National Museum of the American Indian050

The George Gustave Heye Center, opened in 1994 and housed in one of New York City's former Customs Buildings, serves as an exhibition and education facility celebrating the history of Native Americans. The National Museum of the American Indian is affiliated with Washington's Smithsonian Institution.

Its permanent collection, assembled largely by wealthy New Yorker George Gustave Heye (1874-1957), includes wood, horn and stone carvings from the Northwest Coast of North America; painted hides and garments from the North American Plains; pottery and basketry from the southwestern United States; archaeological objects from the Caribbean; carved jade made by the Olmec and Maya peoples of Mexico and Central America; textiles and gold from South America's Andean cultures; elaborate feather work by the peoples of Amazonia; and paintings by contemporary artists.

Our kids could stare at the moccasin display, artfully laid out in a huge circle, for hours.

The Museum's Resource Center contains reading material, objects to handle, and computer stations equipped with interactive programs on different aspects of Indian life and history.

The Museum has two small gift shops, offering Native American jewelry and craft items. The one specifically for children is downstairs.