US National Museum of the Marine Corps

The US National Museum of the Marine Corps chronicles the history of the Marines and their roles in various world conflicts.

Photographs, information boards, medals, weapons, and aircraft are just some of the information and objects that the National Museum of the Marine Corps uses to tell the story of the Marines and their accomplishments. The galleries at the National Museum of the Marine Corps are well organized and are dedicated to to the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and World Wars I and II.

History of US National Museum of the Marine Corps

The museum is located in Triangle, Virginia, on a 135-acre site adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico.

It opened in 2006, and replaces both the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum in Quantico, Virginia, which closed in 2002, and the Marine Corps Historical Centre in the Washington Navy Yard, which closed in 2005.

The museum is designed to be the centerpiece of a complex of facilities called the Marina Corps Heritage Center. It is, as a jointly public-private venture, a cooperative effort between the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, which was established in 1979, and the United States Marine Corps.

The exterior design of the museum is designed to look like the famous image of the flag raisers of Iwo Jima. Inside, the museum covers 100,000 square feet of space and is made up of a number of exhibitions and other attractions.

US National Museum of the Marine Corps Today

Today, visitors can enjoy a number of permanent exhibits. They include the Leatherneck Gallery, the Legacy Walk, Making Marines, and exhibitions about the Second World, Korean, and Vietnam Wars.

Sections of the museum are designed to be interactive and immersive, with the Korean War Gallery featuring a section that simulates the cold temperature and sounds of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir in 1951.

As of 2010, three new exhibits were opened – ‘Defending a New Nation (1775–1865)’ ‘Age of Expansion (1866-1916)‘, and World War I (1917-1918)’.

The museum also focuses on community outreach and education, with classrooms, a theatre, a gift shop, a bar, a restaurant, a rifle range laser simulator, and two play areas for children adding to the museum’s appeal.

Getting to US National Museum of the Marine Corps

The closest city to the museum is Washington. From the centre, it is a 50 minute drive via the l-95 S road. A number of connecting bus services also run from the city, and take a little under two hours.

From the centre of Triangle, Virginia, the museum is a 15 minute walk and 2 minutes by car via the US-1 S road.