The National WWII Museum - New Orleans, LA
The National WWII Museum - New Orleans, LA
The Must-See, Inspirational, Educational and Absolutely Immersive Experience
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
When we planned our visit to New Orleans, we knew we’d visit the world famous French Quarter, sample the Cajun and Creole food and view the unique historic cemeteries but we had no idea that the city is also home to one of the most impressive and immersive museums we have ever seen. The National WWII Museum brought tears to our eyes and inspiration to our hearts through exhibits, films, immersive experiences, photos and the stories of those who lived and those who died.
The film experience Beyond All Boundaries places you in the middle of the action in amazing and sometimes heartbreaking detail. This 4D experience was produced and narrated by Tom Hanks with the help of Brad Pitt, Neil Patrick Harris, Tobey Maguire, Chris Pine, Gary Sinise, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman and more. Feel your seat literally shake as tanks rumble past and over you. Watch as snow falls down on you during winter battle scenes.
Everyone who visits New Orleans should see this short film. As a matter of fact, everyone who visits New Orleans should visit this impressive museum.
We asked The National WWII Museum Assistant Director of Communications Michelle Moore about the museum and its exhibits.
How would you describe the National WWII Museum in one sentence?
The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.
What can you tell us about the exhibits?
The National WWII Museum's exhibits cover the epic and global scale of the war that changed the world, in a voice that is intimate and personal right in the heart of New Orleans. Exhibits not only highlight the role of world leaders, but also the everyday men and women who found the strength and courage to accomplish the extraordinary.
Currently housed in three buildings, each arranged around central themes of the war, Museum exhibits offer visitors an opportunity to experience the war through the eyes of the men and women who lived it. Interactives, oral histories and personal vignettes add a meaningful perspective.
Even before The National WWII Museum opened its doors in 2000, our founder, Dr. Stephen E. Ambrose, had already begun to amass artifacts collected from veterans as he interviewed them. Now, the Museum's vault houses more than 100,000 artifacts.
While many items in the collection — including but not limited to Allied and Axis uniforms, weaponry, vehicles, medals, diaries, letters, artwork, photographs and other mementos — are on exhibit, the majority are kept safely in storage to be used for research and future exhibitions, or are being restored to their original condition.
With one of the richest historical museums in New Orleans, exhibits from The National WWII Museum span the years leading up to and following the war. The Museum has a large collection of memoirs of wartime experiences, as well as an impressive collection of oral histories conducted with veterans from all branches and who served on all fronts. You can learn more by visiting our Digital Collections.
What can you tell us about the 4D film experience Beyond All Boundaries?
Beyond All Boundaries, showing exclusively in The National WWII Museum’s Solomon Victory Theater, is a 4D journey through the war that changed the world.
This Museum-produced film experience is narrated by executive producer Tom Hanks, with Phil Hettema serving as show producer and creative director.
Beyond All Boundaries features dazzling effects, CGI animation, multi-layered environments and first-person accounts from the trenches to the Home Front read by Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Gary Sinise, Patricia Clarkson, Wendell Pierce and more.
What is the USS Tang Experience?
Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience places visitors aboard the most successful submarine in World War II for its fifth and final war patrol on 25 October 1944. They will relive the last epic battle of the USS Tang and feel a deeper appreciation for the bravery and sacrifice of those who served in the intense, confined world of underwater warfare.
The story of the USS Tang’s final mission will be told in the context of the US Navy’s evolution of tactics in submarine warfare. Initiated with the USS Wahoo, then carried further by the Tang and her commander, Richard “Dick” O’Kane (who had served as the executive officer on the Wahoo), this new strategy employed dangerous, risky engagement with the Japanese on the surface of the ocean.
The result was devastating losses to Japanese shipping. But with increased effectiveness came increased vulnerability and, for the USS Tang, a high ultimate cost.
Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience is both intimate and personal — accommodating 27 visitors per “patrol.”
Each will receive a “watch bill” representing a specific Tang crewmember and many will be “enlisted” to perform specific tasks to navigate through the battle.
At the end of the experience, they will discover if they were among those lost or one of the few who, after a harrowing ordeal at sea, suffered on in Japanese captivity.
How do WWII veterans feel and respond when they visit?
WWII veterans appear to open up more about their personal experiences during the war when they visit the Museum. We've found that it makes it a little bit easier for them to share their stories while hearing the stories of others. It's a beautiful thing to witness.
Our Thoughts:
The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA is a must-see, inspirational, educational and absolutely immersive experience. Everyone who visits New Orleans should visit this impressive museum.
The National WWII Museum is located at 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Phone 504-528-1944.
