NRA National Firearms Museum
NRA National Firearms Museum
4.5
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 AM
About
Small museum that highlights the long history of firearms.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
399 reviews
Excellent
285
Very good
91
Average
21
Poor
2
Terrible
0
4PATravellers
Orlando, FL165 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Enjoyed our trip here immensely. The amount of displays are overwhelming. Spent 3 hours looking.
Gripe #1. No real directions inside the museum, sort of guiding you around, so ya just kinda wander around, till you find the exit.
Gripe #2 . Museum store was closed, a real let down. All that cool MRA stuff, and no one wants to sell it to you. They said it closed in May, and hasn’t reopened.😞
Gripe #1. No real directions inside the museum, sort of guiding you around, so ya just kinda wander around, till you find the exit.
Gripe #2 . Museum store was closed, a real let down. All that cool MRA stuff, and no one wants to sell it to you. They said it closed in May, and hasn’t reopened.😞
Written 17 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gundoctor 913A
Lexington, SC858 contributions
Jun 2024 • Solo
So I’ve been wanting to visit this museum for years. It’s an excellent museum that displays the evolution of firearms throughout history as well as the artistic side of firearm design and decoration.
The museum exhibits seem to be dictated by who is willing to donate to the collection. Almost every article in the museum is labeled with who donated it. Most pieces are donated from private individuals with a handful of the more militaristic pieces being donated by government agencies.
There are numerous sections of the museum dedicated to Competition Shooting, Law Enforcement, Recreational Shooting, Turn-of-the-Century (“Wild West”), Period Specific Military Type Firearms, etc.
Overall this museum was well worth the visit and is probably worth going back to over and over as the exhibits will change periodically.
The museum exhibits seem to be dictated by who is willing to donate to the collection. Almost every article in the museum is labeled with who donated it. Most pieces are donated from private individuals with a handful of the more militaristic pieces being donated by government agencies.
There are numerous sections of the museum dedicated to Competition Shooting, Law Enforcement, Recreational Shooting, Turn-of-the-Century (“Wild West”), Period Specific Military Type Firearms, etc.
Overall this museum was well worth the visit and is probably worth going back to over and over as the exhibits will change periodically.
Written 24 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark F
Ramsgate, UK22 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
We had a few hours to kill ready to return to the Airport for our flight home. We canced upon this place after reading reviews on here. It was absolutely fabulious! Being English guns are just not part of our everyday lives. But to see the collections in this museum, and to have a virtually private guided tour by one of the curators (a really fabulious and incredably knowledgable gentleman) was a real highlight of out trip to the USA. A must visit for anyone in the Washington DC/ Virginia area.
Written 29 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Don M
Ocean Isle Beach, NC456 contributions
Apr 2022
We visited the NRA range several years ago and i didn’t finish the review, so the range might have been improved since my visit. When I was there I was surprised at how rudimentary the facility was. After all, it’s the NRA! I was also disappointed at the pre-shooting procedure which was not thorough and not strict (open book test). The rules on the range, however, were strictly enforced.
Written 5 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ChuckPMi
Adrian, MI56 contributions
Nov 2022
There are hundreds, thousands of guns here, from the Revolutionary War to modern weapons. They are integrated into exhibits on various conflicts and individuals. One of the exhibits contains guns that were used in movies such as True Grit and Dirty Harry. The restaurant was closed when we were there but there are other restaurants nearby.
Written 27 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luis C
Vienna30 contributions
Dec 2017 • Couples
Came here with family visiting from Boston. After initially being put off by the idea, their liberal minds were blown away! They were very impressed by the quality of the displays and the curators attention to detail. At the end of the visit they thanked me from bringing them and acknowledged that they had enjoyed the museum very much.
Written 29 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen M
4 contributions
Jul 2018 • Solo
The history is interesting, the collection extensive. It would be a lot better if this museum wasn’t in the same building with the actual NRA staff and all the gun nuts carrying around weapons.
Guns are part of American history but being there with those who advocate they be an unrestricted part of our future while walking around with pistols on their hips was super-creepy and part of the reason theyve got such a bad reputation.
