During your visit to this Carlisle, Pennsylvania attraction, the Army Heritage Trail, Soldier Experience Gallery and Ridgway Hall tell the Army story through in-depth indoor and outdoor displays, historical photographs and articles based on primary source research from the Army museum’s archives. You can enjoy shopping in the Museum Store.
Army Heritage Trail
The Army Heritage Trail, located on the grounds of the US Army Heritage & Education Center, is a mile long trail that serves as an outdoor museum. Walk in the footsteps of soldiers as you explore 14 exhibits highlighting almost every era of Army history. Exhibit highlights include a full scale reconstruction of a French and Indian War way station, Redoubt Number 10 from the Revolutionary War siege of Yorktown, a section of the Antietam Battlefield, a Civil War winter encampment with cabins, a World War I trench system, a World War II company area, a reconstruction Normandy Bocage scene from World War II, an Operations HESCO Bastion barrier checkpoint and an interpretation of the Vietnam helicopter air assault at Ia Drang. Smaller exhibits along the Army Heritage Trail display armor, aircraft and artillery from different eras of U.S. Army history.
Soldier Experience Gallery
Learn about the United States Army through the eyes of the men and women who experienced it firsthand. Located in the Visitor and Education Center, the Soldier Experience Gallery explores the individual lives of those involved in the United States Army, from the Spanish American War to current operations in Afghanistan. Pick up a “dog tag” from the information desk and follow one of six soldiers whose story is part of the US Army Heritage & Education Center’s collections. Additional displays in the Soldier Experience Gallery feature hundreds of artifacts and oral history recordings.
Enter the War on Terror
In the hallway that connects the Soldier Experience Gallery in the Visitor and Education Center and Ridgway Hall is Enter the War on Terror, an immersive exhibit dedicated to soldiers and veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Step off a military cargo plane and listen to the sounds of the aircraft. On both sides of the plane, photos of the tarmac, cut-outs of soldiers proceeding from the plane with gear and a video that rotates images of soldiers arriving in theater bring the scene to life. As you continue to make your way down the hall, soldiers’ voices can be heard while a video monitor features images that depict soldiers receiving orders and waiting to be briefed. Just before exiting the hallway, a photo of the desert reminds visitors of where they are.
Ridgway Hall
Visitors interested in further research can explore Ridgeway Hall. This public research facility is known for its exceptional research areas and environmentally controlled storage for the US Army Heritage & Education Center’s paper and audiovisual collections.
Shopping at the Museum Store
Be sure to stop by the Museum Store. Books, DVDs, apparel, toys and other items unique to the United States Army are available for purchase.
- Snacks and drinks can be purchased in the US Army Heritage & Education Center’s Café Cumberland.
- The US Army Heritage & Education Center is ADA compliant. Complimentary wheelchairs are available for use on a first-come first-served basis from the information desk.
- In addition to its exhibits, costumed interpreters along the Army Heritage Trail help bring U.S. Army history to life.