Im going to Washington DC next month, what should I see, do , and pack?

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Bird

Bring a good jacket, gloves, scarf, hat and some warm, comfortable shooes for trecking all over town.

The most obvious place to start is the National Mall Downtown. The Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, Korean, WWII Memorials and several of the Smithsonian Museum buildings are all right there. Many of these don't have a lot of parking or are not all easily accessible from a car so plan on utilizing the Tourmobile, a rented bike or rented segway. Otherwise, plan on doing a whole lot of walking.

Since you are here in the middle of winter, plan on ice skating in the sculpture garden by the National Gallery (West Wing) or in the Plaza at Pentagon Row.

Museums not on the Mall but still worth seeing are:
The Spy Museum (very cool).
National Building Museum (particularly with young kids on the weekends)
Air and Space Campus at Dulles

Arguably the most beautiful building in town is The National Cathedral. It is awesome inside and out. The Bishop's garden adjacent is pretty cool too and if the weather is good, there is not a better spot on the east coast.

Going Beyond the "main monuments":
The Awakening at Hains Point
Albert Einstein
The Air Force Memorial (it's new)
The Titanic Memorial
Bartholdi Fountain (Statue of Liberty Sculptor)
Navy Memorial
TR Memorial at Roosevelt Island

The National Arboretum is unknown to many locals. It has a great bonsai garden, large Koi ponds, and acres of others gardens and forested areas. It is up NY Ave across from the Washington Times Building.

Great Falls Maryland is very cool too.

jeshamesh

DC is cold in the winter so pack warm clothes.
most of the major tourist attractions are based around the mall and are walking distance to eachother. This includes the Washington monument and stuff like Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam and WW2 memorials as well as all of the Smithsonian Museums. Most all of the Smithsonian museums are free to enter so check out www.si.edu to see which you would like to see....thats more than enough to keep you busy for 3 days. But there is also a free zoo, the new spy museum, good shopping and nightlife in Georgetown and many more things to do as well.

Mr. Beggs

See the National Archives (just for the sake of our nation's founding documents if for no other reason).

All of the Smithsonian museums, and many others, are free. You should definitely plan on checking those out.

Of course, if this is your first time, you must visit the Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam and Iwo Jima memorials. Plus the White House and Capitol Hill.

And if you really want to make it a trip, call your one of your Senators or Representatives and schedule a brief appointment in their office. Get a picture, voice your concerns or praise.

swimmette03

Take the Metro to the Smithsonian stop and you're in the center of everything historical. It places you in between the National Monument (the pencil thing) and the Capitol building. Most Smithsonian museums (Natural History, American History, African Art, Air and Space, American Indian, etc) are right there, surrounding the Lincoln Memorial, new World War II memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Reflecting pool (from Forrest Gump), etc. Basically get yourself a good map and plan to take the Metro because its easy. Theres a White House tour but the line can be really long. For nightlife, Georgetown is a recognizable name but its full of Eurotrash and doesnt live up to expectations. If you want to drink with the locals, Adams Morgan is a good bet.

As for clothes, it gets COLD in DC so bring the usual sweaters, long pants, coats, gloves, and so on. But make sure you check the weather before you leave because we've been known to have random spring-like weather at any time of the year.

redrancherogirl

You should see the Vietnam and World War II memorials, the Lincoln memorial, the Washington Monument, and the White House to start... there are tons of things to do there.

Bob G

The Smithsonian museum and the Air and Space museum

SALMON

Make your way to the National Mall
This stretch of land you will find (The Capitol, Washington, Lincoln, WWII, Korean, Vietnam memorials, The White House (close by) The Smithsonian's (These alone could fill 3 days)

Also If the weather is nice go to the National Zoo

Enjoy...

Caroline H

defenatly go to georgetown. (i would suggest taking the subway, traffics tough) and see all the awesome shops and everything. also defanatly go to the smithsonian. (the national gallery of art is my favorite! and the cafeteria there is realllllly good) there are some amazing museams there.

monuments at night; Natural history Museum; pancakes at Eastern Market on Capitol Hill; tour of Capitol; shop in Georgetown and see the college; church at National Cathedral

also-i've never done it but heard top of Washington mon. is cool. Be sure to get there early to buy pass (they cost 1 or 2 bucks)

TONS of warm clothes--layer!!!

have fun--it's a great city!!

I was just there last weekend for 3 days. Very cool trip!

One thing I would definitely recommend is the Holocaust Museum. Don't forget a box of tissue. It was by far my favorite destination. We also went the WWII memorial, Lincoln, Washington, White House, Air and Space (least favorite), & Spy Museum.

We stayed at the Doubletree and got around pretty easy on the "Circulator" its a bus line that takes you around for $1! and you can get a transfer to use all day! Make sure you get on the Circulator though, not the other bus line(they are pretty bad & scary). The Circulator takes you by the monuments and museums, China town, and the Verizon Center. Their maps are pretty handy, we mostly got around just asking the bus drivers though. They were very helpful (well not all but most were). If you like seafood, the "Legal Sea Food" restaurant is wonderful! Food is great, service is great, its right across from the Verizon Center (shopping, restaurants, etc) and 1 block away from the Spy Museum (very cool).

