The Hip Hop Museum has been recognized by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the top 10 most anticipated museum openings in the world for 2026. This is rare global recognition—placing Hip Hop alongside the world’s most important cultural institutions before our doors even open. When Smithsonian Magazine names a museum to this list, it signals historical legitimacy, international relevance, and lasting cultural impact. Supporting The Hip Hop Museum means investing in a once-in-a-generation institutio

Curator Michael Hankins gives a tour of the SR-71 Blackbird, on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. | National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

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You may have traveled to D.C. to visit the Smithsonian, but did you know we travel to you, too?! 🚗💨 Hop in! We’re headed to visit one of our Museum on Main Street (Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service) traveling exhibitions in Alabama. Last month, we packed a tractor trailer with 16 crates of exhibition materials. One long ride and five hours of setup later and voila! “Spark! Places of Innovation” was ready for visitors at the Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center in Syl

Remembering Jerry Garcia today on the 29th anniversary of his passing. 🌹 In his 1989 interview for “Radio Smithsonian,” Jerry talks about his first recollections of hearing music, what drew him to folk songs, and how he learned to play clawhammer banjo by listening to Clarence Ashley’s recordings on Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. He also highlights the important role that Folkways played in his musical education and career: “I guess the best thing—one of the neat things about F