What Are The "Must See's" In DC?

[kend]

My wife and I will be there for one of her seminars and I'll have two days with nothing to do, any suggestions?

[j1b]

With two days, you could spend all of them at the smithsonian and still not see all of it. Still, worth getting through portions that you have interest in.

The Mall, Lincoln Memorial, WWII memorial and Vietnam wall are all worth it. One I never really heard much about but was very impressed with was the Korean war memorial. WWII memorial I enjoyed because like most of us I have family that fought in it.

The two most impactful things for me were Arlington - and all of it. From walking the grounds to the tomb of the unknown soldier to Kennedy's flame - all of it was pretty incredible to me. It's amazing how many folks burried in there have multiple wars fought - WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam - Soldiers that served in all of them. Amazing.

And then the Declaration of Independence. Just seeing the document, the one thing that set all of this in motion - I was pretty impressed.

I know those are all the tourist things. But when I did them I was pretty impressed.

J

[bbbean]

With two days, you could spend all of them at the smithsonian and still not see all of it. Still, worth getting through portions that you have interest in.

+1 Any single Smithsonian museum is 2-8 hours, depending on your level of interest.

Odds are that if you contact your congressman or senator, you can get a capitol tour (well worth the time), and its a great chance to visit with the people who represent you.

My personal favorites were the Air and Space Museum, the Spy Museum (big fun), the Hirshhorn (Modern Art), and the Korean War Memorial. Its hard to call the Holocaust Museum a "favorite", but I highly recommend you go. Just don't expect to be in a great mood when you leave.

Also, if you're like me, you've eaten gulf coast oysters all your life and pretty much think an oyster is an oyster. Go to ANY oyster bar in DC and you'll quickly get an education about the dizzying variety of East Coast oysters. Mmmm, MM!

Edited July 18, 2009 by bbbean

[AR Gunner]

The Holocaust Museum is highly moving and educational, but it is not "entertainment."

[SiG Lady]

The Nation's Capitol is on my "Bucket List" but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it. One of the things I'D like to see is anything Smithsonian... and others I know have recommended it as well. But there are sooooo many things to see out there--where do you start? In two days, just pick highlights and enjoy them. Then plan on going back someday for more.

[al503]

All great suggestions so far. It's been a while since I've been there but sticking to what I do best...

If you're into a good steak dinner, the DC Chophouse is great. For great steak and other Italian fare, the Galilleo is primo but a little spendy.

[ShooterSteve]

The best deal going is the 30 bucks you spend for a bus tour. They have a couple companies that run tours. Be SURE to go with the company that tours Arlington. You get on the bus and it does a huge loop and stops at each attraction. If you want to stay and visit it, just get off and stay as long as you want. There will be another bus that comes along every 20 mins or so, and you just get back on and keep riding. They have two day passes, and if you will be there for two days, I strongly recommend it. We stayed for a week and didn't get to see everything, there is so much to do. The buses will let you see the things that you want, and still get to view beautiful stuff with out getting off if that is what you choose. If you are staying out of town a little, use the Metro to get into the mall area. Use the Smithsonian stop, and when you pop up out of the escalator, you will be right in the middle of the mall. The Washington monument will be right behind you, and all the museums will be right in front of you. There is a place to purchase a bus pass right as you exit the Metro, and the bus stop is 60 yds to your right. If you want to go up into the Washington monument, get a ticket about 8 in the morning so you can beat the lines or it's tough to get in. If you go to the Holocaust museum, you get head of the line passes if you were or are a vet. We were in the Holocaust museum exactly one week before that guy went off and shot everybody. Unless you are into "stuff" shown as "art", I would pass on the Horshorn modern art museum. You can visit your local junk yard at home and see the same stuff with out burning your valuable time. I would also pass on the native museum. It is good, and I'm not putting it down, but it is very generic, and if you have any museums with this stuff at home, it will be similar. For absolute have too's, I'd say Arlington- on Monday or Tuesday nights the Marine Corps band and Silent Rifle Team perform at the Iwo Jima memorial, and that was so cool, Lincoln mem, Washington mem, WW II, Viet Nam mem. If you can go see the monuments at night they are lit up and so beautiful. These are all incredible and very inspiring, night or day. The Holocause museum is very humbling and a huge history lesson. The Smithsonian on US history is really neat, as well as their Aerospace center. The National archives building is also a must stop. I strongly recommend stopping there to see our Declaration of Independence. It is really faded, so please take a look at it while you still can. They even let you take pictures of it, but if you use a flash, the big guys with badges and guns will come and haul you off out back. Don't know what goes on back there, don't want to find out.-Actually they don't haul you off, but they will come, and you will be talked to sternly about your flash, and that is your one warning. Some lady beside me didn't know how to work her camera and used the flash immediatly after the "no flash speech". As the big guys with guns were coming, I tried to slide away from her to get some distance between us, but it didn't work as she was trying to hide behind me!! Probably didn't help matters that it was my freaking wife!! I wanted to crawl under a rock... Take money for food. Don't be afraid of the hot dogs from the street vendors. Drink lots of water. Enjoy our nations capitol. There is more history there to see than anywhere else in our country. Just too much to do....You will come home amazed.

