We investigate what’s American-made in the Smithsonian stores.
The Smithsonian Institution is one of America’s most respected icons. In 2024, there were 16.8 million visits to one of the many museums that make up the institution. Most of those visitors probably paid a visit to the museum gift shop. But despite the fact that the Smithsonian is quintessentially American, we weren’t sure if the gift shops were the same. Is it possible to find souvenirs that are Made in the USA in these shops?
I visited the three most popular Smithsonian museums here in Washington, D.C. — the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, and the Air and Space Museum — to find out what, if any, Made in America merchandise was available to purchase. And, spoilers: I actually was impressed. They are definitely the minority of the items available, but if you’re looking for Smithsonian gear that’s made in America, you’ll be able to find some good choices. Even better, the prices are comparable with the options made overseas. In fact, there were so many options to choose from that this blog had to be split into two parts.
Just keep in mind as you read that this list doesn’t cover anything. There may be some goods we missed, so remember to check the labels!
Without further ado, here is a list of the American-made souvenirs at these museums.
Available at multiple museums
There’s a lot of general Smithsonian and D.C. merch that’s available at multiple museums in the Smithsonian system. Most of this merch is not American-made, but there is still lots to choose from.
The highlight for me were these Smithsonian Institution shirts. All of the clothes with this design on them are made in America, as indicated by a large sticker saying “Proudly American Made”. These shirts are made by multiple companies. Some are made by Bayside, while others are made by Royal Apparel. Both these companies make apparel in the United States for wholesale purposes. Essentially, that means their business model is selling shirts to other organizations (like the Smithsonian), with different designs printed depending on the organization. Then, those shirts are sold at gift shops or elsewhere to you, the consumer. A lot of similar companies do not make their shirts in the States, so it’s great to see the Smithsonian support companies that do. You should be able to find these shirts throughout the Smithsonian museums, although the location will differ. At the Natural History Museum, there is an entire wall dedicated to this USA-made apparel, so it’s very easy to find. Just keep in mind that Royal Apparel shirts are made with imported yarns.
You can also find a good selection of keychains and magnets that are American-made. Each Smithsonian museum usually has a wooden magnet and keychain with a design of the museum on it; these are all made in the USA!
You can’t go to a Smithsonian gift shop without seeing cherry blossom merch. One of the cutest options available are these plastic cups and tumblers with straws. Not only are these perfect keepsakes from your D.C. trip; they’re also functional, so you won’t shove them in a closet somewhere and forget you bought them. And, of course, they are made in America!
These cherry blossom initial keychains are also made in the U.S.!
For my fellow magnet lovers out there, this beautiful cherry blossom magnet from Impact Photographics is domestically produced!
At the Natural History Museum
Of the three museums I visited, the Natural History Museum had the least amount of Made in the USA merch. This was definitely disappointing, as the Natural History Museum is the most visited of all the Smithsonian Museums. However, if you know where to look, you’ll still be able to find domestically produced souvenirs from this museum.
Unfortunately, unlike the American History and Air and Space museums, I was unable to find any Natural History-specific clothing items that were made in the USA. The closest I got were these butterfly socks, which are still very cute.
There was a good amount of other butterfly-related merch made in the USA as well. This tote bag is handmade by Rickshaw Bagworks in San Francisco.
And this butterfly magnet is also made in the U.S.!
More into birds? This bird keychain is manufactured by Museum Store Products in the United States.
There’s also some more unique bird-related souvenirs available. For kids, this Audubon Bird Call toy from Channel Craft in Pennsylvania is sure to be a hit. According to the box, each one is handmade and individually tuned.
If you’re a lover of quirky earrings, you’re in luck. These handcrafted earrings from D’ears are made in Minnesota. (And this is one of the few companies on this list that you can support from home as well!)
There’s plenty of other unique earrings to find in the Natural History Museum. These earrings made of bamboo are from Green Tree Jewelry, which is one of the biggest made in the USA wholesale jewelry brands. According to its website, these earrings also serve as essential oil diffusers!
Finally, these adorable earrings and necklaces decorated with dinosaurs, dolphins, and more are also American-made. There’s a large selection of this jewelry, and it seems like they’re designed both for kids and adults!
There aren’t a lot of Made in USA toys available at this museum. However, I did find these two cool science-related toys. One is a light prism that you can use to create rainbows, and the other is a gyroscope. These toys are not only educational: they’re plenty of fun, too, and a great Made in America alternative to the rest of the toys at the museum.
One of my favorite parts of the Natural History Museum is the gemstone exhibit. It’s a must-see if you’re visiting (so pretty!), and there’s even a mini gift shop dedicated to the exhibit. While most of the items in it are either imported or don’t have origin labels, there were two American-made items that really stood out to me. The first is this beautiful gemstone ornament. Since most of the gems for sale here don’t have origin labels and aren’t really manufactured per say, it’s nice to be able to purchase this one and be confident in where it’s from. Plus, it’s definitely more unique than many of the other souvenirs for sale here.
Finally, I wanted to highlight these gorgeous copper sculptures. A special souvenir for any home, these sculptures are hand made in Michigan by Keweenaw Gem and Gift. Copper mining has a long legacy in the state of Michigan, and it’s great to see the Smithsonian highlight that and support a Michigan business.
Come back next week for part 2!