Washington DC - National Archives & teens
 

Just curious if a visit to the National Archives would be of interest to high school juniors and seniors. What might the lines be like the first week in June aound 2:00 in the afternoon. I would appreciate any help!

Yes, it would be of interest to teens. Or at least it should be. The lines, when you are here, will be long. School groups descend on DC in May and June.

You can get timed tickets and avoid the lines if you wish

I was there on a Saturday evening in March and the lines were long then (a Magna Carta original was there at the time, but I don't think most people were there for that). I didn't know about the timed ticket option, but I would definitely look into that.

As far as whether they'd be of interest - as with anything, depends on the kids. I probably would have found it interesting as a teenager. I think a lot of people at my school would not have cared. But if they're interested enough to go to DC, I think this is an excellent stop to include. It's right on the Mall, so it's not like it's a huge inconvenience even if they're bored.

Link to the advance reservations:

http://www.archives.gov/nae/visit/reserved-visits.html

Archives are one of the best places of all there for everyones' interest, not just teens. I would say it is one of the top 3 or 4 must sees.

It also is not huge and doesn't take much time compared to the immense museums or Library of Congress buildings.

We were there in late Feb. on a weekday and there was no line at all.

As jent said, I think it will vary with the interests of the teens. For some, it will be the culmination to all their years of schooling to see the actual documents they've been learning about for all these years. For others, it may be a "who cares" moment.

I visited the National Archives 10 years ago, just before the renovation. I was traveling with an 18-year-old girl visiting from New Zealand. Arriving in the archives rotunda, I glanced at the simple series of displays and thought "OK, quick visit, we'll be in and out in 30 minutes." We left more than 2 hours later. (It was the second week of September and the place was empty so we had no trouble lingering over every item.) She was incredibly interested in history, and truly impressed that here we had before us a few documents upon which our entire governmental system was based. She had me explain every single document on display in detail. ("This is a letter from Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was . . .") She was enthralled with all the history, claiming that it was not a required subject in New Zealand and stating that they don't really have founding documents like those on display. Our five days in Washington, DC, were an eye-opening experience for me--seeing her enthusiasm, plus realizing how much of my history classes I remembered and also how much I'd forgotten.

Another place that might appeal to teens is the Library of Congress. The building itself is impressive, and the permanent displays can be pretty interesting . . . the actual map Lewis and Clark drew . . . the contents of Lincoln's pockets on the night he was killed . . . not just books. Plus you can peek at the main reading room which was used in the "National Treasure" movies.