[RobMoore]

Know this: Parking in the downtown area is a nightmare. Your best bet is to park at one of the outer metro stations in MD or VA and ride in. I used to work (still do sometimes) at the white house, and I constantly field questions from people all day "where can I park?"

The White House, Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam, Korea, WW2, Washington, Reflecting pool, and a few other attractions are all fairly close. Right across the river into VA is Arlington cemetary. The changing of the guard is worth seeing.

Between the white house and the capitol (closer to the house) along constitution avenue are most of the museums. The Natural History museum has an IMAX theatre that plays both hollywood movies and documentaries of their own.

A short (about 45 minutes) drive into VA on I-66 will take you to the NRA headquarters building in Fairfax. Take an afternoon and visit the National Firearms Museum. It is a MUST SEE!!!!! They have a very impressive collection.

I don't know if you fancy yourself a beer aficionado or not, but try this place

http://www.lovethebeer.com/rfd.html

hundreds of different beers available, and the food is good as well.

Edited July 18, 2009 by RobMoore

[ShooterSteve]

+1 On changing of the guard in Arlington. Don't know how I forgot that one. Very impressive.

[TMC]

Its just a fantastic place to see. For me it was all incredible, from Arlington, to the National Cathedral (which is HUGE), to the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Supreme Court, National Archive, on and on. And everything it so big, that's what hit me, the buildings are huge. Its really impressive.

Just walking down the street seeing all the places you see on TV and movies, FBI building, Capitol Building, Fords Theater. Call me simple but it was cool.

One day we walked to the park across the street from the White House and its was really neet to stand there and look across the street to a building that all the presidents have lived in and one you see on TV almost ever night on the news. It seems set farther back from the street on TV.

If you have limited time actually going into things, Arlington, the Library of Congress, National Archive, etc. will eat up good chunks of time and limit what you can see. We waited over an hour to get into the National Archive (its worse than Disney Land as far as lines go). The bus tour was recommended and will let you see the most stuff in the least amount of time, granted you won't see the inside, but you will see more.

[shred]

Btw, expect everything to close at 5 on the dot.

[SA Friday]

Was stationed out there twice for a total of almost 8 years. I was single for most of it and went and saw a lot of things.

YMMV on this list depending on your background.

Most impressive:

Changing of the Guard/Arlington

Next impressive:

Viet-nam Memorial. As a 40 year old with a father who survived and had friends on it, it had personal impact.

The one I cannot bring myself to do:

The Law Enforcement Memorial.

Best of the Smithsonian in my order of enjoyment:

Natural History

Air and Space

Art, the old paintings (there's two buildings of art one is modern the other is the older stuff. The modern art sucked when I was there).

American History

The one I didn't get to but wanted to see:

The spy museum.

The holocost museum depressed me worse than anything I've ever seen before. Huge impact, but just too huge for me.

[dsb45acp]

Arlington and the WW II memorial. For some reason these seemed to speak to me more then anything else about the scarifices made for this country. The others are great, but these two were the ones I remember most.

[kaiserb]

Arlington and the WW II memorial. For some reason these seemed to speak to me more then anything else about the sacrifices made for this country. The others are great, but these two were the ones I remember most.

In three hours (I suggest evening for the walk, less crowds) you can make a walking trip from the White House to the Washington Memorial across the road to the WWII memorial (this is really cool about 10PM with the lighted fountain etc). Along the Vietnam Memorial down to the Lincoln Memorial. I walked up the avenues and streets back up to the White House to end the trip.