Check the weather and remember to dress REALLY warm, the cold air is brutal, especially if you come from a warm climate (Southern Cali).

If you like nightlife, we tried a bar where 18th NWSt, Connecticut NW, and M NW St. cross. "Five" is open till 5am if you're a real party animal. You have plenty of bars to choose from. Trendy, upscale crowd. Alot of fun!

Check out this site for some great restaurant options:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/cityguide/features/2006/dining-guide/index.html

I'd highly recommend visiting the FDR Memorial - it is located on the tidal basin and is not too far from the Jefferson Memorial

Bring some good walking shoes!

Camille

All of the answers here have been great. I would also recommend starting with a bus tour of the city. That way you can see everything and decide what to come back to later. You could choose a "hop-on-hop-off" tour that allows you to get on and off at tourist locations all day.

I lived in DC in the early 90's, but when I moved back a year ago the city had changed so much that I decided to do a bus tour. It was an excellent way to learn the city all over again.

wanda3s48

Definitely pack warm clothing. All of the Smithsonian Museums are free, including the national zoo. Arlington Cemetary is a must-see. You can go almost anywhere in the city on the Metro (subway system) & it's pretty inexpensive. The capitol building is impressive & so is the White House. If you tour the White House, you must get there Early, they only allow a certain number of visitors per day, if they're allowing visits. The same w/ the pentagon. It's been 5 years since I was there--right before 9-11 & I know things have changed security-wise but if you can visit the White House still, don't miss the opportunity. Also the Iwo Jima Memorial @ the Marine base--I forgot the name of the base (drat!) but it's behind & within walking distance of Arlington Cemetary.

areed013076

I went back in June of this year for 3 days myself. First let me say I can't wait to go back. If you are stating in the d'town area as we did you will find many things within walking distance. So first I would suggest a good pair of walking shoes. Second would be to figure out what attractions you want to see and plan your time accordingly. We went to Arlington National Cemetery first and spent the majority of the first day there, probably 4+ hours. Take the Metro if possible. All of the Smithsonian Museums have free admissions. Keep one thing in mind. Meals are not cheap. We ate at Charlie Palmers Steakhouse and spent over $230 for 2 people. At the train station they have lots of shops and a good size food court typical of a mall. Only thing is, instead of spending $4.99 for a lunch they average around $10.

My list of must see's would include:
Arlington Cemetery
Lincoln Memorioal
Capital Building (Awesome view at night from National Mall)
Washington Monument (tours to the top sell out quickly so get there around 7am, at least in June they were sold out when we got there)
White House
Vietnam Wall
Any of the Smithsonian Institutes
Jefferson Memorial
...and take lots of film or a large memory card for digital camers.

Hope this helps

One of the best museum bets is too often overlooked by visitors -- The Phillips Collection -- a collection of modern art. They have Renoir's famous Luncheon of the Boating Party. It is located 3 blocks from the DuPont Circle Metro station.

The best resource on the D.C. area, in my opinion, is the Washingtonian magazine. They offer guides to food, current exhibits, theater, etc.

D.C. is cold in January, a windy cold, especially on the Mall. If you plan on being outside a lot, pack sweaters, gloves, hat, scarf, and a heavy jacket. It can be sunny, so sunglasses are a good idea. Plus, comfortable walking shoes.

We're used to visitors, and don't judge based on clothes. The key to having a good time is being comfortable.

If you're going to be clubbing, some clubs are jeans, other dressier. Most bars and clubs are just jeans.

purplecammel

Check the weather before you go. Last year, we had some 60 degree days in January! Other years, its been more like 18. It really can vary, so make sure you know the forecast. As for things to do, there is alot.

The Natural History Museum, Smithsonian Art, The Corcoran, and the Air and Space museum are all worth a trip.

Most monuments can be missed. The Washington Monument isn't really worth the wait, but if you decide to go, make sure you get your tickets at the beginning of the day. You can drive by the Jefferson and Lincoln, there isn't much to see inside. The White House is cool, if the line is short. Otherwise, you may want to do something else. The one monument I would not miss is the FDR memorial. Go see it at night if the weather is mild. It's right on the tidal basin and is a walk through of many beautifully lit fountains and statues.

Outside of DC, Mount Vernon is definitely worth a day trip. Its beautiful in the snow, and isn't that far of a drive (its right past Alexandria on the GW parkway- follow the signs).

Also, go see a play. There is great theater in DC that most people don't know about. We have the Second Largest amount of theaters in the country (next to NY of course), so there should be a show for everyone.

And don't miss chinatown. Great food, and its all inexpensive.

One word of caution, for downtown attractions, do not drive. Take the metro instead. Parking is a nightmare during the day, not so much at night. But driving in DC is notoriously difficult, so the train/bus is probably your best option.

louisdous

Bring an interpreter.

funkygurll

I'm from dc so I know everything there is to know..........
depending on what u like to do
if ur a clubber or what a cool place to chill go to billyfone.com, all the info is there
If u like museums hop on the train to beat the insane traffic and go to the smithsonian, museum of natural history, american history, etc.... 2 many to mention
If u want good Sushi Saki in adams morgan is cool.
Adams Morgan also has a drag queen club Chaos where u can play drag bingo, drag trivia, and dance, its fun
just hit me up if u have any questions

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