Spending a weekend in Washington DC, The Capital of the United States will emcompass seeing monuments and memorials, eclectic neighborhoods, and the many museums of the Smithsonian.
Cherry Blossom Festival
Spring is a beautiful time of the year and the most beautiful time to see Washington DC surrounded in Cherry Blossoms. Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The gift and annual celebration honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and the continued close relationship between the two countries.
National Mall The Mall is spans two miles from the US Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial. The Mall is in the middle of downtown and home to the country’s most famous monuments and memorials. It is great to explore the pedestrian-friendly Mall and stopping at the various monuments and memorials. It is amazing to see the world-famous Smithsonian Museums and huge federal buildings along Constitution Avenue.
The Smithsonian
The Smithsonian offers eleven museums and galleries on the National Mall and six other museums and the National Zoo in the greater National Capital Area. The Smithsonian Institution, established in 1846 "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge," is a group of museums and research centers administered by the Government of the United States. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson.
Visiting Washington DC is incredible because the monuments and memorials are FREE! It a great idea to see them during the day and the evening.
Washington Memroial
This landmark obelisk was built on the National Mall and honors America's first president, George Washington. When the monument was under construction in 1854, the Washington National Monument Society ran out of money and the project ground to a halt. Twenty-five years later, the U.S. Government took over and completed the upper two-thirds of the structure by 1884 using marble from a different quarry.
Jeffersom Memorial
The Jefferson Memorial, built on 1943, is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, one of the most important of the American Founding Fathers as the main drafter and writer of the Constitution.
National Archives Building
The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, located on the upper level of the National Archives museum, is the permanent home of the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights.
The United States Capital Building
The Capitol Building is the center of American democracy. The world-famous domed building is home to the United States House of Representatives and Senate. This is where America’s congressmen and congresswomen conduct business, debate laws and pass bills on behalf of the American people. Statue of Freedom is the crowning feature of the Dome of the United States Capitol. The bronze statue stands 19 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 15,000 pounds. The full-size plaster model for the Statue of Freedom was used to cast the bronze statue on top of the Capitol dome. It is on display inside Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
A guided tour stops in the Capitol Rotunda and there ia a star on the floor indicating the center point of the District of Columbia. The guide demonstrated the unique acoustical effect where a speaker several yards. The Capitol Dome is encircled by murals, and the fresco on the eye of the ceiling is called The Apotheosis of Washington. This shows President Washington rising to the heavens in glory with Liberty and Victory/Fame beside him.
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial was built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument
World War II Memroial
The District of Columbia War Memorial was completed in 2004 and commemorates the citizenswho served in World War II.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, cp,pleted in 1982, honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam, and those service members who were unaccounted for or Missing In Action.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1995. The memorial commemorates the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed services during the three-year period of the Korean War.
Arlington National Cemetery
The National Cemetery was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, which had been the estate of the family of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his wife Mary Anna Lee. Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families. Service to country is the common thread that binds all who are remembered and honored at Arlington.
Washington National Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, AKA Washington National Cathedral, is of the Episcopal Church. It is Neo-Gothic design closely modeled on English Gothic style. It is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in the United States, and the fourth-tallest structure in Washington, D.C.
LeDroit Park
LeDroit Park is known for its history, as the first suburb of Washington and 19th century protected architecture.
Gravelly Park
A beautiful park on the Potomac River and it's the perfect place to watch planes land at Reagan National Airport.
Georgetown
Georgetown was founded in 1751 and predates Washington. It is Washington's oldest neighborhood was established 40 years before Washington as a tobacco port town in Maryland. Georgetown offers cobblestone sidewalks, tree lined streets and beautiful, historic homes. It is also home to Georgetown University.
Explore the quirky adventures and misadventures as I take you on a journey of the United States National Parks. These journeys inspired me to explore even more about the history of the United States, the good, the bad and the ugly. These journeys are encouragements to explore, or re-examine these beautiful lands. From mountain roads with hairpin turns to stunning seaside escapes to exploring good old American history, these areamazing journeys to take in this lifetime.
