WASHINGTON, June 25 (DC Times Online) — A long-closed space beneath the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., will open to the public on June 25, 2026, giving visitors a new timed-entry attraction on the National Mall. The National Park Service says the 15,000-square-foot undercroft has been hidden since the memorial opened in 1922.
The Park Service describes the undercroft as an exhibit area with interactive displays and multimedia presentations focused on the memorial’s construction and its place in American history and civil rights. The project is funded in partnership with the National Park Foundation, according to the agency.
Tickets are free, but advance reservations come with a $1 service fee. Visitors can book through Recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777, the National Park Service said.
Same-day tickets will be distributed beginning at 8:45 a.m. at the Korean War Veterans Memorial kiosk on Daniel Chester French Drive, just south of the Lincoln Memorial, according to the Park Service.
The opening adds a new stop for travelers already visiting one of the city’s most popular landmarks. The undercroft sits beneath the memorial on the National Mall, in the heart of Washington’s federal monument district.
The National Park Service has not said in the public visitor information whether the opening will include the full undercroft or only the exhibit portion, but it has identified the space as a new public exhibit area under the memorial.
