The city's high eastern ground, bearing the popular designation Capitol Hill, is crowned by massive stone buildings serving the Legislative and Judicial branches of the federal government. Beyond them stretch the Hill's residential streets, neighborh..

The Mall serves as the cultural heart of the capital and a political forum for the nation. Its imposing buildings and broad vistas underscore Washington's reputation as "the City Beautiful". The broad greensward extends west from the Capito..

The National Gallery's world-class collection of masterpieces traces the development of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present. The original West Building concentrates primarily on European works from the 13C through the early 20C. Its conte..

From Icarus' ill-fated flight to the far-flung space missions of recent decades, humans have attempted to conquer earth's relentless pull. This fascinating museum, commemorating man's aeronautical and astronautical achievements, welcomes more than ni..

The capital's most conspicuous landmark, and the world's tallest freestanding stone structure, this austere white marble obelisk rises from a knoll in the middle of the Mall. Though it took nearly four decades to complete, the monument, ringed by US ..

Inspired by the stately presence of the Executive Mansion, this area maintains a decorous gentility, with manicured parks, elegant row houses and grandly conceived public structures. Lafayette Square, a 7-acre public park, lies just to the north of t..

Located near the Reflecting Pool on the east-west axis between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the newly completed National World War II Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 2004. Encompassing 7.4 acres, the memorial pays homage t..

For almost two centuries the White House has been the home of America's first families. More than just an official residence, the stately structure has become a universally recognized symbol of the US presidency. Today its public rooms house an exemp..

In a peaceful shaded spot on the south shore of the Tidal Basin, the nation's third president is commemorated with a 20C adaptation of the ancient Roman Pantheon. Inscribed on its marble walls are Jefferson's own writings concerning the role of gover..

Extending along the eastern end of the Mall, the labyrinthine Capitol building, with its cast-iron dome topped by the statue of Freedom, is the city's most prominent landmark. This massive symbol of democracy in progress has housed the US Congress si..

In 1955 Congress authorized a commission to oversee the construction of a memorial to Roosevelt. The present site in West Potomac Park was set aside in 1959. After years of rejecting design submissions, the Commission of Fine Arts approved a design b..

Though it was conceived in controversy, this long, solemn black wall has become one of the nation's most cherished and moving memorials. Tucked away in the sylvan setting of Constitution Gardens, it bears the names of all those killed or missing in t..

Located southeast of the Lincoln Memorial, this compelling ensemble of statues, freestanding wall and circular pool honors the members of the US armed forces who served in the Korean War (1950-53). The $18 million memorial was funded by private contr..

From this stately memorial the famous marble likeness of a seated, brooding Lincoln stares across the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument and to the Capitol beyond. On the southwest side of the monument, Arlington Memorial Bridge serves as a s..

This Classical Revival "temple" just off the Mall holds the nation's documentary treasures, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The National Museum of Natural History, part of the Smithsonian Institution, ranks as one of the most visited museums in the world. Two floors of exhibits and two large-format cinemas explore life on earth through clues nature has left behind—among t..

Originally located in a row of Capitol Hill town houses, the National Museum of African Art today occupies more spacious quarters in the underground Smithsonian Quadrangle complex. Devoted to the research, acquisition and display of traditional Afric..

An unmistakable architectural statement on the Mall, this cylindrical building houses one of the finest collections of modern art in the country. Numbering some 11,000 objects, the collection encompasses paintings, sculpture, photographs, works on pa..

The Smithsonian's first museum on the Mall devoted exclusively to art, the Freer Gallery possesses an outstanding Asian collection totalling some 27,000 works, and one of the world's largest collections of works by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)...

The repository for such popular national icons as the Star-Spangled Banner, Archie Bunker's chair and various First Ladies' gowns, this unique museum captures the essence of America by presenting the objects and ideas that have figured prominently in..