Things To Do
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery conducts between 27 and 30 funeral services each weekday and between six and eight services on Saturday. The grounds honor those who have served our nation and provide a sense of beauty and peace for our guests. Rolling green hills are dotted with trees that are hundreds of years in age, complementing the gardens found throughout the cemetery's 639 acres. This impressive landscape serves as a tribute to the service and sacrifice of every individual laid to rest within these hallowed grounds. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery is one of the country’s oldest national cemeteries. The cemetery’s rolling hills mark the final resting place for more than 14,000 veterans, including those who fought in the Civil War. The cemetery also offers a final resting place for residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home – Washington.
East Potomac Golf Links
Beautiful views of the District! Book your tee-time in advance!
Mount Vernon
See the historic grounds of George Washington's estate, including the outbuildings, gardens, Washington's tomb, the slave memorial, a working farm, and more at Mount Vernon! Entry to the Mansion is by guided tour only and requires a Mansion tour ticket (a grounds pass allows access to the estate). Recommend that you purchase your tour tickets in advance online. ($26 for adults ages 12 yrs and over, $13 for kids 6-11 yrs, FREE for kids 0-6. Ticketing: https://www.mountvernon.org/en/ticketing Grounds Visit Time: Typically takes 1-2 hrs
Big Bus Tours
Discover the nation's capital city with Big Bus Tours. Our open-top sightseeing buses will take you on a journey through Washington DC's most impressive and iconic sights, with stops at the city's famous landmarks and attractions. Make the most of our flexible tours, which allow you to hop on and hop off our buses at different stops, conveniently located at key places of interest. Take your time sightseeing in Washington DC. Hop on and off as much as you like to discover and explore. Snap a few photos and hop back on the bus, or stay and soak up the atmosphere for hours. Buses arrive regularly, so it's completely up to you how you spend your time sightseeing in DC. You can even hop on our Night Tour to see the beauty of DC's famous landmarks illuminated after dark. Buy Tickets in advance HERE: https://www.bigbustours.com/en/washington-dc/washington-dc-tour-tickets-and-passes/washington-dc-bus-tours
US Capitol
A reservation is recommended for a tour of the U.S. Capitol. Visit the Book a Tour page for information on how to obtain a reservation. The Capitol Visitor Center is located beneath the East Front plaza of the U.S. Capitol at First Street and East Capitol Street. The Capitol Visitor Center is open to visitors with tour reservations from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission and Passes - Admission is free. All visitors to the Capitol are required to go through security screening. Visitors with Disabilities - The Capitol Visitor Center is fully accessible to people with disabilities. All films have open captioning. In addition, there are a variety of other services for visitors with disabilities, including adaptive tours of the Capitol, wheelchairs, and sign-language interpreting services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. More Information on Accessibility Service Animals - Service animals are allowed in the Capitol Visitor Center and the Capitol.
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Rangers are on duty from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The easiest way to reach the Memorial is by Metrorail or Metrobus or Uber/Taxi. The nearest Metro stations are Foggy Bottom and Smithsonian, both on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines. If traveling by Metrobus, take the 32, 34 or 36 routes. Capital Bikeshare also has a dock nearby, on Daniel French Drive SW.
Washington Monument
Built to honor George Washington, the United States' first president, the 555-foot marble obelisk towers over Washington, D.C. Best to get tickets ahead of time - you must have a ticket to enter the monument. See info for Online Advance Tickets here: https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/234635 30 Day Advance Reservations - Order tickets online up to a month in advance of your visit. Inventory for the next available day (30 days out) becomes available at 10 a.m. each morning (e.g. - on May 7 at 10 a.m., tickets will become available for visits on June 6). 24-Hour Advance Reservations - Didn't get tickets in advance or planning a last minute visit? A limited number of additional tickets are made available at 10 a.m. each day for the next day's visits (e.g. - on May 7 at 10 a.m., tickets will become available for visits on May 8).
