Washington DC: Things To Do
Attractions | Sports | Events

ATTRACTIONS

• White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is the most famous address in the nation. Presidents have customized the property over time: Jefferson added toilets, FDR put in a pool, Truman installed a second-story porch, Bush added a horseshoe-throwing lane and Clinton put in a jogging track and a seven-seat hot tub. Daily tours herd visitors through eight interior rooms but the grounds are only open on Easter Monday for the traditional Easter Egg Roll.
  
  
• Library of Congress A block east of the Capitol, the Library of Congress has about 100 million items, including 26 million books, 36 million manuscripts and maps, photographs, sheet music and musical instruments. It's the largest library in the world. The library screens free classic films, and occasionally concerts are given using the library's five Stradivarius violins.
  
  
• Federal Bureau of Investigation Nobody votes for its agents, but there's no doubt the Federal Bureau of Investigation wields serious power. The Bureau's headquarters are at 10th and Pennsylvania NW. One of the most popular show-and-tells in Washington, the FBI tour takes you though crime laboratories, DNA testing and a treasure trove of confiscated items before winding up with a live machine-gun demonstration.
  
  
• Washington Monument For a top-notch view of the Potomac Basin, make your way up the 555ft (166m) Washington Monument. There's an elevator ride to the top, and you can walk back down a staircase lined with plaques from all the states, plus one from the Cherokee Nation.
  
  
• Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is much more than a monument to the 16th US President, but a symbol of America's commitment to civil rights. From its steps in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr preached, 'I have a dream...' Designed to resemble a Greek temple, the monument's 36 columns represent the 36 states in Lincoln's union. The hands of the 19ft (5.7m) statue read A and L in American Sign Language to honor Lincoln's support for the Gallaudet College for the Deaf.
  
  
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial The most visited memorial in DC is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a stark, powerful structure.. Two walls of polished black marble that come together in a V shape are inscribed with the names of 58,202 veterans killed or missing as a result of the Vietnam War. On request, volunteers will help you get rubbings of names from 'The Wall'.
  
  
• Smithsonian Institution The Mall is home to some of the capital's most famous museums. The Smithsonian is among the world's finest research centers, and has 13 phenomenal museums and galleries as well as a zoo. The Smithsonian museums on the Mall are the turreted red-brick Smithsonian Castle (the original Smithsonian), the Freer Gallery of American and Asian Art, the National Museum of African Art, the Arthur M Sackler Gallery of Asian Arts, the Arts & Industries Building, the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshhorn collection of modern art. The Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum is the most popular museum in the world. The National Museum of Natural History holds many awesome highlights, including the Hope Diamond, a model of the biggest blue whale ever seen and a giant mammoth. The National Museum of American History is full of cultural touchstones - they've got the original American flag and, more importantly, the original Kermit the Frog, as well as Fonzie's leather jacket, Dorothy's ruby slippers and a whole bunch of sensible historical stuff.
  
  
• The US Holocaust Museum, (100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, at 14th St.; 202/488-0400)half a block south of the Mall, isn't part of the Smithsonian, but it's one of the city's best museums. It's a haunting memorial to victims of Nazi tyranny, covering the period 1933 to 1945. The exhibits - which include film footage, audio recordings, photos and personal belongings - vividly convey the scope and nature of Holocaust atrocities.
  

SPORTS

• Football: Washington Redskins; FedEx Field (301/276-6000)
• Basketball: Washington Wizards
• Hockey: Capitols
• Soccer: DC United

EVENTS

• January: Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday on the third Monday in January, when orators recite King's 'I have a dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial
  
  
• March (late): Smithsonian Kite Festival - when kite designers, flyers and competitors gather on the Mall for this rite of spring
  
  
• March - April: The city is best known for its Cherry Blossom Festival
  
  
• April: White House Easter Egg Roll, which the First Lady hosts for children under eight
  
  
• June: Smithsonian's Folklife Festival
  
  
• July: Independence Day is a big event, including a troops parade, the reading of the Declaration of Independence, concerts and fireworks over the Potomac.
  
  
• September: Adams-Morgan Day is a huge international block party with global music, food and crafts along and around 18th St NW and Columbia Rd.
  
  National Frisbee Festival (watch your head when wandering the Mall) and the DC Blues Festival (free concerts around town).
  
  
• December: On the second Thursday, the President illuminates the national Christmas tree and lights a menorah on the Ellipse.