For more information, visit http://www.nationalww2museum.org/
The Must-See, Inspirational, Educational and Absolutely Immersive Experience
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
When we planned our visit to New Orleans, we knew we’d visit the world famous French Quarter, sample the Cajun and Creole food and view the unique historic cemeteries but we had no idea that the city is also home to one of the most impressive and immersive museums we have ever seen. The National WWII Museum brought tears to our eyes and inspiration to our hearts through exhibits, films, immersive experiences, photos and the stories of those who lived and those who died.
The film experience Beyond All Boundaries places you in the middle of the action in amazing and sometimes heartbreaking detail. This 4D experience was produced and narrated by Tom Hanks with the help of Brad Pitt, Neil Patrick Harris, Tobey Maguire, Chris Pine, Gary Sinise, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman and more. Feel your seat literally shake as tanks rumble past and over you. Watch as snow falls down on you during winter battle scenes.
Everyone who visits New Orleans should see this short film. As a matter of fact, everyone who visits New Orleans should visit this impressive museum.
We asked The National WWII Museum Assistant Director of Communications Michelle Moore about the museum and its exhibits.
How would you describe the National WWII Museum in one sentence?
The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.
What can you tell us about the exhibits?
The National WWII Museum's exhibits cover the epic and global scale of the war that changed the world, in a voice that is intimate and personal right in the heart of New Orleans. Exhibits not only highlight the role of world leaders, but also the everyday men and women who found the strength and courage to accomplish the extraordinary.
Currently housed in three buildings, each arranged around central themes of the war, Museum exhibits offer visitors an opportunity to experience the war through the eyes of the men and women who lived it. Interactives, oral histories and personal vignettes add a meaningful perspective.
Even before The National WWII Museum opened its doors in 2000, our founder, Dr. Stephen E. Ambrose, had already begun to amass artifacts collected from veterans as he interviewed them. Now, the Museum's vault houses more than 100,000 artifacts.
While many items in the collection — including but not limited to Allied and Axis uniforms, weaponry, vehicles, medals, diaries, letters, artwork, photographs and other mementos — are on exhibit, the majority are kept safely in storage to be used for research and future exhibitions, or are being restored to their original condition.
With one of the richest historical museums in New Orleans, exhibits from The National WWII Museum span the years leading up to and following the war. The Museum has a large collection of memoirs of wartime experiences, as well as an impressive collection of oral histories conducted with veterans from all branches and who served on all fronts. You can learn more by visiting our Digital Collections.
What can you tell us about the 4D film experience Beyond All Boundaries?
Beyond All Boundaries, showing exclusively in The National WWII Museum’s Solomon Victory Theater, is a 4D journey through the war that changed the world.
This Museum-produced film experience is narrated by executive producer Tom Hanks, with Phil Hettema serving as show producer and creative director.
Beyond All Boundaries features dazzling effects, CGI animation, multi-layered environments and first-person accounts from the trenches to the Home Front read by Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Gary Sinise, Patricia Clarkson, Wendell Pierce and more.
What is the USS Tang Experience?
Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience places visitors aboard the most successful submarine in World War II for its fifth and final war patrol on 25 October 1944. They will relive the last epic battle of the USS Tang and feel a deeper appreciation for the bravery and sacrifice of those who served in the intense, confined world of underwater warfare.
The story of the USS Tang’s final mission will be told in the context of the US Navy’s evolution of tactics in submarine warfare. Initiated with the USS Wahoo, then carried further by the Tang and her commander, Richard “Dick” O’Kane (who had served as the executive officer on the Wahoo), this new strategy employed dangerous, risky engagement with the Japanese on the surface of the ocean.
The result was devastating losses to Japanese shipping. But with increased effectiveness came increased vulnerability and, for the USS Tang, a high ultimate cost.
Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience is both intimate and personal — accommodating 27 visitors per “patrol.”
Each will receive a “watch bill” representing a specific Tang crewmember and many will be “enlisted” to perform specific tasks to navigate through the battle.
At the end of the experience, they will discover if they were among those lost or one of the few who, after a harrowing ordeal at sea, suffered on in Japanese captivity.
How do WWII veterans feel and respond when they visit?
WWII veterans appear to open up more about their personal experiences during the war when they visit the Museum. We've found that it makes it a little bit easier for them to share their stories while hearing the stories of others. It's a beautiful thing to witness.
Our Thoughts:
The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA is a must-see, inspirational, educational and absolutely immersive experience. Everyone who visits New Orleans should visit this impressive museum.
The National WWII Museum is located at 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Phone 504-528-1944.
For more information, visit http://www.nationalww2museum.org/
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Article and photos by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Copyright 2016 Sunny Harbor Publishing Sunny Harbor Publishing, PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956 Phone: 321-446-7552 Email: [email protected] Website: www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org |
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