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Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill plays a central role in the country's political life, as two
of the three branches of the federal government - the legislative and the
judicial - are located here. Washington D.C.'s layout centers on Capitol
Hill, with the city's four quadrants starting at the Capitol Building.
• Capitol Building. (202)
225-6827. Metro: Union Station on the Red Line; Capitol South on the Blue or
Orange Lines. The Capitol Building is filled with impressive paintings,
statues and historical exhibits. The Capitol is open to guided tours only,
M-Sa 9am-4:30pm. Tours can be joined by getting a free, first-come,
first-served ticket from the Capitol Guide Service Kiosk located near First
St SE, across from the United States Botanic Garden. Ticket distribution
begins at 9am. Generally you will have to pick up a ticket and come back at
a later time. It is quite a rigmaroles getting in but at least the staff are
helpful at the many steps along the way. Things may be more efficient when
the new visitor center is completed in late 2006. This is one place very
strict about what you can and can't take in (prohibited
items ). At the museums you can get away with food in your bags (despite
what the signs say) but not here. If you have food it will have to be
dumped. If that's a problem, nip over to a place such as the Library of
Congress where you can deposit your bag and come back.
• Supreme Court. First
St & Maryland Ave NE. Metro: Union Station on the Red Line; Capitol South on
the Blue or Orange Lines. M-F 9am-4:30pm.
• Library of Congress - Jefferson Building.
10 First St SE, (202) 707-8000. Metro: Capitol South on the Blue or Orange
Lines. It is worth a visit just to see the very elaborate and beautiful
interior decoration. There are a number of rotating exhibitions from the
Library's vast collection on display at any one time, as is a Gutenberg
Bible. Free admission.
• Folger Shakespeare Library.
M-Sa 10am-4pm. Houses the world's largest Shakespeare collection and has a
replica of Shakespeare's Globe theatre.
• Union Station. Metro: Union Station on the Red Line. Not just a
train station or metro stop, the Beaux Arts architecture of the 1908
building makes it worth a look. Contains shops, restaurants and a cinema. A
large monument to Christopher Columbus stands outside the building.
• National Postal Museum.
2 Massachusetts Ave NE (just west of Union Station), (202) 357-2700. Metro:
Union Station on the Red Line. Every day except 25 Dec 10am-5:30pm.
Exhibitions of how mail has been delivered throughout history, rare stamps,
and other ways that the mail shapes culture. Free admission.
National Mall
The National Mall is not a shopping center but rather a long grassy
expanse stretching from Capitol Hill westward to the Potomac River. The
Mall's central location and the many famous museums and monuments which
surround it make the Mall a popular destination. If you want an "only in
Washington" moment, take the Metro to the Smithsonian stop and walk out of
the National Mall exit. The view is memorable.
"The Smithsonian" is not a single museum; there are 18 Smithsonian
museums, many of which are located on the Mall. Museums run by the
Smithsonian Institution are free of charge
and their gift shops do not have the 6.5% DC tax levied on items sold.
From east to west along Constitution Avenue (the north side of the
Mall)
• National Gallery of Art. M-Sa
10am-5pm, Su 11am-6pm. The east building of this museum focuses on modern
art, while the west building showcases more traditional, mostly European,
paintings and sculptures. The two buildings are connected by an underground
walkway which has a store and a restaurant. Free admission, and unlike most
art museums, flash photography is allowed.
• National
Archives. Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial via the Green and Yellow
Lines. Rotunda and exhibit hall open every day except 25 December;
10am-5:30pm (day after Labor Day through March 31), 10am-7pm (April 1
through the Friday before Memorial Day weekend), 10am-9pm (Memorial Day
Weekend through Labor Day). In summer you can go in the evening and avoid
the long queue (everything else in town is closed then anyway). See the
Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and
other displays. Gift shop. Free admission.
• National Museum of Natural History.
