An Interactive, State-of-the-Art Exhibition
In 2025, American Ancestors launched the Family Heritage Experience, an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research as well as learning how to trace your ancestry. Boston's newest historical attraction is located at 97 Newbury Street in the historic Back Bay neighborhood.
American Ancestors is also home to the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, which preserves New England’s Jewish history, and 10 Million Names, dedicated to finding the names of the enslaved men, women, and children in pre- and post-Colonial America before emancipation.
Who in the World Are You?
Visitors use iPads to place digital pins in an interactive 15-foot world map indicating where their ancestors originated, creating a compelling visual of journeys and migrations, accumulating as each guest passes through.
Wall of Questions
This exhibit features rows of 90 colorful cards with curious questions about family history. Visitors can choose one or more cards that resonate with them and scan QR the code on the back to find out how to answer the questions at an answer station kiosk.
Treasures Vault
Step into this brightly lit chamber displaying an eclectic collection of historic objects that document family history, representing diverse cultures, traditions, and spanning many different time periods.
Your Name, Your Year
An interactive, screen-based exhibit from FamilySearch that lists the popular films, songs, sporting events, and trivia for the year visitors were born, and ranks popularity of a visitor’s surname.
Story Station
A dedicated space in which visitors can listen to audio recordings by people of all backgrounds narrating their family history discoveries.
Reviews
A Great Introduction
"Everyone working at the Family Heritage Experience was engaging and helpful! If you ever considered looking into family history but didn’t know how to start, a visit here would be a great introduction."
Lucky Find
"I was walking by, and being a fan of Finding your Roots had to stop in. Very interesting stop while I was in Boston. Highly recommend to fans of genealogy and history."
Wonderful Time
"Wonderful time exploring their exhibit and the staff is remarkably knowledgeable, friendly, and professional."
A Place to Inspire Curiosity
The Family Heritage Experience is an initiative of American Ancestors, created to bring the organization’s mission to life through an engaging, in-person introduction to family history. The Family Heritage Experience invites visitors to explore interactive exhibits, displays of family heirlooms, and educational programs, sparking curiosity about ancestry and reinforcing American Ancestors’ role as a trusted leader in genealogy and historical research.
About American Ancestors
American Ancestors® is a national nonprofit center for family history, heritage & culture based in Boston, Massachusetts, that has been setting the gold standard for family history research since its founding in 1845.
Today, American Ancestors serves more than 400,000 members and online subscribers through AmericanAncestors.org, one of the world’s largest online collections of free family history resources, scholarship, educational programming and events.