Guns are part of American history but being there with those who advocate they be an unrestricted part of our future while walking around with pistols on their hips was super-creepy and part of the reason theyve got such a bad reputation.
Written 21 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emma N
Bath, MI91 contributions
Jan 2015 • Friends
I want to preface this review by saying that I don't like guns and I have zero interest in learning about them. To be honest, I was dragged to this place by my brother in law and would NEVER have gone had it not been for him.
Now, I have been to a fair amount of museums in my day and know a good one when I see it. This museum was a good one (if you like guns... did I say that already?). It was put together VERY nicely with high quality displays. There were so many guns, just... so many. I didn't know that many guns existed. What I liked and could appreciate about this museum was that they had many different dioramas about WWII, Movies with guns in them, Teddy Roosevelt etc. Therefore, for someone who literally doesn't care about guns at all, I was easily entertained for 45 minutes (about 30 minutes longer than I thought possible) for the other 45 minutes that I waited for my brother in law to be finished, I sat on one of the MANY leather chairs in the museum using their FREE WIFI. So, seriously thank you for the free wifi, and chairs. While we are talking about free things, I really appreciated that I didn't have to pay to get in. Being forced to pay for something you don't want to do is the worst!
The bathrooms were clean and there was a gift shop.
Overall, I would go again for the chairs :) Just kidding, I would actually go again as long as I was with someone who liked guns.
Now, I have been to a fair amount of museums in my day and know a good one when I see it. This museum was a good one (if you like guns... did I say that already?). It was put together VERY nicely with high quality displays. There were so many guns, just... so many. I didn't know that many guns existed. What I liked and could appreciate about this museum was that they had many different dioramas about WWII, Movies with guns in them, Teddy Roosevelt etc. Therefore, for someone who literally doesn't care about guns at all, I was easily entertained for 45 minutes (about 30 minutes longer than I thought possible) for the other 45 minutes that I waited for my brother in law to be finished, I sat on one of the MANY leather chairs in the museum using their FREE WIFI. So, seriously thank you for the free wifi, and chairs. While we are talking about free things, I really appreciated that I didn't have to pay to get in. Being forced to pay for something you don't want to do is the worst!
The bathrooms were clean and there was a gift shop.
Overall, I would go again for the chairs :) Just kidding, I would actually go again as long as I was with someone who liked guns.
Written 9 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ReeseTM
Virginia79 contributions
The National Firearms museum is on the ground floor of the NRA headquarters located in Fairfax, VA - off 50 and 66 on Waples Mill Rd, just East of the Fair Oaks Mall.
We loved how professionally constructed the exhibits were set up so that anyone can get up close and see the craftsmanship and artistry of centuries-old firearms (pistols and rifles from wars, various competitive shooting sports, hunting, etc.) Factoids of World and American history, and origins of some of the earliest gun manufacturers in our nation accompanied the extensive private gun collections on display.
A camera always helps to mark your trip there, but they have a nifty souvenir store within the museum. It's about a 2 hour visit. Though the closest metro station is relatively far (Vienna Fairfax-GMU), it's worth the visit for an appreciation of one of the most influential pieces of equipment that continues to shape American history - directly and indirectly ... one of the most underrated, yet important exhibits in the National Capital Region.
We loved how professionally constructed the exhibits were set up so that anyone can get up close and see the craftsmanship and artistry of centuries-old firearms (pistols and rifles from wars, various competitive shooting sports, hunting, etc.) Factoids of World and American history, and origins of some of the earliest gun manufacturers in our nation accompanied the extensive private gun collections on display.
A camera always helps to mark your trip there, but they have a nifty souvenir store within the museum. It's about a 2 hour visit. Though the closest metro station is relatively far (Vienna Fairfax-GMU), it's worth the visit for an appreciation of one of the most influential pieces of equipment that continues to shape American history - directly and indirectly ... one of the most underrated, yet important exhibits in the National Capital Region.
