Arrive early for tickets and either immediately enter the permanent exhibit or ask for a visit at a later hour. The permanent can get easily crowded during the peak midday hours and it becomes difficult to read or view some exhibit items. While entry time is set, visitors are encouraged to stay as long as they please.

The actual architecture of the museum is a work of art. The main hall replicates the look and feel of an industrial building (concentration camp) with exposed brick and ominous structure. Large overhead skylights, however, flood the main hall with sunlight throughout the day.

Perhaps the most humbling room in the exhibit is the Tower of Faces, a photographer's lifetime work of a small Jewish village's occupants almost completely wiped out during World War II. The photographs cover daily life, special events, and posed subjects crowded and so numerous it is difficult to see each individual picture.

Other humbling exhibit highlights include a section on Kristallnacht and extensive coverage of international actions (or inactions) throughout the time period. All exhibits are presented as a chronological narrative divided into three sections: "Nazi Assault", "Final Solution", and "Last Chapter".

At the end of the permanent exhibit, visitors are invited for a moment of silent reflection and to view the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance.

The museum hosts 2-3 special exhibits at a time. Current exhibits include a new Schindler exhibit, the Berlin Olympics, and the artwork of Arthur Szyk. Special exhibits are often created by the museum and are available to other museums worldwide.

The items in the museum as well as the form or archetecture of the museum make it great. The design and layout of the building are supposed to create a form and function.

There is a Hall of Remembrance that is a hexagonal room making solemn, simple space lit with sunlight unlike the rest of the museum. It is used for public ceremonies and private thoughts.

The years leading up to the Holocaust: You will see perspectives and articles from events such as the book burnings, the Nurembourg Laws, the Kristallnacht, propaganda and more.

The Final Solution: This covers everything from the Jewish ghettos, mobile killing squads, deportation, and camp life. You will walk through rooms dedicated to whole communities that were eliminated (with pictures of the people), through authentic train cars that were used to transport Jews, an exhibit on medical experiments and a section on the equally gruesome plight of the mentally challenged under the Nazis and by a variety of narrated films, and articles from these days. Very powerful and moving and not for the faint of heart.

The Final Chapter: This section of the museum covers the rescuers, the Jewish resistance and the liberation of the Jewish people. It was nice to see that some people (at great personal risk) had the courage to help save many Jewish people. Unfortunately, you will walk away from the museum knowing that not nearly enough was done given the sheer numbers of people killed during the Holocaust.

Several Special Exhibits: A series of rooms allow you to see certain aspects of the Holocaust in more detail such as the Nazi Olympics, the Ghettos, and Daniel's Story (Remember the Children).

The Wall of Remembrance (the children): Over 3,000 tiles were painted by American children in remembrance of the children killed during the Holocaust. Very moving.

Hall of Remembrance: In this room you will find a flame that is always burning in remembrance of those who died that is meant to remind people to never forget what happened.

This is definitely a museum that everyone should see. I learned many things and will encourage everyone I know to go here.