Open every day except 25 Dec. Regular hours 10am-5:30pm, summer (May 26 to
Sept 4) 10am-7:30pm. This Smithsonian museum presents a variety of displays
including world cultures, meteorites and mineral samples. It traces the
evolution of life from its beginnings through fossil plants, dinosaurs and
mammals. Be sure to see the Hope Diamond, the largest blue diamond in the
world.
• National Museum of American
History. Open every day except 25 Dec. Regular hours 10am-5:30pm,
summer 10am-6:30pm. A Smithsonian museum, it covers topics ranging from
technology to social and political history.
• Washington Monument. 9am-4:45pm. The view from the 550 foot
Washington Monument is great on a clear day, allowing you to see up and down
the Mall, and out as far as the Shenandoah Mountains. Entrance is by timed
ticket, which are distributed on a first come first served basis, and are
available free from a National Park Service booth on 15th Street near the
monument. It's worth stopping off early in the day (opens at 8:30am) and
collecting your tickets before visiting a museum or three, and then coming
back later. Better still, book your ticket online in advance at the
NPS Reservation Center . If you can't get tickets or don't want to spend
the time, you can get a similar panoramic view of DC with no wait at the Old
Post Office Tower (see below), just a block from the Mall.
• Corcoran Museum of Art. W,
F-M 10am-5pm, Th 10am-9pm. The oldest art gallery in the American capital.
$6.75 individual admission, $4.75 seniors, $3 students with ID, $12 families
with young children (donation on M and Th after 5pm).
• National World War II Memorial.
Opened in 2004.
• Reflecting Pool. The view from the Lincoln Memorial, with the
Reflecting Pool in the foreground and the Washington Memorial just behind,
is famous and not to be missed.
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
There are three sections to this memorial, all in close proximity: a black
marble wall engraved with the names of the deceased and missing of the
Vietnam War; a statue of a trio of soldiers; the Vietnam Women's Memorial.
• Lincoln Memorial. This is
an impressive monument in a commanding location at the end of the Mall.
From east to west along Independence Avenue (the south side of the
Mall)
• US Botanic Garden.
Conservatory open 10am-5pm. Bartholdi Park, south of the conservatory, is
open dawn to dusk.
• National Museum of the American
Indian. The newest of the Smithsonian museums displays the cultural
traditions of the Native peoples of North, Central and South America. It
focuses on 20th century and present day culture much more than pre-European
and colonial periods. Free admission, but visitors who don't want to wait in
line can obtain a free same-day timed entry pass at the museum's east
entrance, or they can purchase a pass in advance by calling 1-866-400-NMAI.
• National Air & Space Museum.
Every day except 25 Dec 10am-5:30pm. The most-visited museum in the world,
this impressive repository covers the history of human flight, rocketry and
space flight. It contains thousands of impressive artifacts, including the
Wrights' 1903 Flyer, Apollo 11's command module Columbia and
the simulated bridge of an aircraft carrier. Free.
There is also a huge companion museum to the Air & Space Museum called
the The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center which is located near Dulles Airport. It houses the Enola Gay and
the Enterprise space shuttle, among other planes and vehicles. There is a
frequent shuttle bus between the main Air & Space Museum and the Udvar-Hazy
Center.
• Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture
Garden. Museum 10am-5:30pm; Sculpture garden 7:30am-dusk.
International modern and contemporary art.
• Smithsonian
Castle. 8:30am-5:30pm. This distinctive brick-red structure was the
original Smithsonian museum. The building now presents an overview of the
Smithsonian system as well as occasional exhibitions.
• National Museum of African Art.
Presents the diversity of African art. The Freer and Sackler Galleries can
also be accessed through this museum.
• Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery. Every day except 25 Dec 10am-5:30pm. These linked
Smithsonian museums feature Asian art. There is also an underground passage
to the National Museum of African Art.
• United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum Metro: Smithsonian via the Blue and Orange Lines. Every day
except 13 Oct and 25 Dec 10am-5:30pm. Entrance is by free timed ticket on a
first come, first served basis. Films, audio testimonies and historical
exhibits tell about the Holocaust.
