Headquartered in Washington, D.C., National Geographic has been funding research and exploration since 1888. Visit its museum, which brings the pages of the iconic magazine (and posts from its impressive Instagram feed) to life in exciting and educational exhibits. A permanent installation across the courtyard showcases the history of the yellow border through a multimedia experience, including video from the top of Mount Everest, artifacts recovered from a shipwreck by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and an illuminated, ceiling-high display of its noteworthy magazine covers. For an even more immersive experience, check its calendar for a variety of events such as monthly “Nat Geo Nights” happy hours and National Geographic Live! talks from today’s most prominent explorers.
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A Walk Through National Geographic's Past & Present
As a fan of all that National Geographic does, I would have been pleased if the museum solely consisted of the very first display; a hall of every National Geographic Magazine cover. It’s a fascinating combination of history and an evolution of design of the cover. When I visited, the exhibit holding down the main space in the museum was called “A New Age of Exploration,” which celebrates the past 125 years of National Geographic’s adventures. It’s a fascinating collection of stories from past and present about all the amazing things that National Geographic is doing and contributing to around the world. Some of my favorite pieces included history on the beginnings of National Geographic and all the tales of amazing women explorers out there. This exhibit is scheduled to be up until August 2014, so there’s still plenty of time to see it.
