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ABOUT WASHINGTON DC WASHINGTON DC is best known for a wide array of cultural and historical attractions, and historic monuments and memorials .... most of them free to the public, and open seven days a week. Most famous are the White House, U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress, National Archives, various Smithsonian museums, National Gallery of Art, National Zoo, Union Station, Arlington National Cemetery. Neighborhood areas include Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, Anacostia – all of which have a variety of attractions, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. The African American Civil War Memorial sculpture commemorates the more than 208,000 African American soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Among the graves at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia are those of President John Kennedy, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, world champion boxer Joe Louis and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The FDR Memorial depicts the 12 years of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency through a series of five outdoor gallery rooms. There are tours of crime laboratories, history exhibits and live firearms demonstrations at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Six theaters at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts present drama, dance, ballet, music, comedy, films and commissioned works; it is the home of the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington Opera and the American Film Institute. Library of Congress, the world’s largest library, has almost 119-million items; the Thomas Jefferson Building houses one of the world’s three perfect vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible. The Lincoln Memorial overlooks the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol; inside the Memorial, the 19-foot marble statue of the 16th president is flanked by inscriptions of his Second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address. The MCI Center provides an interactive mix of sports entertainment, sports history and sports retail. The National Air and Space Museum houses the Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer, Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, Apollo 11 lunar command module and a collection of aviation and space technology treasures. The Explorers’ Hall of the National Geographic Society features Geographica, an interactive exhibit about the earth and the fragile balance among its inhabitants, and Earth Station One, a 72-seat amphitheater that simulates an orbital flight. In addition to the stamps, the National Postal Museum has postal stationery, postal history material that pre-dates stamps, vehicles used to transport the mail, mailboxes, meters, greeting cards, covers and letters. The Navy Museum's collection features the foremast fighting top from the USS Constitution, the bathyscaphe Trieste, ship models, medals, uniforms, photographs and fine art. Six Flags America is a family theme park. Known as the Castle, the Smithsonian Institution, oldest of the 14 Smithsonian museums in Washington, houses the crypt of founder James Smithson and interactive touch-screen programs in six languages. At The Newseum, Virginia visitors can be reporters or television newscasters; relive the great news stories through multimedia exhibits, artifacts and news memorabilia; and see today's news as it happens on a block- long video news wall. Theodore Roosevelt Island is a wildlife refuge with nearly two miles of trails. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum tells the story of the Holocaust through artifacts, films, photos and oral histories. The black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are inscribed with the names of the 58,209 Americans missing or killed in the Vietnam conflict. The Washington Monument obelisk was dedicated in 1885 to the memory of the first U.S. president. The White House has been the home of every U.S. president except George Washington. |