You need game plan to see as much as you can at the Smithsonian museums!

The Smithsonian consist of several museums; each museum you could spend an entire day viewing the collections. Youth Tour students will only have one afternoon to visit everything. Without a plan your visit can be very overwhelming. Speaking from experience, it's a good idea to talk to your friends on the trip to decide what is important to each of you and then move quickly so that you can accomplish your goals.

You can download an app that will help you discover all you can do and see while at the different museums. You can download it here. The museums are spread out; plus you have to go through security at each one. You will have to go with a game plan!

Here is a brief description of each museum on the National Mall:

Smithsonian Institution Building - The historic building, also known as the Castle, is a good place to start your tour of the museums.

Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building - The original home of the National Museum is currently closed for renovations.

Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum - This impressive museum displays the largest collection of air and spacecraft in the world as well as smaller items like instruments, memorabilia, and clothing.

Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden - The modern and contemporary art exhibits include arts of traditional historical themes and collections addressing emotion, abstraction, politics, process, religion, and economics.

Smithsonian Freer Gallery - The world-renowned collection highlights art from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, and the Near East.

Smithsonian Sackler Gallery - This unique building is connected underground to the Freer Gallery of Art.

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art - The collection includes ancient as well as contemporary works from Africa.

Smithsonian Natural History Museum - At this family favorite museum you will see a variety of artifacts including an 80-foot dinosaur skeleton, a life size model of a blue whale, an enormous prehistoric white shark, and a 45-and-a-half carat jewel a known as the Hope Diamond.

Smithsonian American History Museum - With more than 3 million artifacts of American history and culture, visitors learn about the nation's history from the War of Independence to the present day. At the heart of the museum, the Star-Spangled Banner—one of the most recognized symbols of the nation—has been given a new state-of-the-art gallery.

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian - The newest museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC showcases Native American objects from ancient pre-Columbian civilizations through the 21st century.

Smithsonian International Gallery - Housed in the S. Dillon Ripley Center, this is the education and membership branch of the Smithsonian Associates and hosts a variety of traveling exhibits.

Why do electric cooperatives send students to the nation’s capital?

Electric cooperatives are not-for-profit, independent electric utilities. But, why do they send students to the nation’s capital on Youth Tour each year? Because electric cooperatives are different! They offer more than reliable electric service, they give back to the community. It’s part of their business plan. Iowa’s electric cooperative know that it is important for students to learn about the political process and to interact with their government. Students walk away from Youth Tour as better leaders with a deeper understanding of our government and of electric cooperatives.

The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington, D.C., every June since the late 1950s. Students compete for slots for this unique opportunity and are selected for this program by their local electric cooperative.

The speakers during National Youth Day provide insight to the important roles electric cooperatives play in their community. Students gain a personal understanding of American history and their role as a citizen by meeting their representative and senators and explore the sights around the nation’s capital. It is not unusual to run into a former Youth Tour participant who is a congressional aide on Capitol Hill. Several of our alums work in Washington.

Over 40,000 students from rural areas and small towns across America have participated in this unique program. Some of our Youth Tour alums have gone on to design airplanes and to serve in the highest ranks of our government, including the U.S. Senate.

Youth Tour - the early days!

Iowa's electric cooperative have been sending students to Washington, D.C., since the mid 1950s. Here are some great flashback photo of Iowa Youth Tour students from the mid 60s.

Youth Tour: The origin of a life-changing program

Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson inspired the Youth Tour when he addressed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Annual Meeting in Chicago in 1957. The Senator and future president declared, “If one thing goes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”

Consequently, some Texas electric cooperatives sent groups of young people to Washington to work during the summer in Senator Johnson’s office. In 1958, a rural electric cooperative in Iowa sponsored the first group of 34 young people on a week-long study tour of our nation’s capital. Later that same year, another busload came to Washington from Illinois. The idea grew and other states sent busloads of young people throughout the summer. By 1959, the “Youth Tour” had grown to 130 students.

In 1964, NRECA began to coordinate joint activities among the state delegations and suggested that co-op representatives from each state arrange to be in Washington, D.C. during Youth Tour week. The first year of the coordinated Tour included approximately 400 young people from 12 states. Word of the program has continued to spread and today, over 1,500 students and over 250 chaperones participate in the Youth Tour every year.

Youth Tour directors from each state association arrange their delegation’s visits to their U.S. representatives’ and senators’ offices, and other educational and sightseeing activities.