Visiting D.C.

Tours and Places of Interest

Updated March 10, 2008

Washington, DC hosts a myriad of fascinating monuments, memorials, and historical landmarks. My office can help you arrange a tour of a number of these sites. If you would like to take one of the tours listed below, please feel free to contact Travis Osen-Foss in my office at (202) 225-2464. Please be aware that for a number of these tours, you will need to book in advance, including a minimum of three months' notice for a White House tour.

Click for: Useful Tour Websites | Popular Tours | Monuments and Memorials
Museums and Galleries | Landmarks and Parks | Transportation Info

Useful Tour Sites

Back to top


Popular Tours

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (map it)
http://www.whitehouse.gov
The White House was recently reopened for self-guided, public tours Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Reservations are required and can only be made through the office of a Member of Congress. In order to obtain reservations, you must first choose the exact dates you plan to visit Washington, D.C. Requests may be submitted to congressional offices up to six months in advance of your visit, and we suggest you submit your reservation at least three months in advance. The reservation will be confirmed by the White House approximately thirty days before the date of your visit. All visitors aged 14 and above will be required to submit their name, date of birth, social security number and country of origin to the congressional office with which you schedule the tour.
Metro stop: Metro Center or McPherson Square

The United States Capitol Building
Center of city (map it)
http://www.aoc.gov
Free public tours are conducted Monday - Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Capitol Guides suggest that visitors meet on the east side of the Capitol for tickets early in the day. Tickets are handed out beginning at 8:15 a.m. The tours begin in the Rotunda and are conducted every fifteen minutes. For information, call 202-225-6827. Gallery passes are also available from my Washington office.
Metro stop: Capitol South or Union Station

The Supreme Court
1st St. & Maryland Ave., NE (map it)
http://www.supremecourtus.gov
Open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, no weekends or national holidays. Lectures on the first floor of the courtroom are taking place every hour on the half hour from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (when the Court is not sitting). Tickets are not required for groups less than 50. Tickets are required for groups over 50 and should be ordered a month ahead of time. For information, please call 202-479-3211.
Metro stop: Union Station

The Bureau of Engraving & Printing
14th St. & C St., SW (map it)
http://www.moneyfactory.com
See currency being printed at the rate of 7,000 sheets per hour on a 40-minute guided tour. Tours are free, but space is limited and given every fifteen minutes on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are required March-September. Open Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. For information, call 202-874-3019.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

The Pentagon
1400 Defense Pentagon (map it)
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pentagon/tour.html
The Pentagon, the world's largest office building, and the center for our nation's defense, offers ninety-minute free public tours Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. For more information, please call 703-695-1776.
Metro stop: Pentagon

The Department of State
2201 C St., NW (map it)
http://www.state.gov
The headquarters for American foreign policy offers free public tours by reservation only Monday - Friday at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 2:45 p.m. Strollers are not permitted and the tour is recommended for children age twelve and older. For more information, please call 202-647-3241.
Metro stop: Foggy Bottom/GWU

Federal Bureau of Investigation
9th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (map it)
http://www.fbi.gov/aboutus/tour/tour.htm
THE FBI WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
The J. Edgar Hoover Building, the headquarters of our nation's premiere law enforcement agency, offers free public tours every fifteen minutes Monday - Friday from 8:45 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. The 1-hour tour includes crime laboratories, history exhibits and a live firearms demonstration. For information, call 202-324-3447.
Metro stop: Metro Center or Gallery Place/Chinatown

The Kennedy Center
2700 F St., NW (map it)
http://www.kennedy-center.org
The Kennedy Center offers free guided tours Monday - Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The Kennedy Center also features gift shops, restaurants and private reception areas. For tour information, performance reservations and ticket prices call 202-467-4600.
Metro stop: Foggy Bottom/GWU

