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Arlington National Cemetery
703-607-800
www.arlingtoncemetery.org
Arlington National Cemetery, our nation’s most treasured burial ground, is home to more than 285,000 honored dead. Among the thousands of white headstones are the graves of President John F. Kennedy, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, world champion boxer Joe Louis and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (7 p.m. April-Sept.)
Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th St. NW
202-639-1781
www.corcoran.org
Washington D.C.’s oldest art museum presents the art of our times and of times past. The museum is internationally renowned for its collection of American art as well as European paintings and sculpture. Monday, Wednesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. Adults $6, Children 6 and under free.
ESPN Zone
555 12th St. NW
202-783-3776
www.espnzone.com
ESPN Zone is a dining and entertainment mecca for sports lovers. Enjoy a taste of ESPN, with 200 televisions, expertly prepared American food, over-the-top service, and more than 10,000 square feet of interactive games and attractions.
FDR Memorial
Ohio Drive, Tidal Basin and the Potomac River
202-426-6841
A 7.5-acre site, the memorial depicts the 12 pivotal years of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency through a series of four outdoor gallery rooms. The rooms feature ten bronze sculptures depicting President Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and events from the Great Depression and World War II. The park-like setting includes waterfalls and quiet pools amidst a meandering wall of reddish Dakota granite, where Roosevelt’s inspiring words are carved. It is the first memorial in Washington D.C. purposely designed to be totally wheelchair accessible. Open daily 8 a.m.-midnight.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
George Washington Pkwy., Mount Vernon
703-780-2000
www.mountvernon.org
Explore George Washington’s estate overlooking the Potomac River and discover 45 acres of family fun, including hands-on activities, special tours, river cruises, farm animals, shopping, dining and more. Open daily.
International Spy Museum
800 F St. NW
202-393-7798
www.spymuseum.org
Featuring the largest collection of international espionage-related artifacts open to the public, the museum chronicles the history of spying throughout the ages, across the globe, and today.
Jefferson Memorial
Tidal Basin South End
202-426-6841
Beneath the marble rotunda, the 19-foot statue of the third U.S. president is surrounded by passages from the Declaration of Independence and other famous Jefferson writings. Open daily 8 a.m.-midnight.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Independence Avenue at Lincoln Memorial
202-426-6841
www.nps.gov/kwvm
Located on a 2.2-acre site adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the memorial features a sculptured column of soldiers arrayed for combat and a 164-foot mural wall inscribed with the words, “Freedom Is Not Free” and etched with 2,500 photographic images of nurses, chaplains, crew chiefs, mechanics and other support personnel. Open daily 8 a.m.-midnight.
Lincoln Memorial
Independence Avenue at 23rd Street NW
202-426-6841
www.nps.gov/linc
This grand monument overlooks the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. Inside, the 19-foot marble statue of the 16th president is flanked by inscriptions of his Second Inaugural Address and the famous Gettysburg Address. Open daily 8 a.m.-midnight.
Marine Corps Memorial Iwo Jima Statue
Route 50, near Arlington National Cemetery
703-289-2500
One of the largest bronze statues ever cast, this memorial commemorates all the marines who have died in battle since 1775. The 32-foot high figures are shown erecting a 60-foot bronze flagpole from which a cloth flag flies 24 hours a day. Felis W. deWeldon created the monument from a famous photograph showing the flag being raised on Mount Suribachi during World War II. Open 24 hours.
Medieval Times
7000 Arundel Mills Cir.
Hanover, MD
888-WE-JOUST
www.medievaltimes.com
Experience more of the feasting, pageantry, romance, horsemanship, and lance-shattering action that have made Medieval Times the most popular dinner attraction in North America.
