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United States National ArboretumThe greatest green space in Washington unfurls almost 450 acres of meadowland, sylvan theaters and a pastoral setting that feels somewhere between bucolic…
Must-see attractions in Logan Circle, U Street & Columbia Heights
African American Civil War MemorialStanding at the center of a granite plaza, this bronze memorial, Spirit of Freedom, depicting rifle-bearing troops is DC’s first major art piece by black…
Franciscan MonasteryAlso known as Mt St Sepulchre, the monastery offers serene grounds with 42 acres of tulips, dogwoods, cherry trees, roses – and some peculiar re-creations…
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
The largest Catholic house of worship in North America can host 6000 worshippers. It is an enormous, impressive, but somehow unimposing edifice, more…
- National Museum of Health and Medicine
Macabre exhibits galore pack this Department of Defense–run museum. The stomach-shaped hairball leaves a lasting impression (a 12-year-old girl ate THAT?)…
- President Lincoln's Cottage
History buffs can make the trek to President Lincoln's summer house tucked away on the grounds of the Soldiers' Retirement Home. Abe came here to beat the…
- Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
DC was built on a marsh, a beautiful, brackish, low-lying ripple of saw grass and steel-blue water, wind-coaxed and tide touched by the inflow of the…
- Mexican Cultural Institute
The Mexican Cultural Institute looks locked up and imposing, but don't be deterred. The gilded beaux-arts mansion is open to the public and hosts…
- African American Civil War Museum
Set in an old schoolhouse behind the African American Civil War Memorial, the museum makes the point that for some, the Civil War was about secession…
- Meridian Hill Park
This is an incredible bit of urban green space. The grounds are terraced like a hanging garden replete with waterfalls, sandstone terraces and assorted…
- BloomBars
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…
- Foundry Gallery
A nonprofit member-run organization, this small gallery features a diverse range of super-contemporary art – mediums include painting, sculpture and…
- Fort Stevens Park
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…
- Howard University
Founded in 1867, Howard remains the nation’s most prestigious traditionally African American institute of higher education. Distinguished alumni include…
- McMillan Reservoir Sand Filtration Plant
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…
- Gallaudet University
The first university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the world occupies a lovely manicured campus of bucolic green and Gothic accents north of…
- Bethune Council House
Mary McLeod Bethune served as President Franklin Roosevelt’s special advisor on minority affairs and eventually became the first African American woman to…
- Mt Pleasant Street
Mt Pleasant St is the corazón (heart) of DC’s Latino, largely Salvadoran community. Many businesses advertise money-transfer services to San Salvador or…
- Saint John Paul II National Shrine
An adjunct for many devotees who visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, this modernist-style structure is an unexpected…
- Howard University Gallery of Art
The university's art gallery holds an impressive collection of works largely dominated by African and African American artists, including Archibald Motley…