DC Parks & Memorials

Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865).

National Capital Parks-Central
NACC preserves and interprets more than a dozen NPS areas including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site and the House Where Lincoln Died (Petersen House), Pennsylvania Avenue National Historical Park, the Old Post Office Tower, and numerous smaller memorials.

National Capital Parks-East - NCP
East offers a wide array of historic, natural, and recreational areas of that are a part of Washington, D.C. and its eastern environs. The park includes 12 major park areas at 98 locations. Significant resources are as diverse as statuary, historic sites and buildings, recreation areas, parkways, archeological sites, tidal and non-tidal wetlands, meadows, and forests; and encompass over 8,000 acres.

Old Post Office Tower
The Old Post Office is one of the last remaining examples of Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture in Washington, D.C. Dominant park feature is the spectacular view from the 270-foot tower observation level, which is one of the best of the nation's capital. The Old Post Office Tower is also home to the bells of the U.S. Congress.

Pierce Mill
Peirce Mill was built in the 1820's, and operated commercially until 1897. The United States Government acquired the mill as part of Rock Creek Park in 1892. Currently the mill is not operating. It is being preserved and ultimately will be made operable again when sufficient funding for repairs is made available. Until then, Peirce Mill remain's open to the public as a museum and ranger contact station.

Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
Pennsylvania Avenue is certainly among the world's most famous streets. While the Avenue serves work-a-day Washington as a major east-west transit route, it is known the world over as the heart of the Nation's Capital. America's history has marched, paraded, promenaded, and protested its way up and down the Avenue.

President's Park (White House)
The White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, was originally constructed 1792-1800, the work of James Hoban. It was reconstructed in 1815 after being burned by British soldiers during the War of 1812. It has been the home of every president of the United States since John Adams.

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
The designation of a Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail corridor, enacted and signed in 1983 as an amendment to the National Trails System Act, is being used by communities in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania to develop and make connections among trails, historic sites and a range of recreational and educational opportunities.

Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is one of the oldest national parks in the National Park Service. It is also one of the largest forested urban parks in the United States, containing a wide variety of natural, historical, and recreational features in the midst of Washington, DC. There are opportunities for picnicking, hiking, biking, skating, horseback riding, tennis and golf.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Thomas Jefferson-political philosopher, architect, musician, book collector, scientist, horticulturist, diplomat, inventor, and third President of the United States-looms large in any discussion of what Americans are as a people. Jefferson left to the future not only ideas but also a great body of practical achievements.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the sacrifice of American military personnel during one of this nation's least popular wars.  By erecting this memorial, it was hoped that the issue of the veterans and their sacrifice could be separated from the U.S. policy in the war, thereby creating a venue for reconciliation.

Washington Monument
Alone among the Founders of the United States George Washington earned the title "Father of his Country" in recognition of his leadership in the cause of American independence.  With this monument the citizens of the United States show their enduring gratitude and respect.

Anacostia Park
With over 1200 acres, Anacostia Park is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest and most important recreation areas. Included in Anacostia Park is Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens and Kenilworth Marsh. Hundreds of acres are available for ballfields, picnicing, basketball, tennis, and the Anacostia Park Pavilion has some 3300 square feet of space for roller scating and special events.

Battleground National Cemetery
Battleground National Cemetery, located at 6625 Georgia Avenue, NW, was established shortly after the Battle of Fort Stevens in the summer of 1864. The battle, which lasted two days (July 11 through July 12, 1864) marked the defeat of General Jubal A. Early's Confederate campaign to launch an offensive action against the poorly defended Nation's Capital.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park
The C&O Canal follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD.  The canal operated from 1828-1924 as a transportation route, primarily hauling coal from western Maryland to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of original structures, including locks, lockhouses, and aqueducts, serve as reminders of the canal's role as a transportation system during the Canal Era. 

Constitution Gardens
Constitution Gardens is a living legacy to the founding of the republic as well as an oasis in the midst of a city landscape. The 50 acres of the park were originally beneath the Potomac River! A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging project at the turn of century created the land that became Potomac Park.

Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
Ford's Theatre NHS is the site of the nation’s first presidential assassination.  An unemployed actor angered by President Lincoln’s war policies, and the Confederacy’s recent failures in the war decided to take things into his own hands. Using the familiar ground of the theater, John Wilkes Booth entered the theatre on the night of April 14, 1865 and shot the President in the back of the head.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Located along the famous Cherry Tree Walk on the Tidal Basin near the national mall, this is a memorial not only to FDR, but also to his times. Twelve years of American history are traced through a sequence of four outdoor rooms-each devoted to one of FDR's four terms in office.

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens constitutes some 700 acres and is part of Anacostia Park. The Park includes the "Gardens", Kenilworth Marsh, ballfields and recreational facilities.