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
6th Street and Independence Avenue SW
202-633-1000
www.nasm.si.edu
The largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, the museum is home to hundreds of artifacts, including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Apollo 11 command module and a lunar rock sample. The new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility and displays thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall, including the Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Enterprise. Daily 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
202-633-1000
www.mnh.si.edu
See the 45.5 carat Hope Diamond, dinosaurs, Insect Zoo, the mammals hall, and the world's largest African bush elephant. Johnson IMAX Theater shows films daily. Open daily. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
National Geographic Society Museum at Explorers Hall
1145 17th St. NW
202-857-7588
www.nationalgeographic.com
Educational, interactive and visually stimulating changing exhibits on a broad variety of topics. Open daily Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
National Mall
Between Constitution and Independence Avenue SW
202-485-9800
www.nps.gov/nama
A splendid green park area extending approximately two miles from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. Lining either side of the park near the Capitol are 200-year-old American elm trees, several of the Smithsonian Institution museums, National Archives, National Gallery of Art and U.S. Botanical Gardens.
National Museum of the Marine Corps
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
703-784-6115
www.usmcmuseum.org
Enter and experience what it means to be a Marine. World-class, interactive exhibits using the most innovative technology will surround visitors with irreplaceable artifacts and immerse them in the sights and sounds of Marines in action. Open everyday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
National World War II Memorial
17th Street and Independence Avenue NW
www.wwiimemorial.com
Memorial honoring the 16 million who served during WWII and those who supported the war effort from home. The memorial features two 43-foot arches, a 17-foot pillar for each state and territory from that period and a field of 4,000 gold stars honoring the more than 400,000 who died. A series of bronze sculpture panels depict Americans at war, at home and overseas. Open daily.
National Zoological Park
3001 Connecticut Ave. NW
202-633-1000
www.nationalzoo.si.edu
A 163-acre park set amid Rock Creek National, the zoo features more than 2,400 individual animals from 400 different species. Visit the Giant Pandas in their new home along Asia Trail, the newest exhibit. Open daily 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th and F Streets NW
202-633-1000
www.americanart.si.edu
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation's first art collection, is an unparalleled record of the American experience from the colonial period to today. Highlights are images of the west, impressionism, WPA murals, folk art, modern art. Don't miss the new Lunder Conservation Center and Luce Foundation Center. Open 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. except Dec. 25.
Theodore Roosevelt Island
703-289-2500
www.nps.gov/this
Congress designated this serene island as a memorial to President Theodore Roosevelt, early champion of conservation. It is accessible by footbridge from the parking lot, off the northbound lane of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and includes a memorial plaza with a 17-foot statue of Roosevelt as well as nearly two miles of trails through forest and wetlands.
U.S. Capitol
202-225-6827
Under the magnificent white dome, senators and representatives meet to shape U.S. legislative policy. Free guided tours leave every 15 minutes in the Rotunda daily, from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and include the Statuary Hall, the original Supreme Court chamber and the Crypt, the intended burial place of George and Martha Washington.
U.S. Navy Museum
805 Kidder Breese St. SE, Washington Navy Yard
202-433-4882
www.history.navy.mil
Housed in the old Naval Gun Factory, the museum’s collection features the foremast fighting top from the USS Constitution, the bathyscaphe Trieste, ship models, medals, uniforms, photographs and fine art. Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., weekends and holidays 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl. SW
202-488-0400
www.ushmm.org
Internationally acclaimed museum that tells the story of the Holocaust through artifacts, films, photos and oral histories. Timed passes required to view the permanent exhibition. Open daily 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Drive NW
202-634-1568
www.nps.gov/vive
The black granite walls of this moving V-shaped memorial are inscribed with the names of more than 58,209 Americans missing or killed in the Vietnam conflict. Frederick Hart’s life-size bronze sculpture depicts three young servicemen. Open 24 hours.
Washington Monument
15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
202-426-6841
www.nps.gov/wamo
The National Park Service re-opened the Washington Monument for visitation April 1, 2005. Daily 9 a.m. -5 p.m.
Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW
202-537-6200
www.nationalcathedral.org
Gothic Cathedral with dramatic architecture, soaring vaulting, magnificent stained glass, detailed carvings, whimsical gargoyles, and peaceful gardens. Offering worship, guided/audio tours, concerts, programs and three gift shops.
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
202-456-2200
www.nps.gov/whho
The home of every U.S. president except George Washington. Tours of the White House have been expanded to include parties of ten or more people, regardless of age or type of group. Tour requests MUST be made through one’s member of Congress (Senator or Representative) and will be accepted up to six months in advance; tours are scheduled approximately one month before the requested date.
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