Looking for something unique to do? Visit the Beyond King Tut interactive exhibit at the National Geographic Museum in downtown D.C.!
All the Details about the Immersive King Tut Experience
My five-year-old son loves all things ancient Egypt and King Tut, so the exhibit was a must see. And logistically, everything was super simple. I purchased tickets two days in advance on the National Geographic website, and booked parking at a garage close to the museum’s address (1145 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036) via SpotHero. One thing to note – we did visit on a weekday, so you might need to plan further in advance for a weekend trip as those tickets book up more quickly.
Tickets prices range from $20 for adults to $12 for children ages five to 12. There are also reduced-price tickets available for seniors, military personnel, students, and educators. The garage spot we grabbed was $11 for the entire day (9am-7pm)! The exhibit runs through February 6, 2023 so there is time to plan a trip.
I will note that there is a good amount of text to read outside of the two portions that are part of the “immersive experience” (more on those below). This was the only hard thing to navigate with my son as he isn’t reading yet. Given that, the exhibit took us an hour rather than the two hours that National Geographic suggested. My daughter, who is eight, definitely wanted to take more time and read everything though. So if you have older kids, this won’t be an issue!
Our “Boy King” Experience
We loved the exhibit from start to finish! As we queued to enter the exhibition space, a National Geographic staff member shared that royal cats in ancient Egypt wore earrings! My kids loved this, and it only increased their excitement. We then watched a short background film before entering the exhibition space proper. While no “real” ancient Egyption objects are included, the visual projection of art and artifacts was really well done.
The two showstopping parts of the exhibit are the immersive experiences – King Tut’s burial chamber and the Journey to the Afterlife. I don’t want to give too much away, but in both, Egyptian hieroglyphics and art come to life. Given the cinematic effects and animation, the kids were enthralled and followed along without any issues. We definitely have a better understanding of the process of mummification and the Egyptian Book of the Dead – the guide to the afterlife. There’s also a full-size replica of King Tut’s golden sarcophagus in the burial chamber which was worth the price of admission alone!
We brought our visit to a close at the gift shop, which is filled with King Tut themed goodies. I asked the kids what they liked best, and my daughter chose the Journey to the Afterlife portion. My son declared that the notebook featuring King Tut that we purchased was the “best thing ever”! I agree with my daughter – the Journey to the Afterlife was visually stunning, and I learned so much.
Overall, Beyond King Tut made for an exciting adventure with the kids, one that we would definitely do again! If you want to do some family reading before you go, check out some of our favorite books about Egypt, mummies, and King Tut: Mummies and Pyramids: a Nonfiction Companion to Magic Treehouse (in general, we love these books, which are part of the Magic Treehouse Fact Tracker series!), How the Sphinx Got to the Museum, and The Secrets of Tutankhamun: Egypt’s Boy King and his Incredible Tomb!
