The day comes alive as your docent relays chilling stories of the falling Twin Towers, brave sacrifices made by first responders, and personal histories of those who were lost.Īny advice for the time- or attention-challenged? Here, guiding isn’t about teaching the nuances of a work of art-the choice of medium, the weight of the brushstrokes-it’s about recounting an oral history of the events of 9/11. You could easily opt for a self-guided museum tour, but it is worth the $44 (or $65, if you want early access before the museum opens at 9 a.m.) to have an expert lead you around.

The museum is accessible to persons of all disabilities. The museum is large, so expect to spend most of the time standing or walking there are benches strategically placed throughout and in multimedia rooms, where you really ought to sit and spend time. On the practical tip, how were the facilities? The museum is filled with both American and foreign tourists, who, though often creating crowds during prime daytime hours, are respectful and contemplative. A number of temporary exhibitions have also been on view in various locations of the museum as well. It pays homage to the enormity of the loss, both physical and spiritual. The museum itself is a masterful balance: It's grand in scale, contemplative in its construction, and personal in its execution. The coverage of 9/11 is far-reaching in its historical breadth and depth, but also incredibly personal in its individual histories of the deceased. The permanent collection is a multimedia compilation of more than 40,000 still images, 300 moving images, 3,500 oral recordings, and more than 14,000 objects, including ephemera, textiles, artwork, books, and manuscripts. It's wrenching when you ascend to the 9/11 Memorial and see the names of all those who perished etched in bronze around the twin reflecting pools. As you move from the historical exhibition to the memorial exhibition-the two core museum spaces-the emotion of the attack and subsequent loss of life is overwhelming. As you enter the museum, you descend from the street to bedrock level-the foundation of the former Twin Towers-and are placed in a meditative mindset, forced to recall where you were on that day. Every American should visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at least once.

September 11 remembrance images