Visiting Our Nation's Capital

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There are many Washington D.C. tours which you can arrange on your own.  The list below is an excellent resource of links and schedules for you to use as you plan your trip to our Nation's Capital.  The National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places features a guide to the historic neighborhoods and monuments of our Nation's Capital which offers itinerary maps and details on each site.  The DC Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center is also a great resource.  You may reach them at 1-866-DCISFUN (324-7386) or 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, using the Federal Triangle Metro.  For a complete Metro guide to the Nation's Capital visit here.  It includes a guide to interesting sites with Metro rail or bus access, plus station locations and hours.

 

Monuments and Memorials

Arlington National Cemetery (703) 607-8052
Open daily October through March from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and April through September from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. View the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every hour on the hour and every half hour during the summer months. See the Amphitheater, the Custis- Lee Mansion, and the graves of Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft.
Location: Memorial Drive at Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA
Metro: Arlington Cemetery

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
This memorial is a tribute to both President Roosevelt and the time in which he lived. There is a sequence of four outdoor rooms, each representing one of FDR's four terms in office. Park ranger talks and tours daily.
Location: 1850 West Basin Drive SW, south of the National Mall between the Potomac River and the Cherry Tree Walk of the Tidal Basin
Metro: Long walking distance to Smithsonian or use bus routes 13A, 13B, 52, and V7

Jefferson Memorial (202) 426-6822
This monument is in honor of Thomas Jefferson, third president, author of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. You may rent paddleboats at the Swan Boathouse and cruise the Basin. Open 8:00 AM to Midnight every day but Christmas.
Location: South of the Washington Monument, adjacent to the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park on Ohio Drive SW.
Metro: Long walking distance to Smithsonian or use bus routes 13A, 13B, 52, and V7

Korean War Veterans Memorial
Nineteen stainless steel sculptures stand silently under the watchful eye of a sea of faces upon a granite wall—reminders of the human cost of defending freedom.
Location: National Mall, near the Reflecting Pool
Metro: Long walking distance to Smithsonian and Foggy Bottom or use bus routes 13A, 13B, and 80

Lincoln Memorial (202) 426-6895
This monument is in honor of Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president, overlooking the Reflecting Pool toward the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. Open 24 hours daily
Location: On the western end of the National Mall in West Potomac Park at 23rd Street and Independence Ave SW
Metro: Long walking distance to Smithsonian and Foggy Bottom or use bus routes 13A, 13B, and 80

U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial - Iwo Jima (703) 289-2500
The Marine Corps War Memorial stands as a symbol of this grateful Nation's esteem for the honored dead of the U.S. Marine Corps. While the statue depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II, the memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in the defense of the United States since 1775. Open daily, 24 hours. The Marine Corps presents the Marine Sunset Review Parade on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., May through August.
Location: Between Route 50 and Arlington National Cemetery on Marshall Drive, Arlington, VA. 
Metro: Long walking distance to Rosslyn (6 blocks)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial (202) 634-1568
Constructed of black granite to honor