National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial

In 2006, the National World War I Museum opened beneath 217-foot-tall Liberty Memorial as the nation's first and only museum dedicated to the Great War. The museum packs a powerful emotional wallop from the moment you enter. Visitors walk above a field of 9,000 red poppies. Each flower represents the deaths of 1,000 people in the Great War, soldiers and civilians alike, for a staggering 9,000,000 casualties. Inside, a 10-minute film explores the complex global factors that led to World War I. Exhibits delve into nearly every aspect of the war: weaponry, uniforms, life in the trenches, life at home, America's involvement in the war, battlefront transportation, wartime literature and propaganda. The quality of the displays is amazing; this is truly a topnotch museum. An interactive display allows visitors to create propaganda posters, and a research center helps visitors track family members involved in the war. Museum admission also includes an elevator ride (and additional 45-step climb) to the top of Liberty Memorial. The views are spectacular.