Learning is for everybody
Transit Touchpoints
Small Smithsonian discovery hubs in transit spaces are turning travel wait times into museum moments.
Description Smithsonian Transit Touchpoints are small discovery spots in airports and transit hubs that turn waiting time into museum time. With mini-exhibits and quick interactions, they invite people to explore, notice, and reflect while they’re on the move. Mission focus Transit Touchpoints reinforces our mission of creating accessible, interactive experiences that bring history to life and invite everyone to explore, learn, and connect by bringing museum-style discovery into everyday travel spaces, giving people brief, engaging chances to notice, wonder, and reflect together even while they’re on the move. Similarities Airport art and science installations, branded “discovery walls” in public spaces. Differentiators They differentiate themselves by turning passive waiting areas into tiny, evolving learning labs rather than background décor. Each touchpoint is built around real objects and stories from the local environment.
TagAlong
Hands-on archaeological digs where participants join Smithsonian teams as they uncover history in the field.
Description An experience where you get to tag along a Smithsonian team where you can join to dig on a archaeological site. Mission focus TagAlong reinforces our mission by creating accessible, interactive experiences that bring history to life and invite everyone to explore, learn, and connect by letting participants take part in real fieldwork, uncovering artifacts alongside experts, turning abstract history into a lived, collaborative discovery they actively share with others. Similarities Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and LEARN Archaeology Expedition. Differentiators It differentiates itself by following the full arc from dig site to lab to exhibition, so participants see how what they uncover is recorded, interpreted, and ultimately turned into shared public history.
Rent-A-Museum
Transforming classrooms into mini museums with themed replicas, simple displays, and activities.
Description Rent-A-Museum is a experience that turns any classroom or community room into a mini Smithsonian. Hosts receive a themed box with replica objects, simple displays, activity cards, and a digital guide so groups can explore stories in history, science, and culture through hands-on discovery. Mission focus Rent-A-Museum reinforces our mission of creating accessible, interactive experiences that bring history to life and invite everyone to explore, learn, and connect by bringing exhibits directly into learning spaces, giving groups accessible ways to examine objects and connect with history. Similarities Sits in the same family as traveling trunk programs and virtual field trips that bring museum content into classrooms and communities instead of asking everyone to visit a building Differentiators It is differentiated by access to deep, research-based expertise across history, science, and culture, allowing volunteers to teach confidently in multiple fields and serve as a highly trusted source, rather than a narrow, topic-specific program.