Booking choice: The private history tour, from $415 per person, tiered. Check dates Tour details
Every visitor needs a free timed-entry pass from the museum, whatever their age. That one rule explains a lot about the history tours: none of them can sell you a ticket, because the museum does not charge for one.
The pass rules below are the museum's own, from its pass page in October 2026. No tour operator sets them, and the museum can change them.
The quick answer
Entry is free. Every visitor needs a free timed-entry pass; advance passes are released 30 days ahead on a rolling basis and same-day passes go online by 8:15 a.m. Eastern. One person can reserve up to nine. Tours that include the museum add a guide, a route and a reserved pass, not a ticket.
Is the African American museum free?
Yes. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture charges no admission; you need a free timed-entry pass.
The museum opened on September 24, 2016, beside the Washington Monument. The Smithsonian counts nearly 45,000 artifacts in its collection, about 3,000 of them on display.
Do you need a timed pass?
Yes. The museum asks every visitor, regardless of age, to have a timed-entry pass.
Passes are free, and one person can reserve up to nine.
When are passes released?
Advance passes are released 30 days ahead on a rolling basis, and same-day passes go online only, by 8:15 a.m. Eastern each day.
If you already know your tour date, reserve an advance pass for the afternoon as soon as your 30-day window opens. If you miss it, try for a same-day pass that morning.
Booking the private tour? Its operator reserves a pass for after the tour, though it says entry is not guaranteed.
Check dates for the private history tourDoes the tour include museum entry?
The private tour and the small-group drive list a museum reservation or tickets at the end; the slavery walk ends outside without one, and the mini tour only drives past.
| Tour | Museum on the listing | Guide inside? |
|---|---|---|
| Private history tour | Complimentary timed-entry reservation after the tour | No |
| Small-group driving tour | Tickets included | No |
| Walk with museum ticket | Reserved ticket included | No |
| History of slavery walk | Not listed; ends outside | No |
| Private museum guide | Tickets included in the tour cost | Yes |
| Private museum tour | Admission ticket included | Yes |
| Mini heritage tour | Drive-by only | No |
Is museum entry guaranteed with a tour?
Not on the private tour: its listing says entry is provided after the sightseeing part and is not guaranteed.
The same listing says it is not an official Smithsonian tour, that the museum is a public institution, and that the operator does not factor entry passes into its price. If the museum matters most to you, reserve your own free pass for the next day as well.
Want a guide inside the galleries? The private museum tour is one price for up to five people.
Explore the private museum guide (up to 5) Tour detailsHow long should you spend inside?
Plan on several hours; on the driving tours, the museum time is not part of the guided hours.
The itineraries allow about an hour for the museum stop, but the history galleries alone span three concourse levels, and the upper floors hold the community and culture galleries. Watch the clock: the museum opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday to Sunday and at noon on Mondays, takes its last visitors at 4 p.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m. (museum visitor page). Several guests wrote that one visit was not enough.
What happens if the museum is closed?
Ask the operator what changes: on one October 2025 private tour, a government shutdown closed the museum and the guide drove past Howard University instead.
Check the museum's visitor page the week you travel. Every tour here cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before.
Should you book a tour or just a pass?
Just a pass if the museum is all you want; a tour if you also want the sites outside the Mall and a guide to connect them.
Compare the tours in tour prices and inclusions, and see the stops in the sites on the routes.
A guide, the neighborhoods and the museum at the end: check dates for the small-group drive.
Check dates for the small-group driving tourFrequently asked questions
Do children need a timed pass?
Yes. The museum asks every visitor, whatever their age, to have a timed-entry pass.
Can I buy museum tickets from a tour company?
There is no ticket to buy: entry is free. Some tours reserve a free pass as part of their tour, as the private tour does.
How many passes can I reserve?
Up to nine free timed-entry passes per person, according to the museum.
Is the history tour an official Smithsonian tour?
No. The private tour's and the UTG private museum tour's listings both say they are not official Smithsonian tours.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD; check whether each is per person or per group.
Private African American History Tour & Museum Entry
- Private tour for your group only, by SUV or van (two booking options)
- Listed stops: African American Civil War Memorial Museum (outside), Frederick Douglass NHS, Ben's Chili Bowl mural, U.S. Capitol, MLK and Lincoln Memorials
- Complimentary museum timed-entry reservation after the tour (the operator says it is not guaranteed)
Private Guided Tour Inside the Museum
A private guide in the galleries, priced per group
DC Walk with African American Museum Ticket
Landmarks on foot, then the museum on your own
