Check out the sites in America's Capital. Take in all of the sights, climb the steps at the Lincoln Memorial, or set up a tour of the Capitol Building. See popular american artifacts like Dorothy's ruby slippers or George Washington's portrait outfit at the Smithsonian American History Museum, or if science is more your forte head over to the National Air and Space Museum to see the Apollo 11 lunar module that took the first humans to the moon.
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AAA Destination Guide: Official AAA maps,
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AAA Destination Guide: Washington D.C. includes trip-planning
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The nation’s capital. Those three words neatly sum up Washington’s
global importance as governmental entity and its enormous appeal as a
tourist mecca. John F. Kennedy once said “Washington is a city of
Southern efficiency and Northern charm,†and although his tongue was
likely firmly in cheek, there’s no denying the city’s role in efficiently
governing the nation while charming millions of visitors each year.
D.C.’s embarrassment of must-see riches—museums, monuments,
memorials, galleries—makes putting together a sightseeing itinerary one
truly daunting task. The United States Capitol and the White House
define the jurisdictional entity known as the District of Columbia. The
Mall, that green swath stretching from the foot of
Capitol Hill west to the awe-inspiring statue of
Abraham Lincoln, is where it’s at for visitors,
encompassing not only the National Gallery of Art,
six memorials and one monument but many of the
museums identified with one of the world’s largest
and most remarkable educational organizations, the
Smithsonian Institution. But that’s just part of the
picture; Washington also has vibrant neighborhoods,
a cosmopolitan diversity and cultural facilities second to none. With so
much to see and do, spring’s pale pink explosion of cherry blossoms is
the lovely icing on a very special city.
Essentials
The seat of the federal government, the United States Capitol should be
near the top of any visitor’s must-see list. Its main ceremonial space, the
Rotunda, is filled with paintings, frescoes and an encircling frieze that
together present more than 400 years of U.S. history.
George Washington is the only president who never governed from the
White House, but it is one of the few structures