Washington, DC Parks & Monuments

In this post, I'll cover several of the memorials & monuments in Washington, DC.  Please note, these are not ALL of the units covered by the National Park Service in Washington, DC -- only the ones I have been to recently.  The great thing about all of these sites is that they are completely free, and many of them are very close to each other -- making it possible to see many of them in one day.

Arlington House
Players:  Jenny, Steve & Deb
Date of Visit:  February, 2010
Website:  www.nps.gov/arho
Location:  Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia (just outside Washington, DC)
Entrance Fee:  Free!
Type of Trip:  Daytrip while visiting Washington, DC
Park Passport Stamps Available:  1

The Arlington House, located on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, is a memorial to Robert E. Lee.  Lee, the famous Civil War general who fought for the Confederacy, lived in the house before the war; it had actually belonged to his wife's family.  After the Civil War, the decision was made to bury the Federal dead literally in Lee's backyard, rendering it unusable.  Arlington House is located at the top of a steep hill; needless to say, the views of the city are quite stunning from the front porch.  When I last visited, the National Park Service was working on restoring Arlington House, and so it was empty of furniture. Jackson has been here, too, although not on my most recent trip.  He was relatively underwhelmed, but enjoyed Arlington National Cemetery overall.



George Washington National Memorial Parkway
Players:  Jenny
Date of Visit:  February, 2010
Website:  www.nps.gov/gwmp
Location:  Virginia
Entrance Fee:  Free!
Type of Trip:  Drive-through
Park Passport Stamps Available:  3

The George Washington National Memorial Parkway is a historic roadway, opened in 1932 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth.  It runs from Washington's plantation, Mount Vernon, to the Great Falls of the Potomac.  It passes many sites along the way.  Really, it's kind of just a pretty road to drive between Mt. Vernon and Washington, DC.  But it does make you appreciate that Mt. Vernon was a lot "further" away from DC by carriage than by car!  Drive the parkway if you're going that way, but don't go out of your way to do it.


National Mall & Memorial Parks
Players:  Jenny, Zach & Jackson
Date of Visit:  October 2009
Website:  www.nps.gov/nacc 
Location:  Washington, DC
Entrance Fee:  Free!
Type of Trip:  Day trip
Park Passport Stamps Available:  7

The National Mall & Memorial Parks includes a bunch of sites operated by the NPS, including the National Mall, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans' Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial.  Most of these monuments and memorials are located within a quick walking distance of each other on the National Mall itself; a couple (Jefferson Memorial and FDR Memorial) are a little further afield.  Honestly, these monuments and memorials are something that every American should see at once in his or her lifetime.

View of Washington Monument from in front of Lincoln Memorial

The Washington Monument is the only monument that requires lining up and/or purchasing an advance ticket to be able to enter.  You can get your tickets at www.recreation.gov.  All of the rest of the monuments and memorials are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be toured for as long or as short of a time frame as you'd like to visit.  I did notice on our last trip that the NPS has started doing cell phone tours of some of the monuments (I noticed it at the Lincoln Memorial); basically, you dial a certain number and then follow the prompts or push a certain number displayed on a sign to get your own personal tour of the different memorials.  Ranger programs are also available at certain times of day.

My favorite of the memorials are the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial is a fitting tribute to (in my opinion) the greatest president that the United States has ever known.  It is simple in its design, yet moving to many who visit.  Lincoln's two greatest speeches -- the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address -- are carved in stone on either side of the giant marble statue.  From the top of the Lincoln Memorial, you have great views down the mall.  If you pay attention and look for it, you can find the spot on the steps where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech.  It's amazing to me to look out on the mall from this spot and think about how many people crowded together to hear his speech that day.  Jackson asked a lot of questions about Abraham Lincoln and now remembers him as the man who's on the back of the penny.

Statue of Lincoln inside the memorial

 The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is another very moving site.  Again, it's very simple in its design but what always strikes me is the sheer volume of names carved on the wall -- and every name represents a person who lost their life in defense of our county, in a very unpopular war.  Family members still leave notes, flowers, and tokens at the wall.  These items are collected by the National Park Service and stored. If you are looking for a particular name on the wall, there are registers that can help you find it.  The other thing that always stands out to me when visiting this memorial is how somber and quiet people are when they walk its length; it's an unspoken but almost universally observed sign of respect.

Vietnam Veterans' Memorial

The National Mall has long been considered the "Nation's Front Yard," and remains a gathering place for people to this day.  A walk from end to end will take you some time, but it's worth it to see all of the monuments and tributes to our experimental nation.