The National Geographic Society’s new museum is taking shape in downtown D.C., promising to offer a one-of-a-kind experience as it tells the story of the wonders of the world.
The National Geographic Museum of Exploration has been under construction for several years, but now, the project has passed the halfway-mark with an expected opening set for the middle of 2026.
“We are finalizing all the exhibits and experiences that we’re going to be putting into the space, and we’re excited to open to locals and tourists next year,” said Chief Campus and Experiences Officer Emily Dunham.
Dunham said construction for the museum, which expanded its footprint to 100,000 square-feet, is 70% complete. The museum covers National Geographic’s entire campus along M Street between 17th and 16th streets NW.
For one of the highlights of the museum, visitors do not even need to go inside. The museum boasts a high-tech courtyard which will bring the building to life in the evening, with an immersive show projected onto the museum’s entrance.
The first show will take visitors into the ocean.
“This is going to be like nothing else in D.C., and we’re excited to welcome people here every night to experience the magic of the oceans,” Dunham said during a tour of the museum with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Visitors will enter the museum through a yellow border, which is National Geographic’s iconic logo. Inside, more immersive exhibits await those who enter.
“We’ll have a photography gallery. National Geographic is known, of course, for our photography. An archives experience that is about the history of National Geographic, an education space that we’re calling ‘the learning launchpad’ where students learn what geography is. And then several immersive experiences, including our brand story in the auditorium,” Dunham said of the exhibits.
National Geographic is best known for its famous magazine, which is still published today. And once the new museum opens its doors, visitors will also be able to watch teams design the magazine.
The museum is not located close to many of the city’s other museums and will make it a destination away from the National Mall for around a million visitors each year.
“We expect to be driving tourists up from the Mall and helping them to experience parts of D.C. that they might not otherwise,” Dunham said.
The museum also expects to not only be a place for tourists, but especially for D.C.-area schoolchildren, as they learn about the planet and the importance of protecting it.
After touring the museum, Bowser said it will continue D.C.’s work to offer many educational experiences for kids and their families.
“One important thing about everything we do around tourism is always to be innovating and adding something new and exciting for people to see, and this will definitely fit the bill,” she said.
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