Take the Family to New Washington, D.C., Exhibit from Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is often overlooked by family travelers as it doesn’t actually encompass a museum building. Instead, the organization appears through community efforts and exhibitions at other museums. This spring, Smithsonian APAC launches its inaugural exhibit at National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Coincide your family’s spring, cherry blossom-filled vacation with an educational experience at the new How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories exhibition. This informative experience highlights a forgotten chapter of American history, displaying more than 50 artifacts recovered from historic trunks on Stockton, California’s, Little Manila district (once the largest Filipino community outside of the Philippines), all revealing how Filipino migrants lived, worked, loved and built community.

Kids will learn about Filipino-American culture in an immersive way through the trunks, which serve as time capsules, inviting all to unpack the experiences that shaped the journey of Filipino-Americans in Stockton.

Families will leave the exhibition with a better understanding of how these people helped build the economic, cultural and social fabric of the United States.

The exhibition, free to enter, is currently on display on the second floor of National Museum of American History. The exhibition runs through Nov. 28, 2027.