It used to be that if you lived in Washington D.C. and wanted to experience the beach that you would have to drive anywhere from an hour or two to get to it. The National Building Museum is trying to change that for a few months by bringing the beach to visitors. This temporary architecture installation is open to the public now through September 7th.
There’s No Water Here
Visitors can hang out on the 50 foot “shoreline” in a lounge chair or plunge into the not so real water. In order to simulate waves there’s about 1 million translucent plastic balls that are in the 10,000 square foot beach enclosure. Not only is there no actual water, but there’s no actual sand either. However, there is a pier where visitors can purchase a snack and watch all the “beachgoers” having a good time. By laying on the balls it’s supposed to give visitors the sensation of floating, just as if they were in the ocean. This exhibit was designed by the architecture firm, Snarktecture and it only took about 2 weeks to complete. The intention was to design a beach experience, indoors in Washington D.C. so visitors could partake in a typical summertime activity without having to go too far. This activity is a great way to escape the treacherous summertime weather in Washington D.C.
It’s Not Only For Adults
Even though kids certainly love this exhibit, as it’s more like a giant ball pit rather than a beach, adults love it too. On Wednesday nights the attraction stay open until 9 p.m., which is after many kid’s bedtime. During this time there is a bar that serves adult drinks, as well as live music to enjoy.
Ticket Prices
Tickets for members are $10 for adults and $5 for children, students and seniors. Tickets for nonmembers are $16 for adults and $13 for children, students and seniors. This does include admission to the museum as well. In addition to the beach exhibit, there are also over 200 different exhibitions to view, with many of them being family friendly.
Despite the fact that this exhibit is a lot different than an actual beach, it’s drawn in people from all over the country. Thousands of people have visited the museum since the indoor beach opened on July 4th. The pit can only hold about 500 people at a time so if you visit the museum, you may have to wait if you want to take a dive into the “water”.