• Bureau of Engraving and
Printing. 14th St and C St. Not a museum, this is where the Treasury
prints money.
• Jefferson Memorial. On the
Tidal Basin. Metro: Smithsonian is the nearest station, but it's not close
by. A larger than life statue of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of
the United States, stands in the center of this open-air marble structure.
Quotes from Jefferson's writings, including the Declaration of Independence,
are reproduced on the walls.
• FDR Memorial.
Make the effort to see the monuments at night when they are all lit up.
If you can catch the Capitol as the sun is setting on a clear day, the
colors as the building gets lit up are wonderful.
Downtown
• White House.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave - north of the Washington Monument. The residence and
office of the President of the US. Tours are available only for groups of 10
or more and must be requested up to six months in advance through your
member of Congress. Note that the standard tours focus on the
social/residential part of the White House -- the East Wing. You don't get
to see the working West Wing. The front door can be viewed from Lafayette
Square on the north side and the back from the Ellipse on the south side.
Political demonstrations take place at the front. Worth visiting even if you
can only see the exterior, but you cannot drive any closer than two blocks
away.
• Old Post Office Tower.
Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th St NW. Summer (1st weekend in June through
Labor Day) M-W, F 9am-7:45pm, Th 9am-6:30pm, winter (Labor Day through
Memorial Day) 9am-4:45pm, Sa-Su and holidays 10am-5:45pm (all year). At 315
feet this is one of the tallest buildings in DC. Enter through the food
court and take the elevators to the 270-foot observation deck for excellent
views of DC. Bell-ringing practice is held on Thursday evenings from 7-8pm.
Free.
• International Spy Museum.
800 F St NW. $13/adult, $12/seniors, $11/children (5-11).
• Marian Koshland
Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. Corner of 6th &
E St NW. $5/adult, $3/seniors, children, students, active duty military.
• National Building Museum. 401 F
St NW. M-Sa 10am-5pm, Su 11am-5pm. Highly Recommended. Free, suggested
donation $5.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts.
1250 New York Ave NW. $8/adult, $6/student, free/children (18 and younger).
Within the city limits
• National Zoo 3001
Connecticut Avenue NW. Metro: Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams-Morgan or Cleveland
Park via the Red Line. Note that the zoo entrance is about 1/2 mile from the
metro. See the pandas, lions and many more at this branch of the
Smithsonian. Free admission.
• National Cathedral Metro:
Woodley-Park-Zoo/Adams-Morgan or Cleveland Park via the Red Line. This
impressive example of Gothic architecture is the sixth largest cathedral in
the world. One of its stained glass windows has a moon rock embedded within.
Keep an eye out for the gargoyles around the edge of the exterior -- see if
you can spot Darth Vader.
• National Geographic
Society - Explorers Hall Metro: Farragut North via the Red Line.
This 3-building complex, headquarters for National Geographic Magazine and
National Geographic Channel, shows exhibitions on art, culture, science,
photography, geography, and technology. Free admission. Open every day
except Dec. 25 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Also features a National Geographic Store.
See also
• Basilica of the National Shrine of
the Immaculate Conception 400 Michigan Avenue NE. Metro:
Brookland-CUA via the Red Line. The second largest Catholic church in the
United States. There are numerous chapels, as well as two gift shops and a
restaurant.
• Anacostia Museum 1901 Fort
Place SE. Metro: Anacostia, but check website for important details. This is
the Smithsonian's center for African-American history and culture. Free
admission.
• Theodore Roosevelt Memorial - Theodore Roosevelt Island. This is
in a nature preserve on the Potomac River. You can either park off of GW
Parkway, or walk in from the Rosslyn Metro station.
• MCI Center - Home to the NBA's Wizards, the NHL's Capitals and the
WNBA's Mystics.
• 'RFK Stadium - Home to the MLB Nationals and the MLS DC United. |