The Library of Congress
10 1st St., SE (map it)
http://www.loc.gov
The Visitor's Center, located on the west ground level of the Jefferson Building, is open to the public Monday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., and a twelve minute film showcasing the library is shown continuously. Free public tours are conducted at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and additionally at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 202-707-8000.
Metro stop: Capitol South

Back to top


Monument and Memorials

Arlington National Cemetery (map it)
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org
Arlington National Cemetery is America's largest national burial ground with more than 600 acres of landscaped hills. See the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Amphitheater, the Custis-Lee Mansion and the graves of Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider is every hour on the hour and every half hour during the summer months. Arlington National Cemetery is open daily October through March from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and April through September from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, please call 703-692-0931.
Metro stop: Arlington National Cemetery

The Korean War Memorial
National Mall (map it)
http://www.nps.gov/nama/monuments/monument.htm
The Memorial is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. year-round.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

The Lincoln Memorial
National Mall (map it)
http://www.nps.gov/nama/monuments/monument.htm
The memorial is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. year-round. For more information, please call 202-426-6822.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial
National Mall (map it)
http://www.nps.gov/nama/monuments/monument.htm
The memorial is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. year-round. For more information, please call 202-426-6822.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

FDR Memorial
National Mall (map it)
http://www.nps.gov/nama/monuments/monument.htm
The memorial is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. year-round. For more information, please call 202-426-6822.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
National Mall (map it)
http://www.nps.gov/nama/monuments/monument.htm
The memorial is open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. year-round. For more information, please call 202-634-1568.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

The Washington Monument
National Mall (map it)
http://www.nps.gov/nama/monuments/monument.htm
The monument is open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. seven days a week, and hours are extended from 8:30 a.m. to midnight Memorial Day through Labor Day. You may obtain tickets to the monument ahead of time by calling 1-800-967-2283. Tickets are $1.50 each plus a fifty cent transaction, and can be picked up at will call by the Monument. For more information, please call 202-426-6841.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

The U.S. Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (map it)
http://www.lonesailor.org/
The memorial is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and also on Mondays from April 1st until November. For more information, please call 202-737-2300.
Metro stop: Archives/Navy Memorial

Back to top


Museums and Galleries

Folger Shakespeare Library
201 E. Capitol St., SE (map it)
http://www.folger.edu
The Folger Library is open to the public Monday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and public tours are available at 11 a.m. Monday - Friday, and 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, please call 202-544-7077.
Metro stop: Capitol South or Union Station

Ford's Theatre
511 10th St., NW (map it)
http://www.fordstheatre.org
The theater where President Lincoln was assassinated is undergoing a restoration project. It is currently open for theatre performances, but the museum on the lower level and the Petersen House are closed through January 2003. For more information, please call 202-426-6924.
Metro stop: Metro Center

The National Gallery of Art
6th St. & Constitution Ave., NW (map it)
http://www.nga.gov
The gallery is open to the public Monday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. For more information, please call 202-737-4215.
Metro stop: Archives/Navy Memorial

The Smithsonian Institution
http://www.si.edu
The museums are open to the public daily from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The locations are as follows:

  • Anacostia Museum
    2405 Martin Luther King Ave., SW (map it)
  • Arts and Industries Building
    900 Jefferson Dr., SW (map it)
  • Freer Gallery of Art
    Jefferson Dr. and 12th St., SW (map it)
  • Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
    Independence Ave. & 7th St., SW (map it)
  • National Air & Space Museum
    Independence St. and 7th St., SW (map it)
  • National Air & Space Museum Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center
    14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA (map it)
  • National Museum of African Art
    8th and G Streets, NW (map it)
  • National Museum of American History
    14th St. & Constitution Ave., SW (map it)
  • National Museum of the American Indian
    Maryland Ave SW & Independence Ave SW (map it)
  • National Museum of Natural History
    10th St. & Constitution Ave., NW (map it)
  • National Portrait Gallery
    8th & F Streets, NW (map it)
  • Renwick Gallery
    Pennsylvania Ave. & 17th St., NW (map it)
  • Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle)
    1000 Jefferson Drive, SW(map it)
For more information about the Smithsonian Institution, please call 202-357-2700. Metro for most of the Smithsonian museums: Smithsonian.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW (map it)
http://www.ushmm.org/visit
The museum is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. You may obtain tickets ahead of time by calling 1-800-400-9373 or logging on to www.tickets.com. For more information, please call 202-488-0400.
Metro stop: Smithsonian