Korean War Veterans Memorial
From 1950 to 1953, the United States joined with United Nations forces in Korea to take a stand against what was deemed a threat to democratic nations worldwide. At war's end, a million and a half American veterans returned to a peacetime world of families, homes, and jobs - and to a country long reluctant to view the Korean War as something to memorialize. But to the men and women who served, the Korean War could never be a forgotten war.

FBI Tour
The FBI Tour is designed to inform visitors of the responsibilities, organizational structures, accomplishments, history, and law enforcement services of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The one-hour, guided tour, which is taken by nearly 500,000 persons each year, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Nation's Capital.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Watch stacks of cash being made. The bureau is the largest producer of security documents in the United States. The BEP produces over 9 billion Federal Reserve notes each year and over 20 billion postage stamps.

U.S. Capitol
Under this magnificent white dome, senators and representatives meet to shape U.S. legislative policy. The Capitol Guide Service conducts free guided tours of the Capitol Monday through Saturday throughout the year.

National Mall
The National Mall's origins are as old as the capital city itself. The open space and parklands envisioned by Pierre L'Enfant's plan, which was commissioned by George Washington, created an ideal stage for national expressions of remembrance, observance and protest.

The Old Stone House
In the midst of Washington, D.C., a city of grand memorials to national leaders and significant events, stands an unassuming building commemorating the daily lives of ordinary Americans who made this city, and this nation, unique. The Old Stone House, one of the oldest known structures remaining in the nation's capital, is a simple 18th century dwelling built and inhabited by common people.

Frederick Douglas National Historic Site
From 1877 to 1895, this was the home of Frederick Douglass, the Nation's leading 19th-century African American spokesman. Visitors to the site will learn more about his efforts to abolish slavery and his struggle for Human Rights, Equal Rights and Civil Rights for all oppressed people. Among Frederick Douglass' other achievements, he was U.S. minister to Haiti in 1889.

The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution. The Library preserves a collection of more than 119 million items, more than two-thirds of which are in media other than books. These include the largest map, film and television collections in the world.

The White House
Take a tour of the White House where you can view the rooms and furnishings, past and present.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
NARA's mission is to ensure ready access to the essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of Federal officials, and the national experience. Visitors can see on display our nation's Charters of Freedom — The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The exhibit halls are temporarily closed due to renovations.

Washington National Cathedral
The Cathedral towers above the city from its 57-acre site high on Mt. St. Alban. Sixth largest cathedral in the world, burial sites of President Woodrow Wilson, Hellen Keller, and her two teachers. War Memorial and Children's Chapels, Space Window with moon rock inset. Observation Gallery offers magnificent views of Washington, Virginia, and Maryland.

Mary Mcleod Bethune Council House National  Historic Site
The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site commemorates the life of Mary McLeod Bethune and the organization she founded, the National Council of Negro Women.

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Kennedy Center is the nation's busiest arts facility, presenting more than 3,000 performances each year for audiences approaching 2 million. The Center presents the greatest performers and performances from across America and around the world, nurturing new works and young artists, and serving the nation as a leader in arts education.

Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a live, working theatre located in downtown Washington, DC. As a living tribute to President Abraham Lincoln's love of the performing arts, Ford's Theatre produces musicals and plays that embody family values, underscore multiculturalism, and illuminate the eclectic character of American life.

Warner Theatre
When the Warner Theatre opened in 1924 it was hailed as a building of beauty, featuring a spectacular marble and gold leaf lobby and large auditorium complete with gold leaf ceilings and chandeliers. Today, having undergone a $10 million restoration, the Warner is host to a variety of Broadway productions, comedy, dance, film, and music concerts.

The Washington Ballet
Founded in 1976 by the great American ballet pioneer Mary Day, The Washington Ballet is considered one of the country's finest ballet companies. The Company is recognized nationally and internationally for its high standards, artistic integrity, and unwavering commitment to presenting the very best in ballet.

The National Theatre
One of America's oldest continually operating theaters features national tours of Broadway favorites, pre-Broadway shows and American premieres.

Arena Stage
The core purpose of Arena Stage is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics to charged dramas to robust musicals. Our focus is on Theater of the Americas; we produce American classics, premieres of new plays and contemporary stories.

Discovery Theater
The theater is dedicated to offering the best in live performing arts for young people. Each season more than a dozen productions feature puppets, storytellers, dancers, actors, musicians, and mimes in performances that present classic stories for children, folk tales from all over the world, American history and cultures, and innovative theater techniques.

The Washington Opera
Under the stewardship of Artistic Director Placido Domingo, The Washington Opera continues to move confidently forward on a great adventure that began when the company was founded in 1956. The Opera has achieved the stature of a world class company and plays to standing-room-only audiences at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Studio Theatre
Founded in 1978, The Studio Theatre is the third largest producing theatre in Washington DC--recognized as a Major Cultural Institution in the nation's capital. The Studio is Washington's premiere stage for the best in contemporary theatre.