This past weekend we took a weekend trip to New Orleans, LA. I'm sure most people go to NOLA to get drunk on Bourbon, eat beignets from Cafe Du Monde (yum!), or to go hang out in the French Quarter. My first thought when we chose our destination was, "Oh, they have a WWII Museum that I've heard is great!" My husband is used to this by now so we decided to go there once we arrived in town. We were disappointed to learn that they were closed for an event that morning, but we were able to come back that afternoon and again the next day.
The National WWII Museum is open seven days a week from 9am - 5pm. There is so much to do and according to their website they recommend 3 hours for the exhibits. When we went on Friday and Saturday we spent about a total of 6 hours combined. We did everything the main exhibit, Road to Berlin (which just opened this past Saturday!), Beyond All Boundaries, and Final Mission: The USS Tang Experience.
From a local tour guide I learned that this was originally a D-Day Museum, but then was expanded to include the whole war. There is so much information to take in from the whole experience. While, I would recommend doing everything when you visit I know not everyone will spend the amount of time we did. You have to check out the main exhibit plus that is your admission to the museum. I did learn more about Okinawa and that is where my Grandpa was during WWII on the USS Hart.
The new exhibit that opened on Saturday was Road to Berlin. You get a Dog Tag that you register with your information, and then you select a story to follow. I chose Josephine Pescatore who worked as a an evacuation-hospital nurse in the United States Army Nurse Corps and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her service. You walk through the interactive exhibit and at different stations you swipe your card, and then watch a short video on their story during the war. You can also collect items on your card to review later from home. I have been to a lot of museums, and this one of the coolest features I have seen.
One other thing I do want to highlight is the 4D experience Beyond All Boundaries. The film is narrated by Tom Hanks and runs about 48 minutes long. First, you are welcomed by Tom in a small room where you watch a short preview and then you make your way into the auditorium. Since it is a 4D experience you have fog going off, chairs shaking, snow falling and other features that come up from the orchestra. I learned a lot from this video--this is a must see!
The new exhibit that opened on Saturday was Road to Berlin. You get a Dog Tag that you register with your information, and then you select a story to follow. I chose Josephine Pescatore who worked as a an evacuation-hospital nurse in the United States Army Nurse Corps and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her service. You walk through the interactive exhibit and at different stations you swipe your card, and then watch a short video on their story during the war. You can also collect items on your card to review later from home. I have been to a lot of museums, and this one of the coolest features I have seen. One other thing I do want to highlight is the 4D experience Beyond All Boundaries. The film is narrated by Tom Hanks and runs about 48 minutes long. First, you are welcomed by Tom in a small room where you watch a short preview and then you make your way into the auditorium. Since it is a 4D experience you have fog going off, chairs shaking, snow falling and other features that come up from the orchestra. I learned a lot from this video--this is a must see!
