Inside The New Museum Of Exploration: National Geographic’s $300M Masterpiece In D.C.

For over a century, National Geographic has brought the furthest corners of the Earth directly into our living rooms through yellow-bordered magazines and breathtaking documentaries. Now, the iconic institution is inviting you to step directly inside those stories.

Following a massive, four-year, $300 million transformation, the National Geographic Society is officially opening the doors to its brand-new Museum of Exploration (MOE) in Washington, D.C. located right at its historic downtown campus.

Spanning over 100,000 square feet of reimagined public space, this state-of-the-art hub seamlessly blends a century of historic archival treasures with modern, interactive technology. Here is your first look inside Washington's most anticipated new cultural landmark.

---

1. A Stunning New Architectural Landmark

The adventure begins before you even step inside. The museum greets visitors with a striking, fluid new Pavilion entrance at 1600 M St NW.

Designed by architecture firm Hickok Cole, the exterior boasts a sweeping architectural silhouette, complete with an expansive front courtyard filled with greenery and outdoor seating. The interior mirrors this organic, nature-inspired philosophy, using flowing shapes and warm wooden elements that reflect National Geographic's deep-rooted environmental mission.

---

2. Immersive Exhibitions & Galleries

The Museum of Exploration is designed to put you in the boots of the world's greatest scientists, photographers, and adventurers.

• The Archives: For the first time, National Geographic is opening its vault to display more than 130 years of history. Visitors can explore early maps hand-drawn by legendary cartographers, examine historic expedition gear, and interact with a digital research station holding over 300 photos, film clips, and sound recordings.


• Rolex Explorers Landing: This major gallery focuses on the human element of discovery. Divided into four thematic journeys—Spark, Trek, Purpose, and Impact—it showcases the tools, triumphs, and stories of real-world National Geographic Explorers.


• In Focus: Photographs of National Geographic: A breathtaking gallery displaying the organization's most enduring images. Highlights include George Shiras' historic first-ever nighttime wildlife photograph and Ami Vitale's deeply moving portrait of the world's last male northern white rhinoceros.

---

3. Stunning Inaugural Showcase: "Photo Ark"

The crown jewel of the grand opening is the museum's inaugural temporary exhibition: "Photo Ark: Animals of Earth."

This exhibition features the globally renowned work of photographer Joel Sartore, who has spent years documenting every species living in human care. The gallery offers a 360-degree view of Earth's wildlife, utilizing stunning, intimate portraits designed to connect visitors to the beauty—and vulnerability—of the animal kingdom.

---

4. More Than Just Exhibits: The Global Food Hall & Beyond

National Geographic ensures that your culinary exploration matches your visual one:

• Explorers Eatery & Ballard Bar: The campus features an international food hall serving authentic, globally inspired dishes. Afterward, you can grab a drink at the Ballard Bar, aptly named after famed Explorer-at-Large Bob Ballard (the oceanographer who discovered the wreck of the Titanic).


• Grosvenor Auditorium: A state-of-the-art, nearly 400-seat theater built to host film screenings, live panels, and direct-from-the-field presentations by active explorers.

---

Planning Your Visit

The National Geographic Society has placed accessibility and sustainability at the core of the museum. The project is actively tracking LEED Platinum status (the highest rating in green building), and all exhibition signage is seamlessly presented in both English and Spanish, with Braille, captioning, and American Sign Language integrated heavily into the media.

• Location: 1600 M St NW, Washington, D.C. (National Geographic Global Headquarters)


• Tickets: General admission starts at $29.99 for adults.


• Discounts: In partnership with the Museums for All initiative, discounted admission is available to ensure the museum remains accessible to low-income families and community members.

---

National Geographic Will End Newsstand Sales Of Magazine Next Year, Focus On Subscriptions, Digital

The familiar yellow-bordered cover of the monthly National Geographic will no longer be for sale on newsstands starting next year, part of cutbacks affecting the venerable magazine.

The company’s focus is turning to its digital product and it will offer special editions on newsstands, a spokesman said on Thursday. Subscribers will still get a printed copy each month.

Newsstand sales account for a small percentage of the magazine’s monthly circulation of just below 1.8 million copies, the magazine said.

