We visited in mid-October 2009. We arrived around 1:00 and found the lines manageable (10 minutes max from door to major documents). The stars of the Archives, those documents on display in the darkened hall, are really just the beginning. We found the permanent exhibits interesting and interactive. This would be a wonderful place for kids to get some "hands... more

The only redeeming quality of the National Archives is that you get to see that the documents actually exist. The rest is really rather boring. more

Yes, it is interesting to see the Declaration of Independence and a few of the other historic pieces but that's about 10 minutes of this rather tedious tour. The guide we had (and the others we saw didn't look much better) seemed bored. It sounded like he was reading from a textbook and we were bored to tears after about... more

For anyone interested in American History, the National Archives is a must. It was very helpful to get advance tickets. We literally saved ourselves over an hour and got put right in line to see the big documents. Although you don't have to wait in line, if you want to make sure you get a chance to see everything in... more

If you are going simply to see the Charters of Freedom as we did, I'd recommend seeing this last on your trip if you have time. The wait was about an hour to get to the charters and most of them were so faded that they are no longer discernable. It was great to see the documents upon which our... more

I visited the archives on a Wednesday morning in July (10:30 a.m. or so) and didn't have to wait in line until I got to the entrance to the Rotunda, where I was surprised to see the the Magna Carta. Yes, the guard is loud (but he has to be so everyone can hear him), and he is authoritative (but... more

My children and I were very excited to see our nation's most precious documents. However, the crowds were insane, the guards were yelling, and there was no order to viewing the documents. They should have an organized way of moving people along the displays, but instead everyone goes in as a herd and people and force their way to the... more

When I first visited DC in 1988, the National Archives was my absolute favorite part of the trip. I don't know what it was, but I had more of a sense of awe in that building than in any other. It was a single room with a small handful of documents, and that somehow trumped the splendor and pomp of... more

Of all the places we visited in DC, the archives left us with a bad feeling. Not because of the displays - which were very interesting - but because of the rude, intimidating guards. They seemed to derive pleasure from throwing their weight around, yelling, and making people scared even though everyone is trying to follow the rules. Yes, go... more