Washington, DC

The Mall
DESCRIPTION: this expansive park extends two miles east from the US Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and 1 mile south from the White House to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial; the nation’s most famous park also features Smithsonian museums, war memorials, National Archives, and botanic gardens. These grand venues are only closed on major holidays
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: located between Constitution and Independence Aves, bridges the Northwest and Southwest quadrants of the District  MAP
PARKING: street parking, so ensure you obey cut-off times
TRANSIT: Smithsonian station
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/nama

White House
DESCRIPTION: After viewing it from the outside, see the orientation film and free brochure at the nearby Visitor Center;  1.5 hours to explore all the exhibits, which include architecture, furnishings, first family history, and relations with world leaders
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 7:30a-4p
ADDRESS: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW  MAP
PARKING: street parking, so ensure you obey cut-off times
TRANSIT: Federal Triangle and Metro Center stations
PHONE: 202-208-1631 or 800-717-1450
WEBSITE: http://www.whitehouse.gov

Washington Monument
DESCRIPTION: Honoring America’s first president, it may surprise you to know this 555 feet tall obelisk monument was built in fits and starts due to lack of funds, lack of public interest and the Civil War; the cornerstone was laid in 1848, but it was not opened to the public until 1888; visitor tickets are required to tour the top of Washington Monument by elevator are FREE for those not minding long lines; tickets are distributed from the kiosk at 15th Street and Madison Drive; if you can’t stand lines, reserve tickets up to 5 months in advance by calling 800-967-2283
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-4:45p
ADDRESS: center of The Mall  MAP
PARKING: street parking, so ensure you obey cut-off times
TRANSIT: Smithsonian station
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/wamo

United States Capitol
DESCRIPTION: Under the magnificent white dome built using predominantly slave labor, our US senators and representatives create national laws; although the Capitol was built with slave labor, a stone bust of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. is the only African American memorial inside, which features well over 200 other statues; tours daily; enjoy your view from the Western steps where speakers perched before the Million Man March on 16 October 1996; satellite photos confirmed that about one million people attended; the massive underground  U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is now NOW OPEN
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-4:30p
ADDRESS: eastern end of the The Mall  MAP
PARKING: garage nearby
TRANSIT: Capitol South and Union Station stations
PHONE: 202-225-6827
WEBSITE: http://www.visitthecapitol.gov

World War II Memorial
DESCRIPTION: After President Clinton signed into law a commission to establish this memorial, we can thank Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg for raising funds to get it built; the circular outdoor memorial with pavilion pillars honors the 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces during World War II; 400,000 American soldiers died and millions more supported the war from home, including the Tuskegee Airmen and the balloonists on D-Day at Normandy; one of the most visited memorials in DC
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: 24/7
ADDRESS: west of the Washington Monument  MAP
PARKING: street parking, so ensure you obey cut-off times
TRANSIT: Smithsonian Metro Station
WEBSITE: http://www.wwiimemorial.com

Korean War Veterans Memorial
DESCRIPTION: features a column of 19-foot soldiers arrayed for combat; 19 figures of nearly every background strike a blow in recognition of America's multi-ethnic service in that war; it was also America's first war where African Americans were allowed to serve in an integrated armed services from the beginning; 164-foot mural inscribed with the words, “Freedom Is Not Free” and is etched with images of armed services personnel who served in the war
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 8a-midnight
ADDRESS: Independence Ave at Lincoln Memorial  MAP
PARKING: street parking, so ensure you obey cut-off times
TRANSIT: Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro Station
PHONE: 202-619-7222 or 202-632-1001
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/kwvm

Vietnam Veterans Memorial
DESCRIPTION: Open boomerang-shaped Black granite walls line the most emotionally moving memorial in DC; the wall is 247-feet long with a 125 degree angle at its vertex; by many estimates, African Americans comprised a third of American soldiers in Vietnam; names of the 58,209 Americans missing or killed in the Vietnam conflict are listed on the wall; a life-size bronze sculpture also depicts three young servicemen of different races
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: 24-hours daily, Park Ranger on site from 8a–midnight
ADDRESS: Constitution Ave & Henry Bacon Drive, NW  MAP
PARKING: street parking, so ensure you obey cut-off times
TRANSIT: Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro Station
PHONE: 202-634-1568
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/vive

