National Air and Space Museum
Washington, DC
The legendary exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum include the Wright brothers' flyer, Chuck Yeager's Bell X-1, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St…
National Gallery of Art
Washington, DC
Two buildings. Hundreds of masterpieces. Infinite enjoyment. It's easy to spend a full day at the National Gallery of Art, which showcases a whole range…
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, DC
Anchoring the National Mall's west end is the hallowed shrine to Abraham Lincoln, who gazes across the Reflecting Pool beneath his neoclassical, Doric…
Washington, DC
Located in Washington, DC, the sensational National Museum of African American History & Culture is devoted exclusively to the documentation of African…
US Capitol
Washington, DC
Since 1800, this is where the legislative branch of American government (ie Congress) has met to write the country's laws.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, DC
Image bykanzilyou/GettyRF
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Washington, DC
In a city of classic, white-marble monuments, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands out on the National Mall for its stark modernism. Designed by 21-year…
Library of Congress
Washington, DC
The world's largest library – with 164 million books, manuscripts, maps, photos, films and other items – awes in both scope and design. The centerpiece is…
National Archives
Washington, DC
It's hard not to feel a little in awe of the big three documents in the Archives: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights…
Washington, DC
The Reynolds Center is one of DC's finest museums. This Smithsonian venue combines the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum into one…
Embassy Row
Washington, DC
Want to take a trip around the world? Stroll northwest along Massachusetts Ave from Dupont Circle (the actual traffic circle) and you pass more than 40…
Phillips Collection
Washington, DC
The country's first modern-art museum (opened in 1921) houses a small but exquisite collection of European and American works. Renoir’s Luncheon of the…
Jefferson Memorial
Washington, DC
Set on the south bank of the Tidal Basin amid the cherry trees, this memorial honors the third US president, political philosopher, drafter of the…
Supreme Court
Washington, DC
The highest court in the USA occupies a pseudo-Greek temple protected by 13,000lb bronze doors. Arrive early to watch arguments (periodic Monday through…
Ford’s Theatre
Washington, DC
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln here. Free timed-entry tickets provide access to the site, which has four parts: the…
National Museum of Natural History
Washington, DC
Arguably the most popular of the Smithsonian museums, so crowds are pretty much guaranteed. Wave to Henry, the elephant who guards the rotunda, then zip…
National Museum of American History
Washington, DC
Containing all kinds of artifacts of the American experience, this museum has as its centerpiece the flag that flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry during…
Washington Monument
Washington, DC
Peaking at 555ft (and 5in) and composed of 36,000 blocks of stone, the Washington Monument is the district's tallest structure. Political shenanigans…
National Museum of Asian Art
Washington, DC
This is a lovely spot in which to while away a Washington afternoon. Japanese silk scrolls, smiling Buddhas, rare Islamic manuscripts and Chinese jades…
Union Station
Washington, DC
DC's main rail hub, a 1907 beaux-arts beauty designed by Daniel Burnham, is an eye popper. The Grand Concourse is patterned after the Roman Baths of…
Tidal Basin
Washington, DC
The 2-mile stroll around this constructed inlet incorporates the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson memorials as well as the Floral Library…
National Postal Museum
Washington, DC
The Smithsonian-run Postal Museum is way cooler than you might think. Level 1 has exhibits on postal history from the Pony Express to modern times, where…
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Washington, DC
The only US museum exclusively devoted to women’s artwork fills this Renaissance Revival mansion. Its collection – some 5500 works by 1000 female artists…
United States Botanic Garden
Washington, DC
Built to resemble London’s Crystal Palace, this garden's iron-and-glass greenhouse provides a beautiful setting to view orchids, ferns and cacti. When you…
Folger Shakespeare Library
Washington, DC
Bard-o-philes will be all aflutter here, as the library holds the world's largest collection of old Billy’s works. Stroll through the Great Hall to see a…
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Washington, DC
The 7.5-acre memorial pays tribute to the longest-serving president in US history. Visitors are taken through four red-granite areas that narrate FDR’s…
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial
Washington, DC
Opened in 2011, this was the first Mall memorial to honor an African American. Sculptor Lei Yixin carved the piece, which is reminiscent in concept and…
Glen Echo Park
Washington, DC
This beautiful park 9 miles northwest of downtown has a huge carousel (per ride $1.25, operating May through September) and children’s shows by the Puppet…
National Building Museum
Washington, DC
Devoted to architecture and urban design, the museum is housed in a magnificent 1887 edifice modeled after the Renaissance-era Palazzo Farnese in Rome…
Scottish Rite Temple
Washington, DC
The regional headquarters of the Scottish Rite Freemasons, also known as the House of the Temple, is one of the most eye-catching buildings in the…
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument
Washington, DC
This brick house, only steps from the US Capitol, may not look like much, but throughout the 20th century it was ground zero for women fighting for their…
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Washington, DC
Escaped slave, abolitionist, author and statesman Frederick Douglass occupied this beautifully sited hilltop house from 1878 until his death in 1895…
Washington, DC
Cha-ching! The nation's paper currency is designed and printed here. Guides lead 40-minute tours during which you peer down onto the work floor where…
National Museum of African Art
Washington, DC
Enter the museum’s ground-level pavilion through the Enid A Haupt Garden, then descend into the dim underground exhibit space. Devoted to ancient and…
Marine Barracks
Washington, DC
The ‘Eighth and Eye Marines’ are on largely ceremonial duty at the nation’s oldest Marine Corps post. Most famously, this is the home barracks of the…
Constitution Gardens
Washington, DC
Constitution Gardens is a bit of a locals’ secret. Quiet, shady and serene, it’s a reminder of the size of the Mall – how can such isolation exist amid so…
Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle
Washington, DC
The sturdy redbrick exterior doesn’t hint at the marvelous mosaics and gilding within this 1893 Catholic cathedral, where JFK was laid in state and his…
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
Washington, DC
This 6-acre garden is studded with whimsical sculptures such as Roy Lichtenstein’s House I (1998), a giant Claes Oldenburg typewriter eraser (1999) and…
East Potomac Park
Washington, DC
Although only a stone’s throw from the National Mall, for tourists, East Potomac Park may as well be in Siberia. The pleasant, green, cherry-blossom-lined…
Hirshhorn Museum
Washington, DC
The Smithsonian’s cylindrical art museum shows works from modernism’s early days to today's most cutting-edge practitioners. Exhibitions of works drawn…
More destinations you need to see
- Baltimore
- Richmond
- Alexandria
