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Great Places to Go in Washington D.C.
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items The capital of the lone world super power has so much to show and offer. From historical sites, memorable buildings, state of the art museums, and a loaded recreational atmosphere at night. Real tourists and those wanting to explore new cities on the...
Sections
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Well Known Places and Public Attractions
Fun Activities to Do
Well Known Places and Public Attractions
The best places to go in the capital of the western world's strongest nation and my home country.
One of the few well known sites not in DC. Right across the river in Virginia, the national cemetery was once home to the traitorous, rebel, slave-supporting general of the Confederacy Robert E. Lee. After Gettysburg, the Union dumped the bodies of b...
Arlington National Cemetery - Home
A well detailed memorial you can tour through, saluting the life of former wheelchair bound president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Most of U.S. public policies stem from Roosevelt trying to get the country out of the Great Depression. Roosevelt sadly d...
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial - National Park Service
A pretty memorial surrounded by nature. Known to many in the States as the Forgotten War, the Korean War Memorial reminds citizens how many brave souls fought and died at the start of the 1950s. Good educational moment to see how many souls are lost ...
Korean War Veterans Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
One of the best memorials you may see in your lifetime. The Lincoln Memorial has a pool marking where its domain begins. The closer you get, the better it looks. From the pillars on the building, to the former President looking so realistic, you thin...
Lincoln Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
I had the privilege and honor of seeing this the first year it debuted outside to the public. I'm still in awe of how white and clean it is over a decade later. It has similar vibes to Lincoln's memorial where the closer you get to the statue, the mo...
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
What connects the Washington Monument, the Korean War, Vietnam War, World War 2, FDR memorial, Lincoln and MLK memorials close by? The strip of nature that's nicknamed the national mall. Weave and walk your way throughout all and take in as much hist...
National Mall and Memorial Parks (U.S. National Park Service)
One of, if not the most beautiful and well constructed building in DC. It's massive in-person and well maintained. Be mindful of what year you go to see this building should you visit DC. During election years, there's more security and urgency to ke...
The Capitol - U.S. Capitol - Visitor Center
This gated community (laugh all you want, that's what it is) features the residency of whoever's the president of the U.S. Most of what you see is after the War of 1812, as Canadians and British soldiers almost completely burned it down. YOU CANNOT c...
The White House
While it doesn't get the hype or love the Lincoln or Washington attractions get, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial is beautiful. Set by water, the domed building has a lot of history and a pretty interior. One of the few national sites that has a great g...
Thomas Jefferson Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
By now, you're a lot of somber places in the U.S. capital. The Holocaust museum is another one. Whether it's the relics from inside Auschwitz or other concentration camps, to the famous section where shoes are spread out, you learn quickly how awful ...
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The very controversial Vietnam war had to have a major memorial in DC at some point. The wall is littered with names of those who died in almost two decades of useless fighting. It's not a happy attraction to visit, but it is a necessary one.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
A unique monument dedicated to first U.S. president, fantastic general and founding father George Washington. The layout around the monument is fun to walk and get close to. Many aren't aware that all the country's aluminum (before electricity was us...
Washington Monument (U.S. National Park Service)
A massive war memorial that's been well taken care of and expanded. The significant world event deserved a large public exhibit and is worth paying a visit to.
World War II Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
Fun Activities to Do
While the above have public places to see and appreciate, this section is for fun activities for anyone wanting creativity.
I'll admit, this one looked eye-roll worthy at first. It's actually a fun place and cool to learn all about spies, their tactics, fiction v. non-fiction, and how tactics in spying have changed over the decades. Admission when I went was $10, so be pr...
International Spy Museum - Washington DC
The best place to go in DC if you're both nostalgic and into history. If you want to explore the Smithsonian fully, it will take a full day or two. There's so much history, ranging from every major newspaper headline collected to the almost perfectly...
Smithsonian Institution