Abraham Lincoln Memorial
DESCRIPTION: Overlooks the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument; inside, the 19-foot marble statue of the 16th president is flanked by inscriptions of his Second Inaugural Address and Gettysburg Address; from the grand steps of this monument the world came to know America's Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the March on Washington in August 1963; though he had given the speech before, this is where most of the world heard Dr King’s first presentation of the "I Have A Dream" speech; always remember that A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin deserve the lion's share of the accolades for conceiving and organizing a march that drew 250,000 people
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 8a–midnight;
ADDRESS: West Potomac Park at 23rd Street, NW  MAP
PARKING: street parking, so ensure you obey cut-off times
TRANSIT: Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro Station
PHONE: 202-426-6841
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/linc

Thomas Jefferson Memorial
DESCRIPTION: Beneath the iconic rotunda, a magnificent 19-foot statue of president Thomas Jefferson is surrounded by passages from the Declaration of Independence, to which Jefferson is credited for writing a the largest chunk thereof; but to his discredit, and fully cognizant of its moral significance, Jefferson never freed his slaves
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 8a-midnight
ADDRESS: 15th Street, SW at Tidal Basin  MAP
PARKING: free parking lot nearby
TRANSIT: Metrobus
PHONE: 202-426-6841
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/thje

Franklin Roosevelt Memorial
DESCRIPTION: 7.5-acre memorial depicts the of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 12-year presidency in four outdoor galleries; features ten bronze sculptures depicting President Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and events from the Great Depression leading up to World War II, waterfalls and a reddish granite; first memorial in Washington designed to be totally wheelchair accessible
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 8a-12a
ADDRESS: 1850 West Basin Drive, SW  MAP
PARKING: free parking lot nearby
TRANSIT: Metrobus
PHONE: 202-376-6704
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/fdrm

Ford Theatre
DESCRIPTION: Bring those history lessons to life when you visit this working theatre and historical monument where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: free-tours daily
ADDRESS: 511 10th Street, NW  MAP
PARKING: garages nearby
TRANSIT: Metro Center Metro Station
PHONE: 202-426-6924 or 202-347-4833
WEBSITE: http://www.fordstheatre.org

Arlington, VA

Arlington National Cemetery
DESCRIPTION: Among the thousands of graves for those who served their country with distinction are those for Ron Brown, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Joe Louis, Thurgood Marshall and Medgar Evers; includes the daily ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: dawn to dusk
ADDRESS: Jefferson Davis Highway and Memorial Drive  MAP
PARKING: free parking lot on premises
TRANSIT: Arlington Cemetery Metro station
PHONE: 703-607-8052
WEBSITE: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org

Marine Corps Memorial
DESCRIPTION: A 78-foot tall memorial commemorating all the US Marines who have died in battle since 1775; its design was sculpted from a photograph showing the flag being raised by Marines on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima during World War II
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: dawn to dusk
ADDRESS: Route 50, close to Arlington National Cemetery  MAP
PARKING: on street
TRANSIT: Arlington Cemetery Metro station, walk northwest 3-4 blocks 
PHONE: 703-285-2601
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/usmc.htm

Mount Vernon, VA

George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate
DESCRIPTION: The slave burial ground on his estate is located on the hill overlooking the Potomac River, near George Washington's tomb; in 1983 a large memorial to the slaves designed by Howard University students was dedicated at the site; unlike most other Southern plantation owners, to his credit, George Washington's will freed his slaves
ADMISSION: $13 Adults, $6 Ages 6-11, others enter FREE
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-4p, longer hours depending on season
November through February, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m
ADDRESS: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway  MAP
PARKING: on premises
TRANSIT: Fairfax County bus
PHONE: 703-780-2000
WEBSITE: http://www.mountvernon.org