State Attractions

District Of Columbia Attractions Guide

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District Of Columbia Attractions

Located midway along the Atlantic Coast, the nation's capital lies at the heart of the East Coast. Besides its rich tapestry of historical events, this region also has one of the country's most beautiful landscapes. Just 30 miles east from the White House is Chesapeake Bay, the country's largest and most productive estuary, while to the west are the lush Appalachian hardwood forests. DC is a pedestrian-friendly city, so walking tours are very popular. The tour season usually runs from late March through the end of October. Visit some of the places below to make your trip unforgettable!


Federal | Museums | Other
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Federal


The Library Of Congress - The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution. The Library preserves a collection of more than 119 million items, more than two-thirds of which are in media other than books. These include the largest map, film and television collections in the world.

The White House - Take a tour of the White House where you can view the rooms and furnishings, past and present.

National Archives And Records Administration (nara) - NARA's mission is to ensure ready access to the essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of Federal officials, and the national experience. Visitors can see on display our nation's Charters of Freedom ? The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The exhibit halls are temporarily closed due to renovations.

Washington National Cathedral - The Cathedral towers above the city from its 57-acre site high on Mt. St. Alban. Sixth largest cathedral in the world, burial sites of President Woodrow Wilson, Hellen Keller, and her two teachers. War Memorial and Children's Chapels, Space Window with moon rock inset. Observation Gallery offers magnificent views of Washington, Virginia, and Maryland.

arrowFbi Tour - The FBI Tour is designed to inform visitors of the responsibilities, organizational structures, accomplishments, history, and law enforcement services of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The one-hour, guided tour, which is taken by nearly 500,000 persons each year, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Nation's Capital.

arrowBureau Of Engraving And Printing - Watch stacks of cash being made. The bureau is the largest producer of security documents in the United States. The BEP produces over 9 billion Federal Reserve notes each year and over 20 billion postage stamps.

arrowSupreme Court Of The United States - The Supreme Court offers a variety of educational programs. Exhibits, which are changed periodically, and a theater, where a film on the Supreme Court is shown, are located on the ground floor. Lectures in the Courtroom are given every hour on the half-hour, on days that the Court is not sitting.

arrowU.s. Capitol - Under this magnificent white dome, senators and representatives meet to shape U.S. legislative policy. The Capitol Guide Service conducts free guided tours of the Capitol Monday through Saturday throughout the year.

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Museums


National Gallery Of Art - The National Gallery of Art houses one of the finest collections in the world illustrating major achievements in painting, sculpture, and graphic arts from the Middle Ages to the present.

Capital Children's Museum - Capital Children's Museum (CCM) has fostered children's love of learning for over 25 years. Children are encouraged to explore by touching, climbing, tasting and using their imagination to learn about the world around them. At CCM, there are five permanent exhibits and more than a dozen traveling exhibits each year.

Decatur House - The Decatur House's distinguished neo-classical architecture and prominent location across from the White House made Decatur House one of the capital's most desirable addresses and home to many of our nation's most prominent figures. Today, visitors hear compelling stories of this unique site, from elite socializing to a fatal duel to a slave's campaign for freedom.

Daughters Of The American Revolution Museum - The museum is Washington's only American Decorative Arts Museum. The Museum features 33 period rooms depict scenes of early American life, two galleries with permanent and rotating exhibits, over 33,000 objects made or used in America prior to 1840 and more.

National Museum Of Women In The Arts - The National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to recognizing the contributions of women artists. The museum features a collection of more than 1,500 pieces by 400 women artists from 28 countries, including Cassatt and O'Keeffe.

The Phillips Collection - The Phillips Collection, America's first museum of modern art, opened in 1921 in the home of Duncan Phillips (1886-1966). Renoir's great masterpiece Luncheon of the Boating Party hangs here, along with other outstanding Impressionist paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and C?zanne.

International Spy Museum - The International Spy Museum is the first public museum in the world solely dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage. The museum features the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. Spanning the history of espionage around the globe, many of these artifacts can now be seen by the public for the first time.

arrowKreeger Museum - One of the greatest legacies of David and Carmen Kreeger is the museum that bears their name. In 1959, Mr. & Mrs. Kreeger began to amass a formidable collection of modern art. For the next fifteen yearsthey assembled most of the museum's holdings. The collection of The Kreeger Museum reflects the spirit of the Kreegers.

arrowWoodrow Wilson House Museum - Washington's only presidential Museum. Each year, thousands still visit the final home of the twenty-eighth President. The remarkable collection offers the visitor unique insights into the personality of one of America's greatest leaders. On display are objects from the White House, family items, memorabilia, and elaborate gifts of state from around the world.

arrowNational Building Museum - The National Building Museum is America?s premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning.

arrowNational Museum Of Health And Medicine - Discover a smoker's lung, the bullet that took Abraham Lincoln's life, a brain still attached to a spinal cord suspended in formaldehyde.  You can see Paul Revere's dental tools and what a kidney stone looks like.  You can try on a pregnancy garment that makes you feel what it's like to be with child.  You can find out what on earth a shoe fluoroscope is.  You can even touch a real brain if you dare.

arrowHillwood Museum & Gardens - Hillwood Museum and Gardens is one of America's premier estate museums, featuring the most comprehensive assemblage of imperial Russian fine and decorative arts outside Russia, and an extensive collection of eighteenth-century French works of art.

arrowThe Textile Museum - The Textile Museum is dedicated to furthering the understanding of mankind's creative achievements in the textile arts. As a museum, it is committed to its role as a center of excellence in the scholarly research, conservation, interpretation and exhibition of textiles, with particular concern for the artistic, technical and cultural significance of its collections.

arrowUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum - The Museum's Permanent Exhibition The Holocaust spans three floors of the Museum building. It presents a narrative history using more than 900 artifacts, 70 video monitors, and four theaters that include historic film footage and eyewitness testimonies. Also hosting a variety of traveling exhibitions, the museum is a fascinating and educational experience for the young or old.

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Other


National Geographic Society Explorers Hall - In Explorers Hall, past and current expeditions come to life. Learn the latest from scientists in the field through interactive programs, artifacts and more.

The Old Post Office Pavilion - The Old Post Office Pavilion is located on Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Streets, NW, halfway between the White House and the United States Capitol. It is Washington, D.C.'s first modern skyscraper standing an impressive 12 stories tall. The building was originally built to house the United States Post Office Department and the Washington, D.C. Post Office.

arrowUnion Station - For over 90 years, Union Station has welcomed people to the most important city in the world. This magnificent building has even played host to 17 Presidents and countless foreign dignitaries. However, what may be most impressive is the fact that Union Station's marble floors echo with the footsteps of over 23.4 million people each year, making it the most visited site in all of Washington.

arrowUnited States National Arboretum - The Arboretum's beautiful 446-acre campus in Washington, D.C. contains an array of display gardens, collections, and historical monuments set among native stands of eastern deciduous trees.

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