The National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum, located in Alexandria, Virginia is fun-filled museum sure to attract the attention of anyone with a keen eye for smart ideas! The museum aims to inspire budding inventors and those with an entrepreneurial spirit through a range of education programs that honor the history of innovations, technology, and the inventors behind them through a museum dedicated to Hall of Fame Inductees.

The museum is a great place to encourage young people as it provides a combination of many hands-on activities inspired by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (commonly referred to by the acronym STEM). More information can be found here.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is a not-for-profit organization and was founded in 1973, to recognize individuals who were both engineers and inventors and hold a U.S. patent of significant technology. To be inducted, their contribution must also be deemed to have advanced science or “useful” arts. As well as organizing the Hall of Fame and Museum, the NIHF sponsors many educational programs and collegiate competitions.

As of last year, 603 inventors have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, spanning three centuries of innovation and invention. There are nearly 100 living inductees also. The 2020 class saw 22 inventors inducted. Another great article here.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum was founded in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Visitors to the museum will notice its proximity to the USPTO offices. The museum partners with over 2,800 schools across the country and Puerto Rico, educating over 2.5 million students, educators, and leaders. The museum has over 2,100 philanthropic partners with their chief goal being to make STEM education more accessible across the country.

The museum’s school programs are comprehensive and are grounded in high-quality STEM principles. Their programs are aimed at introducing students to engaging with basic STEM concepts to professional development offerings for educators. These are:

• Invention Playground (for Preschoolers)
• Camp Invention (Grades K-6)
• Accelerate (Grades K-6)
• Club Invention (Grades 1-6)
• STEM Maker Lab (Grades 1-6)
• Invention Project (Grades 6-9)
• Professional Development (for educators)

Camp Invention, which started in 1990, is a particularly popular program. It is a daytime summer camp with children attending from all over the country. With the increased importance placed on STEM education and STEM-related jobs, competition for places is fierce. Much of the content emerged from the museum and its exhibits. 

Whilst the exhibits are aimed to be kid-friendly, there is much for adults to enjoy in the museum also. Each exhibit has detailed historical information about each invention, the era it was made in, and the inventor themselves. 

Admission is free to the museum. It operates Monday through Friday from 10 am – 5 pm and Saturdays 11 am – 3 pm. It is closed on Sundays and all federal holidays.