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Washington DC | |
Key Attractions |
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Washington DC,
Key Attractions The most famous building in the city and home to the first family, is the White House, a high spot on any visit to Washington, DC. Very little of the building is on show but most enjoy the opportunity to enter the powerhouse of the USA. A self‐guided tour takes around 15‐20 minutes, passing by the Vermeil Room and Library and through the rooms on the State floor. Information on the rooms can be obtained from the US Secret Service Tour Officers stationed there. Additional information on the architecture, first families, social events and other aspects is obtainable from the White House Visitor Information Center, 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue. Visitors to the White House must obtain passes in advance, which are available from congressmen in the USA or from US embassies abroad. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Tel: (202) 456 7041. Website: www.whitehouse.gov Transport: Federal Triangle and Metro Center Metro stations. Opening hours: Tues‐Sat 1000‐1200 (occasionally closed at short notice for official events); Daily 0730‐1600 (Visitors Center). Admission: Free (with passes). National Mall Many of Washington’s most important monuments and institutions, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (see below), are located in the National Mall, a green park area extending three kilometres (two miles) from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument. Major Pierre L’Enfant originally planned the Mall as a Grand Avenue, lined with mansions, although lack of funds meant that the site was just left as an open area, used for grazing animals. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century, when many more public institutions and monuments had been constructed in the immediate area (including the White House), that they were linked with the series of gardens that now make up the National Mall. It is an ideal place for people watching from one of the many benches shaded by 200‐year‐old elm trees and is also the site for many celebrations throughout the year, such as the Independence Day Celebrations on 4 July. From Capitol Hill to 15th Street, SW Tel: (202) 485 9880. Fax: (202) 426 1844. E‐mail: national_mall@nps.gov Website: www.nps.gov/nama Transport: Capitol South and Union Station Metro stations for Capitol Hill, Smithsonian Metro station for 15th Street. Opening hours: Daily 24 hours; park rangers available 0800‐2330. Admission: Free. Lincoln Memorial The imposing 5.8m (19ft) marble statue of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, gazes from the Lincoln Memorial, across the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument. The style of the memorial is that of a Greek temple, with 36 Doric columns, although it is the statue of Lincoln, sculpted by Daniel Chester French, which steals the show. On the interior walls, there are inscriptions from the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural speech. West Potomac Park at 23rd Street, NW Tel: (202) 426 6841. Fax: (202) 724‐0764 Website: www.nps.gov/linc Transport: Foggy Bottom‐GWU Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800‐2400. Admission: Free. Korean War Veterans Memorial Located adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the marble and limestone Korean War Veterans Memorial was built entirely with funds donated from individuals and dedicated in 1995. The sculpture features 19 foot soldiers in combat, with the American flag as their symbolic objective. A mural wall is inscribed with the words: ‘Freedom is not free’ and the images of thousands of the ordinary personnel who supported the combat troops in the military operation. French Drive Tel: (202) 426 6841. Website: www.nps.gov/kwvm Transport: Foggy Bottom‐GWU Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800‐2400. Admission: Free. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Although simply designed, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most poignant memorial in National Mall. Dedicated in 1982, the 70 separate panels of the V‐shaped black granite walls, 150m (493ft) in length, are inscribed with the names of the 58,209 Americans missing or killed in the Vietnam War. Relatives taking rubbings of the names of their loved ones is a common sight. Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Drive, NW Tel: (202) 426 6841. Fax: (202) 426 1844. Website: www.nps.gov/vive Transport: Foggy Bottom‐GWU Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800‐2400. Admission: Free. Washington Monument Dedicated to the first president of the United States, the Washington Monument dates from 1885 and is 169m (555ft) tall. A lift takes visitors to the top, to enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding area. Recent improvements to the monument include the 193 restored Memorial Stones, which have been donated over the years (from July 1848) by states, cities and foreign countries, to pay tribute to George Washington, as well as new exhibits about the nation’s Founding Father and the history of the monument. 15th Street SW Tel: (202) 426 6841 or tel: (800) 967 2283, for advance tickets. Fax: (202) 724 0764. Website: www.nps.gov/wamo Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0900‐1645 (winter); daily 0800‐2400 (summer). Admission: Entrance is by timed tickets only, which are free on the day of admission on a first‐come first‐serve basis at the kiosk on the Washington Monument grounds; advance tickets are available for US$1.50 plus US$0.50 service charge. US Capitol US legislative policy is shaped under the magnificent 55m (180ft) white dome of the US Capitol. The cornerstone of the US Capitol, home to the Senate and the House of Representatives, was laid in 1793. It was not until 1800 that Congress moved into its new home, even though only the north wing was finished completely. The white‐painted dome is visible from all parts of the city and is topped by a 5.8m (19ft) Statue of Freedom. Several areas of the building are open to the public, including Statuary Hall, the original Supreme Court