Written 27 June 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kadelia
Phoenix, AZ182 contributions
Alright, this is from wife's perspective, not the husband's (who is a firearm instructor for law enforcement, and thus completely biased on the subject of this museum).
The National Rifle Museum is a fascinating look at the history of firearms in America. Lots of history here, plus the actual nuts and bolts displays of thousands of guns...from the very early long rifles to the modern day equivalents.
If you are interested in firearms, plan on spending several hours...the collection is incredible. If you are not interested in firearms, plan on dropping off your man and heading to local shopping so that you don't get into an argument one hour into the visit when you have seen your fill and he's still in the second room.
The museum is incredibly well thought out; a maze of interlocked galleries with a few video presentations and ample computer kiosks to learn more about the weapons on display. There are several topics: hunting, early weaponry, world wars, artistry (there were truly some beautiful guns on display, the engraving was exquisite) carnivals, the wild west....even Luke Skywalker's original light saber from Star Wars (not a gun, but a more "elegant weapon" in the words of Ben Kenobi.)
The bookstore is also a gun collector's dream: rare volumes and every gun topic under the sun. The bookstore alone may take up an hour of hubby's time if he's a history buff on the subject as well. Of course, it is stocked with NRA memorabilia, too (nice place to buy birthday/christmas gifts for the lawman in your life.)
Overall, worth the a visit to learn the history of firearms in America.
The National Rifle Museum is a fascinating look at the history of firearms in America. Lots of history here, plus the actual nuts and bolts displays of thousands of guns...from the very early long rifles to the modern day equivalents.
If you are interested in firearms, plan on spending several hours...the collection is incredible. If you are not interested in firearms, plan on dropping off your man and heading to local shopping so that you don't get into an argument one hour into the visit when you have seen your fill and he's still in the second room.
The museum is incredibly well thought out; a maze of interlocked galleries with a few video presentations and ample computer kiosks to learn more about the weapons on display. There are several topics: hunting, early weaponry, world wars, artistry (there were truly some beautiful guns on display, the engraving was exquisite) carnivals, the wild west....even Luke Skywalker's original light saber from Star Wars (not a gun, but a more "elegant weapon" in the words of Ben Kenobi.)
The bookstore is also a gun collector's dream: rare volumes and every gun topic under the sun. The bookstore alone may take up an hour of hubby's time if he's a history buff on the subject as well. Of course, it is stocked with NRA memorabilia, too (nice place to buy birthday/christmas gifts for the lawman in your life.)
Overall, worth the a visit to learn the history of firearms in America.
Written 21 April 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are staying in Downtown D. C. with no car. What would be the best way to travel to the museum?
Written 4 June 2017
I would recommend calling the headquarters for best directions as it is outside of DC in Fairfax, VA and I am not sure there is a close Metro station: (703) 267-1600. They should be able to assist you best.
Written 4 June 2017
NRA Museums
Fairfax, Virginia
The National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, VA is open on MLK Day. We also have two other NRA Museums - the National Sporting Arms Museum in Springfield, MO is also open on MLK Day, but the Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM is closed on MLK Day.
Written 18 January 2017
I live in the UK and would love to visit the museum. Are there possibilities to shoot in the area as well? What else is there to do in the area to make say a weeks trip from the UK more attractive to my non shooting wife?
Written 19 December 2016
NRA Museums
Fairfax, Virginia
Hi! The NRA has a shooting range on site, but please note they do not rent guns to visitors - shooters must bring their own. However, there are ranges in the surrounding area that do rent guns.
We are very close to Washington, DC, which has a number of Smithsonian museums, all of which are free. You could easily spend a week exploring the Smithsonian museums and the monuments.
Written 19 December 2016
NRA Museums
Fairfax, Virginia
Yes, you may open carry in the museum. You may also conceal carry in the museum as long as it is legal for you to do so in the state of Virginia.
Written 25 May 2016
Is there public transportation close to the museum, is an Orange Line station nearby?
Written 2 May 2016
The Orange line ends at Vienna metro station. Need to take the bus as described by other responders. Or you can taxi from the Vienna Station for about $20 one way.
Written 2 May 2016
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