Capital Children's Museum
800 3rd Street, NE (map it)
http://www.ccm.org/
This is a hands-on museum where children and adults can learn, explore and have fun. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the summer and Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year. For more information, please call 202-675-4125.
Metro stop: Union Station

Corcoran Gallery of Art
17th Street and New York Avenue, NW (map it)
http://www.corcoran.org
The Corcoran is open every day except Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday evenings until 9:00 p.m. Tickets are needed for some exhibits. For more information, please call 202-639-1700.
Metro stop: Farragut West

Spy Museum (map it)
http://www.spymuseum.org
The Spy Museum is home to the world's largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. The museum is open 10 am to 8 pm April through October and 10 am to 6 pm November through March. The last tickets are sold one hour prior to closing. Tickets are $11 for Adults, $9 for Seniors (age 65+) / Military & Intelligence (U.S. or International with valid I.D.), $8 for Children (grades K-12 or ages 5-18), and Children under 5 are free. For advance tickets, log on to ticketmaster.com or call 800-551-SEAT. For more information on the museum, please call 202-EYE-SPY-U.
Metro stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown

Back to top


Landmarks and Parks

Mount Vernon (map it)
At the south end of the George Washington Parkway, eight miles south of Alexandria.
http://www.mountvernon.org
The 30-acre estate is the home and burial place of George Washington. Mt. Vernon is open to the public daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. March, September, and October. November through February hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. April through August hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission charges are: Adults $9.00, Senior Citizens $8.50, Children 6-11 years $4.50.For more information, please call 703-780-2000.
No close Metro stop. However, it is a nice drive down the George Washington Parkway.

United States Botanic Garden
245 1st St., SW (map it)
http://www.usbg.gov
The gardens are free and open to the public daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and from June - August until 9:00 p.m. Group tours are available with advance reservations. For more information, please call 202-225-8333.
Metro stop: Federal Center SW

Octagon House
18th and New York Avenue, NW (map it)
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc22.htm
The Octagon House contains architectural exhibits. It served as James Madison's White House following the destruction of the real White House by the British in 1814. The Treaty of Ghent was signed here, ending the War of 1812. It is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Octagon House is closed Monday. For more information, please call 202-638-3105.
Metro stop: Farragut North or Farragut West

Washington National Cathedral
Massachusetts & Wisconsin Aves., NW (map it)
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/
The observation gallery offers a magnificent view of Washington. The Cathedral is open Sunday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free guided tours are conducted from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tours are not offered during services. Donations are accepted. For more information, please call 202-537-6200.
Metro stop: 1 mile walk from Cleveland Park station

The National Zoological Park
3001 Connecticut Ave., NW (map it)
http://natzoo.si.edu
The zoo's grounds are open to the public daily from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and the animal buildings are open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. from May 1 until September 15. From September 16 until April 30, the zoo's grounds are open from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and the animal buildings are open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call 202-673-4800.
Metro stop: Cleveland Park or Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan

Old Post Office Building and Pavilion
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (map it)
The building is open to the public daily from 9:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. September through April and 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. April through September. For more information, please call 202-606-8691.
Metro stop: Federal Triangle

Union Station
15 Massachusetts Ave., NE (map it)
http://www.unionstationdc.com
The mall is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., with separate hours for individual restaurants. For more information, please call 202-289-1908.
Metro stop: Union Station

Back to top


Transportation

Metro
http://www.wmata.com
The Washington, DC metropolitan area boasts a top notch subway system kno