Chamber and the Crypt (the intended burial place of George Washington and his wife). Tours are available on a first‐come first‐served basis but it does not hurt for visitors to the US Capitol to contact their ambassador or congressman regarding a pass. Capitol Hill Tel: (202) 225 6827. Fax: (202) 228 0603. Website: www.senate.gov/visiting Transport: Capitol South and Union Station Metro stations. Opening hours: Daily 0900‐1630 (winter); daily 0900‐1800 (summer); guided tours take place Mon‐Sat every 30 minutes. Admission: Free. Thomas Jefferson Memorial The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a 5.8m (19ft) statue of the third US president. Surrounded by passages from the 1776 Declaration of Independence, his memorial was not erected until over 100 years after his death. It is one of the most attractive on National Mall, built in a neo‐classical style and framed by the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin. Tidal Basin, south end of 15th Street, SW Tel: (202) 426 6841. Fax: (202) 426 1844. Website: www.nps.gov/thje Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800‐2400. Admission: Free. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial depicts the 32nd US president in his wheelchair and honours his services to the country during four terms of office. In addition, there are also bronze sculptures of Eleanor Roosevelt, events from the Great Depression and World War II. 1850 West Basin Drive, SW Tel: (202) 426 6841. Fax: (202) 426 1844. Website: www.nps.gov/frde Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800‐2400. Admission: Free. National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum is a fascinating Smithsonian museum tracing the development of air and space travel. It is home to the Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St Louis, the Apollo 11 lunar command module and a vast collection of aviation and space technology memorabilia. The museum also houses an IMAX film theatre and the Albert Einstein Planetarium. Seventh Street and Independence Avenue, SW Tel: (202) 357 1400. Website: www.nasm.si.edu Transport: L’Enfant Plaza and Smithsonian Metro stations. Opening hours: Daily 1000‐1730. Admission: Free (museum); US$7.50 (planetarium); US$7.50 (IMAX); US$12 (combined ticket). National Museum of Natural History The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has a superb collection of dinosaur fossils, an insect zoo, the world’s largest preserved bush elephant, the 45.5‐carat Hope Diamond and an IMAX film theatre. Tenth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Tel: (202) 357 2700. Website: www.mnh.si.edu Transport: Federal Triangle Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 1000‐1730. Admission: Free (museum); US$7.50 (IMAX) or US$13 (IMAX double feature). National Zoological Park The National Zoological Park is also part of the Smithsonian Institution and is famous throughout the world for its work in species preservation and conservation research. Originally founded in 1889, the zoo, which covers the steep slopes of the gorge cut by Rock Creek, has introduced simulations of the habitats of many of its animals. Habitats include an outdoor primate enclosure, a wetlands area, a pollinarium for humming‐birds and butterflies, a reptile centre and Amazonia, a recreation of the world’s largest tropical rain forest. The zoo’s two giant pandas are an extremely popular attraction. 3001 Connecticut Avenue Tel: (202) 673 4717. Website: www.natzoo.si.edu Transport: Woodley Park‐Zoo Metro station. Opening hours: Buildings open daily 1000‐1630 (winter), daily 1000‐1800 (summer); grounds open daily 0600‐1800 (winter) daily 0600‐2000 (summer). Admission: Free. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The films, photos, eyewitness testimonies and artefacts that tell the story of the Holocaust often leave visitors dabbing their eyes at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Three rooms cover life in the 1930s, continue through the Nazi rise to power and the subsequent genocide and conclude with the liberation and the aftermath of the Holocaust. 100 Raoul Wallenburg Place, SW Tel: (202) 488 0400 or (800) 400 9373, for advance tickets. E‐mail: visitorsmail@ushmm.org Website: www.ushmm.org (www.tickets.com for advance tickets). Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 1000‐1730. Admission: Free; free timed passes are required for access to the permanent exhibition, available on the day on a first‐come first‐served basis; advance tickets for a service charge of US$2.75. International Spy Museum All is not what it seems at Washington’s newest museum. Through multimedia presentations, hands‐on exhibits and audiovisual effects, the focus is on educating the public about espionage’s impact on current and historic events. Spy paraphernalia, such as decoder machines, miniature cameras, a lipstick pistol and even James Bond’s Aston Martin with machine gun headlights, are exhibited. Visitors can assume a cover, break codes and identify spies. Each period of espionage history is showcased in an appropriate setting – Mata Hari and The Sisterhood of Spies are set in a boudoir, a European farmhouse documents the activities of the OSS and a fallout shelter chronicles the Cold War. 800 F Street NW Tel: (202) 393 7798 or 654 0960, for ticket information. Website: www.spymuseum.org Transport: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 1000‐2000 (Apr‐Oct); daily 1000‐1800 (Nov‐Mar) Admission:US$11. Federal Bureau of Investigation A fascinating place for tourists to visit when in the city is the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the headquarters of the famous US law enforcement agency, the FBI. A one‐hour guided tour includes crime laboratories where scientific examinations take place, historic exhibits of famous cases and a firearms demonstration by a Special Agent. As of 30 August 2002, all tours have been closed for extensive renovations and visitors should call in advance for further updates. J Edgar Hoover FBI Building 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Tel: (202) 324 3447. Website: www.fbi.gov Transport: Federal Triangle Metro station. Opening hours: Mon‐Fri 0845‐1430. Admission: Free. |