not an official Smithsonian tour. The history of slavery walk ends at the museum's southeast corner and leaves the pass to you. The mini heritage tour only drives past.

For the full story on each option, read our guide to the timed passes.

What time slot should you pick?

A weekday slot before noon if you visit alone; the slot your tour reserves if you book one, and nothing after 3 p.m.

The history galleries alone run across three underground levels. Three hours is a sensible minimum, and many people come back a second day. A 3:00 p.m. slot gives you two and a half hours before closing, which is too short for the lower floors.

On a driving tour, the museum comes last. The private tour starts at 10:00 a.m. and runs about four hours, so you walk in around 2:00 p.m. with three and a half hours left. Guests report that tour time does not include the museum, and one advised: make sure to allow time for lunch. Eat before you go in, or plan on the museum's cafe.

Skip Monday mornings entirely unless it is one of the two holiday Mondays. Use them for the outdoor memorials instead.

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