Ten Things To Do In Wahington, DC
about |schedule | register | hotel & travel | sessions & events | hill advocacy day
ten things to do in washington, dc
Looking for even more to enjoy during your visit? No matter what you’re looking to do, see, or explore, you will find it here.
hotel information| travel information| about washington dc
1. Visit the Smithsonian
Start at the Smithsonian Institution Building where you can pick up a map and information on all of the museums. These national treasures cover a wide range of subjects from art to space exploration. Plan to explore those you are most interested in, but don’t try to see everything at once.
2. Tour National Monuments and Memorials
The Washington, DC national monuments are truly spectacular. The best time to see them is at night when they are illuminated, less crowded and parking is easier. During daytime visits, take a tour bus. Listen to informative park ranger talks and you won’t have to negotiate congested city traffic.
3. Tour the Three Houses of Government
Explore the U.S. Capitol Building, the White House and the U.S. Supreme Court and you will gain a fuller understanding of the division of power within our democratic government. Plan ahead and note that some tours must be scheduled in advance through your Congressional Representative.
4. International Spy Museum
The Spy Museum, one of D.C.'s most popular attractions, is noisy with films and interactive displays. But at the end of the day, this museum works because spies are cool, and so are KGB lipstick pistols and invisible-ink letters. Be sure to check out the exhibit on the Navajo codetalkers and the history of spying going back to Moses.
5. Washington National Cathedral
America does not have many truly impressive Gothic cathedrals, so the National Cathedral is one worth visiting. It is actually an Episcopal church, but Congress has designated it the National House of Prayer. Since 1907, it has been used for state funerals for three presidents, monthly emergency unity services during WWII, presidential prayer services and 9/11 memorial ceremonies. Half-hour tours are held throughout the day. It is striking and pleasantly removed from the rest of official D.C. in a more residential area.
6. The National Zoo
Just down the road from the Cathedral, the National Zoo is yet another free play zone brought to you by the Smithsonian. Meander by the Giant Pandas, keep an eye out for the orangutans, which can travel freely on a system of cables 40 feet above your head, and if you have small children with you, make your way all the way down to the petting farm and the pizza-garden playground.
7. U Street Corridor
U Street, where you will find bars, restaurants and boutiques runs for about eight blocks between 17th Street and 9th Street NW, in a neighborhood called Shaw. The birthplace of Duke Ellington, U Street was once a center of African-American culture. Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong were regulars. After the 1968 riots, the corridor sat mostly vacant for far too long. But it is now finally, fully revived, jangling with sound and motion after dark. But the icon of U Street is still Ben's Chili Bowl, a family-run, old-school chili-dog joint that opened in 1958 and stuck around when almost nothing else did.
8. National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art, East Building. The East Building opened in 1978 in response to the changing needs of the National Gallery, especially its growing collection of modern art. The trapezoidal shape of the site prompted architect I.M. Pei's dramatic approach: two interlocking spaces shaped like triangles provide room for galleries, auditoriums, and administrative offices. Despite its severe angularity, Pei's building is inviting. The ax-blade-like southwest corner has been darkened and polished smooth by thousands of hands irresistibly drawn to it. Inside, the sunlit atrium is dominated by a colorful 76-foot-long Alexander Calder mobile, the perfect introduction to galleries filled with masterworks of modern and contemporary art.
9. Bureau of Engraving and Printing Review
Paper money has been printed here since 1914, when the bureau relocated from the redbrick-towered Auditors Building at the corner of 14th Street and Independence Avenue. In addition to the paper currency in the United States, military certificates and presidential invitations are printed here, too. You can only enter the bureau on the tours, which last about 35 minutes. From March through August, free same-day timed-entry tour passes are issued starting at 8 am at the Raoul Wallenberg Place SW ticket booth. For the rest of the year, tickets aren't used. Waits to get in can be up to two hours in spring and summer, longer if a tour bus unloads just as you arrive. Tickets are not required and waits will likely be short in the off-peak months, September-February.
10. Botanical Gardens
The U.S. Botanic Garden, established by Congress in 1820, is a living plant museum located on the National Mall across from the U.S. Capitol. The Conservatory reopened in December 2001 after a four-year renovation, showcasing an impressive state-of-the-art indoor garden with approximately 4,000 seasonal, tropical and subtropical plants. The U.S. Botanic Garden is administered by the Architect of the Capitol and offers special exhibits and educational programs throughout the year.
