National WWII Museum in New Orleans

What are the highlights of the National WWII Museum?

The National WWII Museum has plenty for the whole family to see. Even so, as the museum aims to accurately depict the reality of World War II, so some exhibits can be too intense for the younger audience.

Some of the highlights of the museum include an interactive submarine exhibition and a 4D theatre. There’s also the ‘Dog Tag Experience’, which lets you feel the sensation of going to war.

The oldest part of the museum is the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, which has permanent galleries such as ‘The D-Day Invasion of Normandy’ and ‘The Arsenal of Democracy'. The exhibits have personal testimonies and belongings of men and women who lived through the war.

A large atrium at the pavilion displays several notable war vehicles, including a Higgins boat, a Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft, and a Douglas C-47 Dakota transport aircraft.

The US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center is the largest building of the National WWII Museum. It displays many vehicles and aircraft that played integral roles in the battles, from Sherman and Stuart tanks to the B-17E Flying Fortress and B-25J Mitchell bombers.

Check out the ‘Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience’, where you get to relive the submarine’s final war patrol that took place in October 1944. Each session accommodates 27 people (or crewmembers), each of whom has specific tasks to complete throughout the battle.

The Victory Solomon Theater showcases Beyond All Boundaries, a 4D cinematic experience produced by Hollywood star Tom Hanks. The film screens hourly from 10 am to 3 pm, with a 7-minute preview narrated by the actor.

Throughout the show, expect loads of chair movements, loud noises, flashing lights, and CGI animation, as well as narrations provided by Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, and Gary Sinise. Note that part of the film contains some rather graphic archival footage from the battlefields, so viewer discretion is advised. If you’re prone to motion sickness, the theatre has stationary seating as well.

Good to know about the National WWII Museum

The National WWII Museum organises guided tours for those looking to learn more about the exhibits. Out of Vault is an hour-long tour of the museum’s private Center for Collections & Archives. A curator presents items that aren’t currently on display, followed by access to the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion.

The Behind the Lines tour is the museum’s ultimate VIP experience. You get 4 hours of behind-the-scenes access, with a curator-led tour of the Center for Collections & Archives, tickets to the Beyond All Boundaries film and Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience, as well as a second-day Museum Campus Pass (you can use it the day before or after the tour)

The National WWII Museum is on Magazine Street, in the middle of downtown New Orleans. If you’re taking the St. Charles Streetcar, alight at the St Charles at Lee Circle tram stop – the museum is just a 5-minute walk away.