Washington, D.C.’s monuments and memorials shimmer in the summer heat, glimmer in the darkness of night and rise gracefully from the landscape when covered with snow. Free and open to the public almost every day of the year, they lure visitors with the stories of beloved presidents, horrifying wars and notable Americans. Parking is limited around the Mall, so consider using public transportation or signing up for a guided tour if you plan to visit multiple D.C. monuments in one day.
Thomas Jefferson seems to survey the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin from his perch inside the Jefferson Memorial. While the memorial is swamped with tourists during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, it’s generally less crowded than the easier to access monuments on the Mall. The Lincoln Memorial, at the western end of the Mall, provides a view across the 2,208-foot-long Reflecting Pool toward the Washington Monument, the 555-foot-tall obelisk in front of the White House. Just south of the Mall, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial pays homage to the four-term president with a series of outdoor rooms.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a black wall etched with the names of that war’s dead, is a short walk from the Lincoln Memorial. While the wall is the focal point of the memorial, nearby representational sculptures honor the soldiers, nurses and other women who served in that conflict. Across the Mall from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, soldiers seem to appear from the trees at the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Bronze sculptures curve around the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, paying respect to the soldiers of World War II. Hidden in the trees of the Mall, the DC War Memorial is a tribute to the soldiers of World War I. Off the beaten path for most visitors, the African American Civil War Memorial honors the more than 200,000 African Americans who fought in that war.
Dedicated in 2011, the civil rights leader seems to step out of the stone at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the bank of the Tidal Basin across from the Jefferson Memorial. A sculpture of one of the nation’s founding fathers, also on the Tidal Basin, looks into the distance at the George Mason Memorial. Outside the National Academy of Sciences building just north of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is a whimsical memorial to Albert Einstein. A statue of the scientist lounges on a set of granite steps, a star map spread at his feet.
Plan to travel across the Potomac to spend a day visiting the many monuments and memorials in the 624-acre Arlington National Cemetery. Watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; tour Robert E. Lee’s home; and stand at the eternal flame at the John F. Kennedy gravesite if you only have time for the highlights. Cantilevered benches seem to float over a pool of water at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial south of the cemetery. Nearby, steel spires soar into the sky at the Air Force Memorial. North of Arlington National Cemetery, soldiers raise the flag at the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, better known as the Iwo Jima memorial.