Even a magazine that started publishing in 1888 isn’t immune to financial headwinds affecting the media. Known best for its colorful photography from around the world, the magazine was started more than a century ago by the National Geographic Society, which supports science and exploration.

Control of National Geographic has changed twice in the past decade, first in a sale to 20th Century Fox before being acquired by the Walt Disney Corp. in 2019. It has been hit by a series of layoffs.

Craig Welch posted on Twitter on Wednesday that his new issue of the magazine just arrived, featuring his 16th and last feature as a senior writer for the magazine.

“NatGeo is laying off all of its staff writers,” he wrote.

The magazine said while it’s accurate it no longer has anyone with the title of “writer” anymore, it has people who both write and edit. Instead, it will turn to non-staffers to author stories. The changes occurred as the result of a reorganization in April.

The company would not discuss how many people lost their jobs.

“National Geographic will continue to publish a monthly magazine that is dedicated to exceptional multi-platform storytelling with cultural impact,” spokesman Chris Albert said. “Staffing changes will not change our ability to do this work, but rather give us more flexibility to tell different stories and meet our audiences where they are across our many platforms.”

“Any insinuation that the recent changes will negatively impact the magazine, or the quality of our storytelling, is simply incorrect,” he said.

Source: AP

National Geographic Travel: National Geographic Travel Announces Best Of The World List #BestTrips2017

National Geographic Travel Announces Best of the World List

Annual list features 21 must-see destinations for 2017

National Geographic Traveler magazine announced its annual Best of the World list,

 which highlights 21 must-see places to visit in 2017. The destinations were all chosen by the

 Traveler editors and fall into one of three categories- Cities, Nature, or Culture. The full list can

 be found in the December/January 2017 issue of Traveler magazine, available on newsstands

 nationwide starting November 29, and online now at NatGeoTravel.com/BestTrips2017.

"This special issue takes readers on a globe-spinning journey to 21 of the world's best destinations,"

 said George Stone, National Geographic Traveler editor in chief. "We think this year's list represents a

 carefully curated selection of forward-leaning places that reveal the bright future of travel. This list

 is all about exploration and discovery. It's not just about where to go, but why to go now and how

 to make 2017 a year of enlightenment through travel."

The 2017 Best of the World destinations are (in alphabetical order):

• Anchorage, Alaska, USA
• Baja California National Marine Parks, Mexico
• Banff, Alberta, Canada
• Canton Uri, Switzerland
• Cartagena, Colombia
• Central India's National Parks
• Chengdu, China
• Cradle of Humankind, South Africa
• Ecuador's Cloud Forests
• Finland
• Georgia, USA
• Guadeloupe Islands
• Hamburg, Germany
• Kauai, Hawaii, USA
• Madrid, Spain
• Malta
• Marrakech, Morocco
• Moscow, Russia
• Papua New Guinea
• Seoul, Korea
• Via Dinarica, Western Balkans

The online hub includes an immersive visual experience with 360 videos along with helpful tips

 and facts for planning trips to each locale. Visitors will also find inspiring illustrations to download

 and share. National Geographic Travel will be hosting a Best of the World-themed Twitter chat on

 Friday, November 18, from 2-3:00 PM EST. Join the conversation with @NatGeoTravel and #BestTrips2017.

National Geographic Traveler (six issues per year) is the world's most widely read travel magazine and

 has 15 international editions. The National Geographic Travel digital group shares its inspiring

 and authoritative digital content such as trip ideas, photo galleries, blogs and apps with

 its @NatGeoTravel community of over 20 million.

To learn more about each destination, visit: NatGeoTravel.com/BestTrips2017

National Geographic Partners LLCNational Geographic Partners LLC, a joint venture between National Geographic Society and

 21^st Century Fox, combines National Geographic television channels with National Geographic's 

media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National

 Geographic Studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media;

 and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, catalog,

 licensing and e-commerce businesses. A portion of the proceeds from National Geographic Partners

 LLC will be used to fund science, exploration, conservation and education through significant ongoing

 contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society. For more information,

 visit www.nationalgeographic.com and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, 

Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

Five Places Best Discovered Onboard An Expedition Ship

There are some places in the world that are best explored by small ship – a chance to get as close as possible to the destination, and explore the wildlife on land and in the sea.

Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, the global leaders in expedition travel, voyage to some of the most remote and unique places in the world, providing guests the ultimate experience while also respecting the cultures and ecosystems they explore.

The following five expeditions are the ones that guests should put to the top of their priority list – the places that need to be seen now from onboard an expedition ship.  Rates are per person, in Australian dollars based on a double occupancy in a category one cabin:

The Galápagos Islands

Described as “a little world within itself” by Charles Darwin, the Galápagos offers a paradise where each island is different and the wildlife have no fear of humans. Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic have raised millions for the conservation of this archipelago, and have two ships based there year round. Guests can explore Galápagos the way Darwin did – aboard an expedition ship. The voyage is designed to offer more in-depth learning and up-close encounters, with opportunities to hike, kayak and Zodiac, as well as snorkel with sea turtles, penguins, sea lions and the world’s only swimming iguana. The 10-day expedition departs and disembarks every Friday and Saturday from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Prices from $5,490.

The Kimberley and Spice Islands

Discover the Kimberley’s dramatic landscapes etched with ancient human history and sail to remote island villages of Indonesia. Guest can search for spectacular wildlife, snorkel and dive at Rowley Shoals and witness giant manta rays glide through the water. Guests can also dive and snorkel at three more landings in the Spice Islands, including Komodo, one of Valerie Taylor’s favourite places to dive. Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund Hillary, will join this voyage as a Global Perspectives guest speaker. Following in the footsteps of his father, the first mountaineer to summit Mount Everest alone with Tenzing Norqay, Peter has climbed the highest mountain on every continent, including Mount Everest five times on different routes, as well as travelled extensively around Australia. 

The Amazon

Guests will discover the wildlife of the upper Amazon, witness sunsets on the still waters of the Amazon Rivers basin and explore the tannin-rich lakes of the flooded forest of Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve with the team of naturalists. Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic offers three expeditions that explore the Amazon – the Upper Amazon; Upper Amazon plus Galápagos; and Upper Amazon plus Machu Picchu & Peru’s Land of the Inca. The Upper Amazon is a 10-day expedition that embarks and disembarks in Lima, Peru. Prices from $5,990. The Upper Amazon plus Galápagos is an 18-day expedition that departs Guayaquil, Ecuador and disembarks in Lima, Peru. Prices from $11,480. Upper Amazon plus Machu Picchu & Peru’s Land of the Inca is a 17-day expedition that embarks and disembarks in Lima, Peru. Numerous departures throughout the year. Prices from $10,980.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 134 species of sharks and rays and more than thirty species of marine mammals. Along with the Spice Islands, guests can snorkel, swim and dive the world’s largest reef and see a range of animals, from starfish and sea anemones to reef sharks and turtles. Aboard the National Geographic Orion, guests will have access to the new exploration tools as part of recent enhancements to the ship, including kayaks, a remotely operated vehicle that reaches depths of up to 300 metres, a glass bottom boat, Zodiacs and more. Dr. Lawrence Blair, an expert on the culture, geography and zoology of Indonesia,will join this voyage as a Global Perspectives guest speaker. The Spice Island Adventure is a 17-day expedition that departs Bali, Indonesia and disembarks Cairns,

Antarctica

Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic is bringing to life one of the most storied expeditions in modern history with special activities, amenities and events celebrating the Centennial of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Guests aboard National Geographic Explorer and National Geographic Orion will be led by a remarkable expedition team, who will shed new light on the storied exploits of Shackleton and his men. And, since expedition photography is part of the Lindblad-National Geographic DNA, the season will be dedicated to Shackleton’s expedition photographer, Frank Hurley.  Guests will also receive a commemorative Centennial edition parka that combines vintage- style expedition wear with high-tech fabrication for maximum comfort, and comes with a Centennial badge to commemorate the once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent is a 12-day expedition that departs Buenos Aires, Argentina, embarking/disembarking in Ushuaia, Argentina.  Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands is a 22-day expedition that departs Buenos Aires, Argentina, embarking/disembarking in Ushuaia, Argentina. Departures on the National Geographic Explorer:  .

To obtain additional information on Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic or to book, visit www.expeditions.com