The National WWII Museum

The National WWII Museum, at 945 Magazine Street in the Warehouse District of New Orleans, Louisiana, tells the story of the American experience in the Second World War from 1939 to 1945. It opened on June 6, 2000, as the National D-Day Museum, founded by the historian Stephen Ambrose and Gordon 'Nick' Mueller, in New Orleans because Andrew Higgins's local shipyards built the landing craft, known as Higgins boats, that carried troops ashore on D-Day. Congress designated it America's official National WWII Museum in 2003, and it has since grown into a campus of pavilions covering several city blocks. The Louisiana Memorial Pavilion houses large aircraft, including a B-17 Flying Fortress, hanging in the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, along with a restored PT boat, tanks and aircraft. The Campaigns of Courage building contains the Road to Berlin gallery on the European and Mediterranean war and the Road to Tokyo gallery on the Pacific war, using artefacts, uniforms, weapons, oral histories and immersive environments. The Beyond All Boundaries 4D film, narrated by Tom Hanks and shown in the Solomon Victory Theater, introduces the war, and the Train Car experience follows a soldier's journey. A Higgins landing craft is among the key objects, and there are galleries on the home front, including the contributions of women and workers. The curatorial approach is chronological and immersive, with personal testimony from veterans throughout. The museum is regularly expanded, with new galleries and restoration of its collection of vehicles and aircraft, and it is recognised as one of the highest-rated museums in the country. A thorough visit takes four to six hours, and many visitors spread it across two days. Dining options and a gift shop are on site.