Just in time for the Army’s 246th birthday, the National Museum of the United States Army reopened to the public on June 14.

The 185,000-square-foot museum at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, originally opened on Veterans Day 2020 but was forced to close just 32 days later because of COVID-19 concerns. Museum staff held regular virtual events and field trips during the closure. 

With 11 galleries filled with nearly 1,400 artifacts, a multisensory theater with a 300-degree screen, flight and tank simulators and more, the museum is the first and only one to tell the complete history of the U.S. Army and its soldiers, with narratives that begin with the earliest militias before the country was founded and continue to present day.  

Free timed-entry tickets are required for admission. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern every day except Dec. 25. Details and reservations are available here and here. 

Years in planning, the museum is a joint effort between the Army and the Army Historical Foundation. The Association of the U.S. Army is the single-largest contributor to the facility, which is owned by the Army but managed by the Army Historical Foundation. 

At the 2020 grand opening, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said a highlight of the museum is telling the stories of individual soldiers. “The Army museum has done an incredible job of bringing to life the inspirational stories of service and sacrifice of American soldiers,” he said. “Every soldier has a story, and the Army museum is the home of those stories.”