Every Plaque Every Exhibit
If you have to guess how long do you think it would take to read every plaque in every exhibit in every DC based Smithsonian Museum?
When I was younger I read a book that threw out 6 month and this past January I found myself wondering if that was true. I needed structure during my grown up gap year, something I could work to check off a list while at the same time wanting to add value on social media vs just creating noise.
I view each of my exhibit videos as a mini marketing promo for the exhibit with the hopes that it will spark curiosity in someone watching an inspire them to visit that museum or a museum near them.
I firmly believe the more new experience we have and the more we learn the better we can emphasize with others and the better we can problem solve because we have a deeper well of information to reference
The Data | At A Glance
Data current as of 1/29/2026
Duration in Exhibit
139:01:00
Duration in exhibit constitutes the time from which I step into the museums to when I leave so that includes breaks, time spent filming, distractions etc.
Reading Time
75:39:23
Reading time is the exact time it takes for me to read every single plaque in each of the exhibits. Headphones in, head down, my most streamlined & detailed time.
Speed Run
2:24:23
I would be remiss to not include a lower bound in my final data so in addition to tracking how long it takes to read everything I'm also tracking how long it takes just to see everything.
Museum Days
10.09
Museum days are calculated by dividing reading time by the average duration the Smithsonian Museums are open which is 7.5 hours. This is the figure I'll use for the over under 6 month measurement.
The Content
Every Plaque Videos
For easy access here is a link to all the exhibit videos in 1 playlist on Youtube