Washington, DC
The lovely green space behind the Smithsonian Castle is actually a rooftop garden, with three peaceful sections: a Moon Gate garden inspired by a 15th…
Washington, DC
The lovely green space behind the Smithsonian Castle is actually a rooftop garden, with three peaceful sections: a Moon Gate garden inspired by a 15th…
Washington, DC
An enormous, abandoned streetcar station lies beneath Dupont Circle, and a local arts group has transformed it into a cool underground gallery of art,…
Washington, DC
Longview specializes in contemporary art by emerging and midcareer artists, including many from the region. The room, with its peeling paint and exposed…
Washington, DC
One of the Library of Congress' three buildings. This has the Madison Cafe (open 8:30am to 3:30pm weekdays) on the 6th floor, a fine spot to refresh and…
Washington, DC
The riverside green space is just down the road from the Nationals' stadium. There are shaded tables by the water, a wooden boardwalk, fountains you can…
Washington, DC
First you have to find the Fridge, a friendly gallery specializing in street art. Follow the murals into the alley across 8th St from Ambar restaurant…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
The Organization of American States operates this small art museum in a separate building on its property. It features changing exhibits of modern and…
Washington, DC
Yes, that is a dachshund snuffling around J Edgar Hoover's tombstone, while a black lab lopes over the final resting place of composer John Philip Sousa…
Washington, DC
DC’s dinky Chinatown is anchored on 7th and H Sts NW. It was once a major Asian American entrepôt, but today most Asian Americans in the Washington area…
Washington, DC
Honoring those 56 visionary men who signed the Declaration of Independence, this memorial in Constitution Garden shows how diverse this group of signers…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
You never know what you'll find going on at BloomBars, a cool community arts center. By day, children's story times and music classes take place; at night…
District of Columbia Arts Center
Washington, DC
The grassroots DCAC offers emerging artists a space to showcase their work. The 800-sq-ft gallery features rotating visual-arts exhibits, while plays,…
Washington, DC
Studio Gallery shows contemporary works by more than 35 emerging DC-area artists. Paintings, sculpture, mixed media and video are represented. The…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
A nonprofit member-run organization, this small gallery features a diverse range of super-contemporary art – mediums include painting, sculpture and…
Washington, DC
Touchstone Gallery exhibits contemporary pieces created by its 45 member artists. Works cover multiple media, including sculpture, painting and the…
Washington, DC
The southern tip of East Potomac Park that juts out into the river is called Hains Point. Lots of folks come here to picnic, and the spot provides great…
Washington, DC
Kids love taking a ride on this musical merry-go-round with its 58 brightly painted horses. It's on the Mall by the Smithsonian Castle.
Georgetown
Near the Georgetown University campus' east gate, medieval-looking Healy Hall impresses with its tall, Hogwarts-esque clock tower.
Washington, DC
Dedicated in 2004, this grandiose memorial honors the 16 million US soldiers who served in WWII. Groups of veterans regularly come here to pay their…
Washington, DC
This Smithsonian museum has good rotating exhibitions on the experience of diverse and underserved communities in the USA. They typically focus on art …
National Museum of the American Indian
Washington, DC
Ensconced in an architecturally notable building clad in honey-colored limestone, this museum offers cultural artifacts, videos and audio recordings…
Washington, DC
In spring, just steps from the fabled cherry blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin, some 10,000 tulips explode in vibrant color in a sweet garden called…
Washington, DC
James Renwick designed this turreted, red-sandstone fairy-tale in 1855. Today the castle houses the Smithsonian Visitor Center, which makes a good first…
Washington, DC
Straddling technology, art and science, this 15,000-sq-ft, three-level state-of-the-art digital gallery mesmerizes with large-scale, interactive, multi…
Washington, DC
Nineteen steel soldiers wander through clumps of juniper past a wall bearing images of the ‘Forgotten War’ that assemble, in the distance, into a panorama of…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
St John’s isn’t DC’s most imposing church, but it is arguably its most important. That’s because it’s the ‘Church of the Presidents’ – every president…
Washington, DC
This little oasis of flowers and fountains honors the famed statesman and author of the Commonwealth of Virginia Declaration of Rights (a forerunner to…
Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum
Washington, DC
Before founding the American Red Cross, Clara Barton set up shop in her DC boardinghouse to locate thousands of missing soldiers after the Civil War. You…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
Designed by William Thornton (the Capitol’s first architect) in 1800 for one of the largest slave-owners in the state of Virginia, this minimally…
Washington, DC
Psychedelic designs cover the facade of this one-time Baptist church, alerting you to the fact that something different is going on here. The 15,000-sq-ft…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
‘The Fed,’ is the Olympus of the Gods of the American Economy. Housed in a monolithic white building that closely resembles a Soviet ministry, it is…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
The land north of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave was originally deeded as part of the White House grounds. However, in 1804 President Thomas Jefferson decided to…
Washington, DC
This six-story museum explores the history and impact of the Bible through a mix of scholarly displays and theme-park-style exhibits. On the 4th floor,…
White House Area & Foggy Bottom
Known as ‘G-dub’ or ‘GW,’ this university has been a bedrock of Washington identity since its founding in 1821. Besides shaping much of the American…
Georgetown
Often confused with Dumbarton Oaks (the mansion and gardens), Dumbarton House is a modest Federal-style historic home, constructed by a wealthy family in…
Upper Northwest DC
The Nature Center & Planetarium is the main visitor center for Rock Creek Park. Besides exhibits on park flora, fauna and history, it can provide hiking…
Washington, DC
This 100-room 1892 mansion is part inn, part gallery, part cluttered antique shop and part private event space. The decor is like a wedding at Castle…
Georgetown
The crumbling graveyard dates from the early 1800s. It takes its name from Mt Zion United Methodist Church, which used to be located beside the site…
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
In a raid on July 11, 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early attacked Fort Stevens, the northernmost of the defensive ramparts ringing DC. A small but…
McMillan Reservoir Sand Filtration Plant
Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
On Michigan Ave and North Capitol St you’ll notice a string of cylindrical concrete structures that look like the entrance to the Kingdom of the Mole…