USA > Washington DC > Landmarks > 50 Things 50 Things to Do in Washington, DC

1. Take a spin on the world’s oldest carousel, located on the National Mall
2. Imagine crossing the Atlantic alone as you look at Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis at the National Air & Space Museum.
3. There’s no place like the home of Dorothy’s ruby slippers: the National Museum of American History.
4. Compare your diamond to the Hope Diamond, on permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History.
5. Gallop into the National Postal Museum to learn about the Pony Express.
6. Meet Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the National Zoo’s rare giant pandas.
7. Ahhh, the smell of new money! Catch a whiff at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
8. Is the hand quicker than the eye? See a collection of Houdini’s magic tricks at the Library of Congress.
9. Take a picnic to Rock Creek Park and Nature Center.
10. Read the original Bill of Rights at the newly renovated National Archives.
11. Experience the magnificent Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt memorials at nightfall.
12. Watch the Supreme Court in action.
13. Stroll through beautifully restored beaux-arts Union Station. (Free as long as the restaurants and shops don’t lure you in!)
14. Join a guided nature walk at Theodore Roosevelt Island.
15. Get a bird’s-eye view of the capital from the 555-foot-high Washington Monument.
16. Look for Screen on the Green, weekly classic films shown on the National Mall during the summer.
17. Pay your respects at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
18. Catch the 6 o’clock performance on the Millennium Stage at John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
19. See how folks lived circa 1765 at DC’s oldest home, the Old Stone House in Georgetown.
20. Stop and smell the roses (or whatever is in bloom) at the National Arboretum.
21. Take your daughter to the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Museum to see what life was like before computers, shopping malls, take-out and TV.
22. Sit in DuPont Circle and people-watch. (OK, maybe you need to buy a cappuccino to fit in!)
23. Gaze at the Children’s Tile Wall, a poignant tribute to the youngest victims of the Holocaust at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
24. View sculpture in a natural landscape at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden.
25. See the art of everyday objects at the National Museum of African Art.
26. Cruise into the National Air and Space Museum’s new second location, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, to see the Dash 80 prototype of the Boeing 707.
27. Enjoy the world’s largest collection of works by Whistler at the Freer Gallery.
28. Examine early Chinese bronze and jade at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
29. Take advantage of wireless technology and hand-held computers to learn about craft and decorative art, every Saturday and Sunday at the Renwick Gallery.
30. Stroll through the Smithsonian Butterfly Habitat Garden.
31. Claim your spot on Constitution Avenue for parades on St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July and Cherry Blossom Festival.
32. Hum along with music performed every Sunday night (Oct-June) at concerts presented by the National Gallery of Art.
33. Visit the Mahatma Ghandi Memorial, directly across from the Embassy of India.
34. Look up at George Washington, immortalized in fresco, in the magnificent Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol.
35. Explore a neighborhood! Walk around funky Adams-Morgan or historic Georgetown.
36. Pick up a free guide about the African American Heritage Trail and start walking.
37. See the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner.
38. Join a tour of the Kennedy Center.
39. Experience history in sound bites. Audio tours of American Treasures at the Library of Congress feature Duke Ellington, Robert Frost, Frank Lloyd Wright and more.
40. Watch a softball game, volleyball game or rugby match on the National Mall.
41. Reflect on the past as you walk along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
42. Ask your member of congress to arrange a tour of the White House.
43. Take your kids (under 12) for free to see Rembrandt Peale’s painting Washington Before Yorktown.
44. Stop by in the morning to see giant water lilies at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.
45. Tour an embassy.
46. See skeletons, leeches and a stomach-sized hairball, at the National Museum of Health and Medicine.
47. Attend a lecture or gallery talk at the National Gallery of Art.
48. Browse through one of DC’s many bookstores.
49. Express your gratitude to the greatest generation by visiting the new National WW II Memorial, dedicated May 29, 2004.
50. Plan a visit to DC after September 2004, when the new museum of the American Indian is expected to open!

51. Our thanks to Stay in Washington for collating this information.

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