Wednesday marks the first day of Black History Month and there's no newer, more comprehensive place to learn about black history, than the National Museum of African American History and Culture right here in D.C. But you can't just walk in. Getting a ticket, when you want it, requires some know-how.
Tip #1: Get them ahead of time. The museum releases timed passes online on the first of the month. They did it Wednesday at 9 a.m. but a glitch prevented some people from getting them. The result was by the late afternoon, there were a couple left for Tuesdays and Wednesdays in May.
Audrey Schmedes of California didn't get passes months in advance. She woke up early today and took advantage of Tip #2:
"I was on the computer waiting for the 6:30 a.m. release of same day tickets. It's my history, my history and my heritage, and I can't wait."
You can get up to four passes. Chloe Seivwright got her tickets the same way.
"It was so easy and we could choose, I had the choice of any time which was perfect and I thought there's going to be a limited amount on the day but there's lots of options," she said.
Tip #3: Be patient and polite and maybe someone who has an extra ticket will have you one. Norma Rodgers of New Jersey has extra.
"I have two extra tickets, two of my guests that were supposed to come got sick. I'm going to give them away, donate them, to somebody who doesn't have a ticket," she said.
Tip #4: Go as a group. You can request 10 tickets online a month in advance for let's say your family, members of a non-profit, or a youth group. It does require some planning, but people say it's worth it.
Marybeth Cote came to the museum today. She signed up for her tickets months ago.
"We're leaving the city in a couple of months and I want to see it before we left," said Cote.
Tip #5: Line up at the entrance on the Madison Drive side of the building before 1 p.m. on weekdays. That's when they hand out walk-up passes. They only hand out one per person. And they don't do it on busy weekend days.
The museum will release advanced time passes for June on March 1. You can request up to six of them.
