The Vietnam War was my generation’s war. Several high school graduating classmates were drafted, while some from our rural community volunteered for duty.
It was not a popular war. Everyone seemed to disagree about the war’s causes, meaning, and responsibility. During early college days, I remember attending a Draft Watch Party. I only went to one. It wasn’t much of a party.
Television brought the war into my family’s living room and later, my dorm lounge, every night. Stark, black and white images were vividly colorized in my mind. Perhaps you remember, too?
Where’s the Vietnam War museum?
The controversies surrounding the Vietnam War slowed large-scale, consensus-backed museum projects. (The only nationally significant tribute to the war is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Well worth a visit, for sure.)
The war controversies pushed many Vietnam collections into small, veteran-run, community, or specialized institutions rather than large federally funded museums.
Scholars and journalists have pointed out how differing national narratives (victory vs. defeat), contested memories, and the emotional complexity of the war shaped how and when museums and memorials were created.
While a large-scale Vietnam Museum may not exist, there are at least three smaller museums that help educate today’s youth and urge everyone to remember the sacrifices made during and after the war.
Here are three Vietnam War museums to consider during your next RV trip. I’ve also included suggestions for nearby RV campgrounds.
Corporal Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum
Located at 3400 N. Tanner Rd., Orlando, FL 32826, this museum is run by local Vietnam veterans and the Orlando Bunker organization. The museum is free to visit on weekends. Be sure to confirm current hours before you go.
The Smedley Museum’s collection emphasizes various artifacts that veterans have donated. These include uniforms, medals, photos, and equipment. There are also larger items like a Huey helicopter, patrol boats, and military vehicles displayed on the museum grounds.
Veterans and volunteers often lead tours. This gives visitors a personal oral history from firsthand sources.
RV campgrounds nearby
• Orlando/Kissimmee KOA Holiday. This popular, conveniently located KOA offers a range of RV site types, full hookups, and family amenities. It provides easy access to the broader Orlando attraction corridor. It’s a reliable, RVer-friendly alternative that’s closer to the tourist strip if you want to balance museum stops with other Orlando attractions.
• Hidden River RV Park. This park is located on the outskirts of Orlando at 15295 E Colonial Drive. The park offers full hookups and upgraded site amenities within a tranquil setting. Hidden River RV Park is about three miles from the museum.
New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center
Located at 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel, NJ, the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and the on-site Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center sit on a purpose-built campus.
The site focuses on political, cultural, and historical context. The museum’s mission is to educate visitors about the Vietnam War and its effects on New Jersey veterans and communities. The museum also runs educational programs and maintains a searchable “biography” collection tied to the memorial wall.
You can expect to see a quiet, contemplative outdoor memorial plaza and an indoor museum. The indoor museum mixes artifacts (uniforms, personal items), oral histories, photographs, and context about how the war affected soldiers and communities back home. The museum frames local stories (New Jersey service members) within the larger political and cultural history of the era.
RV campgrounds nearby
• Turkey Swamp Park. This county-run campground offers pull-through RV sites with water and electrical hookups. The wooded setting provides a family-friendly option inside Monmouth County parks and puts you within 15 miles of the Holmdel museum. If you like quieter, nature-focused stays with basic hookups, county parks like Turkey Swamp are practical and well-rated for RVers.
• Allaire State Park Campground. Allaire is a New Jersey state park option with backyard access to the historic Allaire Village and plenty of trails. Allaire’s family campground accepts RVs and provides restrooms, showers, and a dump station during the season. It’s a solid choice if you want a state-park setting and history (the living-history village) in addition to your museum visit. The park is about 30 miles from the Vietnam War Memorial and museum.
National Veterans Art Museum
Formerly the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, this museum is located at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., 2nd floor.
Currently known as the National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM), it grew from a Vietnam veterans’ art movement. The museum’s mission is different from a traditional military history museum. It collects, preserves, and shows art made by veterans to convey the emotional and cultural impact of war, especially the Vietnam era.
One of the museum’s best-known works is the memorial installation Above & Beyond. It’s a suspended dog-tag memorial comprised of tens of thousands of tags representing U.S. lives lost in Vietnam.
This installation has been displayed in different venues and remains one of the museum’s signature memorial works.
Visitors can expect to see large-scale veteran art (paintings, sculpture, installations), rotating exhibitions, and immersive memorial pieces. Expect an art-driven interpretation rather than an object-by-object military-history walkthrough. The museum also lends its exhibits to public spaces and libraries. This means the displays may rotate among museum locations and partner venues.
RV campgrounds nearby
• Camp Bullfrog Lake (Forest Preserves of Cook County). This year-round campground in the Palos Preserves has lake access, cabins, tent- and RV-friendly sites, potable water and showers. Camp Bullfrog is one of the closest forest-park camping options for city visitors who’d rather stay in the natural preserves just outside the Chicago metro area. If you want easy nature access plus a manageable drive back into the city, Bullfrog Lake is a very practical option.
• Indiana Dunes State Park Campground. If you don’t mind a longer drive (or want to combine a Chicago visit with Lake Michigan beaches), Indiana Dunes State Park is a top-ranked campground on the southern Lake Michigan shore. The park’s campground has drive-in RV sites (some with electric hookups), clean facilities, and immediate beach and dune-trail access. Indiana Dunes is a strong choice for RVers who want “city and lake” on the same trip. It’s about an hour (or a bit more, depending on traffic) from downtown Chicago.
A final note
All three of the museums mentioned are worth a visit, depending on your interests. Local veterans, community foundations, or artists often shape Vietnam-related institutions in the U.S. This makes each museum’s focus and mission distinct.
Have you ever visited a Vietnam War museum? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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RVT1231
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire NM (near Taos) is also worth a stop. It’s listed as a “memorial” rather than a museum, both there are many museum-like exhibits.
Last year while travelling through central Georgia in the I-75. We stumbled upon a National POW memorial. ( Andersonville) It covered American POW’s from the American Revolution, civil war, through Iraq. Then did a huge display of what Vietnam POW’s went through. OMG!! It was VERY eye opening!! I highly recommend it to anyone passing through the area!
Gail, you missed The National Vietnam War Museum in Weatherford, TX. It is probably newer than the others and is rapidly expanding. Phase II is under construction at this time.
Check out nationalvnwarmuseum(dot)org
One the most impressive privately owned military museums I’ve ever encountered is just east of Colorado Springs, CO, off Highway 64. It contains amazing artifacts and vehicles of EVERY WAR the US Military has been involved in including Vietnam (my era as an ARMY First Infantry Division NCO with a Purple Heart to prove it). It includes a collection of ORIGNAL US flags from every era in our country’s history. Dragonman, himself, is a Vietnam Veteran and one of the most interesting people I have ever met. If you like hot rods, rock and roll, and American military history, it’s a “must see to believe”. Trust me – you won’t be disappointed! Google: Dragonmansmilitarymuseum