World War II Memorial
Dedicated in 2004, the World War II Memorial is a large stone plaza designed by architect Friedrich St. Florian. The plaza forms a ring of columns representing the U.S. states and territories, joined together by a bronze cord symbolizing their united effort. At the west side of the memorial, 4,048 gold stars each represent 100 American servicemen who gave their lives in the conflict. The World War II Memorial is located on 17th Street NW between Independence and Constitution avenues, at the east end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The nearest metro stop is Smithsonian; walk west from the station past the Washington Monument and cross 17th Street at the crosswalk to enter the memorial.
National Zoo
Admission is free! Service Animals Service animals are welcome at the Zoo. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. Pets are not permitted. Getting To and Around the Zoo All Zoo exhibits are wheelchair accessible. However, please be aware that the Zoo is located on hilly terrain in Rock Creek Park. In the Visitor Center lobby, a lift gives wheelchair users access to restrooms and water fountains. Benches are located throughout the Zoo. Parking and Entrances Designated accessible parking spaces are located in Parking Lots A, B and D on a first-come, first-served basis with your paid parking pass. Please check the Zoo Map to see updated information regarding Zoo entrances, pedestrian pathways and building closures.
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Free admission! About: The world's most popular natural history museum is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it. Delve into the fascinating story of our planet, from its fiery beginnings through billions of years of transformation, and explore life on Earth through exhibitions and activities, collection objects and research that happens in the lab and in the field. The museum is larger than 18 football fields and is home to the largest natural history collection in the world. Highlights: Hall of Human Origins; National Fossil Hall, Deep Time; mammals; Ocean Hall; the Hope Diamond; Egyptian mummies; O. Orkin Insect Zoo; Butterfly Pavilion
National Archives Museum
Plan your visit to the National Archives Museum, home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Open Daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
National Air and Space Museum
Free Admission! About: Launch into the history of flight by surrounding yourself with icons of air and space travel. The flagship building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, exhibits aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and other flight-related artifacts. While the museum undergoes transformation, half of the building is open with eight new and renovated exhibitions. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, Virginia, houses many additional artifacts in an open, hangar-like setting, including a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and space shuttle Discovery. Highlights: 1903 Wright Flyer; Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit, Star Trek Starship Enterprise Studio Model, Lilienthal Glider, Fuselage, Northrop, T-38 Talon
International Spy Museum
Purchase tickets in advance! Adult: ~$30 Youth: ~$17 Open Daily: 9AM - 7PM Come face to face with spies and spymasters, the gadgets and engineers, stories from past and present. With two floors of interactive exhibits to tap, touch, and play – you don’t visit SPY, you live it.
Jefferson Memorial
Dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on April 13, 1943, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial stands in a straight line with the White House. Architect John Russell Pope, influenced by Jefferson's taste in classical architecture, echoed the style seen in Jefferson's two most famous buildings - Monticello and the University of Virginia Rotunda.
Gravelly Point Park
Gravelly Point is popular among plane-spotters who watch the arriving and departing aircraft from the adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Historic Old Town Alexandria
Old Town is Alexandria’s beloved downtown and nationally designated historic district on the Potomac River waterfront. The King Street Mile and surrounding brick-lined sidewalks are studded with centuries-old architecture, historic attractions and independent businesses. Old Town is the heart of Alexandria, located just minutes from Washington, D.C., voted one of Travel + Leisure’s and a Condé Nast Traveler
Historic Georgetown and Shopping District
Georgetown was originally established as a tobacco port town in Maryland, and housed a lumber yard, cement works, and the Washington Flour Mill. More than two centuries later, in 1967, Georgetown was designated a National Historic Landmark. It’s included in the inventory of Historic Places, as well as the National Register of Historic Places. From family-owned boutiques to internationally renowned bakeries, learn more about Georgetown's shopping district! https://www.georgetowndc.com/category/businesses/fashion/