The National archives open at 10 AM... get there and get in line at 9:15 (takes about 1.5 hours) then you can walk down the National Mall (towards the Congress) and visit a variety of Smithsonians along the way. National Art, Air and Space, and Indian History museum are some of my favorites.

[Jim Norman]

In no particular order:

Air & Space out at Dulles.

Air & Space downtown

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument

Vietnam Memorial

The Tomb of the Unknowns and Arlington

Marine Corps Monument

Jefferson Memorial

Korean War memorial

Spy Museum

Crime Museum

National Firearms Museum

Tidal basin (Especially during the Cherry Blossom Festival)

National Archives

Whitehouse

Capitol

Jim

[G-ManBart]

All great ideas so far!

I lived in the area for over 9 years and still managed to miss a few things...there's just that much to do. Just as sort of a neat thing, I'd suggest having lunch or dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill. It's just up the street from the White House and it's where two very intelligent gentlemen used to meet for dinner after work and came up with the idea of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. It's also where my wife and I had our first date

[bbbean]

I'd suggest having lunch or dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill.

+1 on Old Ebbit's Thats where we learned what East Coast oysters were.

[Jon_R]

I don't know if you will have a car but I am up in DC right now and went to the Marine Corp Museum this morning. It was very nice. It is in Quantico about 20 miles south DC I think.

The NRA museum is also nice I have been there before but you have to leave DC to go to it.

We plan to hit Arlington Cemetery tomorrow for my first time. We also plan to hit a Nats game on Thursday at the brand new stadium only important if you like baseball.

[shred]

We wandered into the Building Museum a few years ago by accident (lines for the Spy Museum were around the block). Amazing building, interesting exhibits. Not a must-do, but worth popping into if you like architecture.

[Graham Smith]

+1 on the shuttle bus. I was stationed at Ft Meyer and on my first day, walked thru Arlington and picked up the first bus in the morning and caught the last bus back that night.

Two days is not much time and what you see depends on your interests. Arlington and the war memorials were a must for me as was the American History Museum (my favorite). If you like architecture, don't miss the Library of Congress - incredible.

My suggestion is just pick two or three things and immerse yourself in them. You can't even begin to see everything anyway so be choosy.

[Hank Ellis]

All great suggestions. No matter your interests I believe there is only one must do for a US citizen. The National Archives and see with your own eyes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

On a personal level.

Spent 2 days in the Air and Space Museum and literally ran through it. Could have easily spent 2 more. But then I'm an air and space junkie.

I wept at The Wall.

Wandered around the Smithsonian National Museum of American History for a couple days. Of course saw the Ft. McHenry flag which inspired our national anthem. But I just wandered around poking my head into anything that caught my interest. Walked down one deserted hall and found an exhibit entitled Platinum Blondes. Curious I walked in. It was an exhibit of photographs using platinum emulsion from the late 1800s. A guard walked in and said "Incredible detail, huh." 'Yeah, you can see the photographer reflected in the back of the subjects eye.' "Neat stuff but you ought to come back when the exhibit is completed." I stumbled into an exhibit under construction and not open for the public yet. Oops. Guard was cool and directed me to some of the lessor visited exhibits that he liked.

Such is DC. It's not a place to visit on a timetable. I haven't been there in probably 20 years and really ought to go back again.

[Sestock]

Couple of others

Museum of the American Indian (the newest museum on the lawn)

WWI Memorial a forgotten memorial to a forgotten war

Civil War Mermorial

[Micah]

Holocaust museum. The enormity of the evisceration of millions of people never quite clicked until I went there.

...it's one hell of a downer though...you might be better off hitting up one of the museums mentioned above.

[diablodawg]

The Smithsonians are all pretty dissapointing, in my opinion. They really don't do anything better than other museums I have been to, aside from the really famous stuff. I thought they weren't very well presented or kept up and not really cohesive in terms of natural progression from one exhibit to another. Many, many museums I have been to seem better set up (even discouting the Louvre factor.) If you like military stuff or a Corps fan, the half hour drive down to The Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico is well worth it. Its only a couple years old, and it shows, but is extremely well done, with tons of original stuff and in a well-thought out arrangement.

Nightlife in Adams-Morgan on a weekend it tops- 32 bars on one street with great music at Madam's Organ (actually had zydeco last time I went) And the local pizza vendor is delicious after a night of drinking.

[D.Hayden]

I didn't see it listed.. but the Bureau of Engraving tour (printing money) was cool..