Visitors
![memorials in the evening](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120915084147im_/http://www.house.gov/content/static/img/visitors-memorials-eve.jpg)
Welcome to Washington, DC, the nation’s capital. You will find an abundance of cultural, educational, and just plain fun attractions and events here. Start your trip planning with the useful resources below.
Resources for Visitors:
United States Congress
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
Book a tour, look at a Capitol map and find other useful information.
The mission of the Visitor Center at the U.S. Capitol is to provide a welcoming and educational environment for visitors to learn about the unique characteristics of the House and the Senate and the legislative process as well as the history and development of the architecture and art of the U.S. Capitol.
Map of Capitol Grounds
The Capitol, House and Senate office buildings.
Virtual Tour of Capitol
Explore the nation's Capitol, including the old and current House chambers.
Library of Congress
Each of “America’s Library buildings”, named for a U.S. President (Adams, Jefferson, and Madison), contains millions of cataloged books and other print materials on 530 miles of shelving is a world-renowned research center for scholars easily accessible to both Congress and the public. Special exhibitions —including a permanent display of the Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed with movable type—make the Library a favorite tourist attraction. First Street and Independence Avenue, SE.
Supreme Court of the United States
“Equal Justice Under Law” is the promise on the portals of the Supreme Court building.Court sessions begin the first Monday in October and continue two weeks per month through April. Courtroom seats are available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis when the Court is in session. Twenty-minute courtroom lectures are available every hour on the half-hour when the court is not in session. Group tours are available and must be made in advance. First and East Capitol Streets, NE.
United States Botanic Garden
Located at the base of Capitol Hill, the conservatory features more than 20,000 plants, including exotic flowers and fruit species. First Street and Maryland Avenue, SW.
Public Transportation
- WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority)
Metro’s Capitol South station, served by the Blue and Orange lines, will take you the closest to U.S. House of Representatives office buildings. - Arlington ART
- DC Circulator
- Fairfax Connector
- MTA Maryland Commuter Bus
- VRE (Virginia Railway Express)
- MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter)
- Amtrak
Maps
The National Mall
National Mall and Memorial Parks
The sprawling lands of the National Mall & Memorial Parks include the Mall, the public promenade extending from 3rd Street near the Capitol to 14th Street, including the:
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Memorial
- Jefferson Memorial
- Korean War Veterans Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- Washington Monument
- World War II Memorial
National Mall Walking Tour
Explore the National Mall with this walking tour provided by National Geographic.
Smithsonian
- African Art Museum
950 Independence Avenue, SW - Air and Space Museum
Independence Avenue at 6th Street, SW - Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia - American Art Museum
8th and F Streets, NW - American History Museum
1400 Constitution Avenue, NW - American Indian Museum
Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW - Anacostia Community Museum
1901 Fort Place, SE - Arts and Industries Building
900 Jefferson Drive, SW - Freer Gallery of Art
Jefferson Drive and 12th Street, SW - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Independence Avenue at Seventh Street SW - National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW - Natural History Museum
10th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW - Portrait Gallery
Eighth and F Streets, NW - Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE - Renwick Gallery
1661 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Sackler Gallery
1050 Independence Avenue, SW - Smithsonian Institution Building, The Castle
1000 Jefferson Drive, SW
More Museums
- The Corcoran Gallery of Art Museum
17th Street and New York Avenue, NW - Department of the Interior Museum
The Interior Museum is currently closed for renovations. - Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street, SE - Ford's Theatre & Lincoln Museum
511 10th Street, NW - The National Archives
7th & Constitution Avenue, NW - National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW - National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall
1145 17th & M Streets, NW - National Museum of American Jewish Military History
1811 R Street NW - Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street, NW - Textile Museum
2320 S Street, NW - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW
White House
Public tours of the White House are available. Requests must be submitted through one's member of Congress. These self-guided tours are available from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM Fridays, and 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM Saturdays (excluding federal holidays or unless otherwise noted). Tour hours will be extended when possible based on the official White House schedule. Tours are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Requests can be submitted up to six months in advance and no less than 21 days in advance. You are encouraged to submit your request as early as possible as a limited number of spaces are available. All White House tours are free of charge. (Please note that White House tours may be subject to last minute cancellation.)
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Metro: McPherson Square
For the most up-to-date information about touring and visiting the White House, call the 24-hour Visitors Office Information Line at 202-456-7041.
Historic Homes
- Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA - Carlyle House
121 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA - Cedar Hill, Home of Frederick Douglass
1411 W Street, SE - Claude Moore Colonial Farm
6310 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA - Dumbarton Oaks
1703 32nd Street, NW - Gunston Hall
10709 Gunston Road, Lorton, VA - Hillwood Museum & Gardens: Marjorie Merriweather Post Mansion
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW - Lincoln's Cottage
140 Rock Creek Church Road, NW - Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA - Oatlands Historic House and Gardens
20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, VA - Stratford Hall Plantation
483 Great House Road, Stratford, VA - Sully Plantation
3650 Historic Sully Road, Chantilly, VA - The Octagon House
1799 New York Avenue, NW
Theaters
- Arena Stage
1101 Sixth Street, SW - Capitol Steps
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Carter Barron Amphitheatre
Rock Creek Park at 3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW - Discovery Theater
Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building, 900 Jefferson Drive, SW - Folger Theater
Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE - Ford's Theatre
511 10th Street, NW - John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW - Merriweather Post Pavilion
10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD - The National Theater
1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Shakespeare Theatre Company
Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th Street, NW
Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street, NW - Source Theatre
1835 14th Street, NW - Studio Theater
1501 14th Street, NW - Warner Theater
513 13th Street, NW - Washington Ballet
3515 Wisconsin Avenue, NW - Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts,
1645 Trap Road, Vienna, VA
Major League Sports
- Capitals (NHL)
Verizon Center, 7th and F Streets NW - Mystics (WNBA)
Verizon Center, 7th and F Streets NW - Nationals (MLB)
Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol Street, SE - Redskins (NFL)
FedEx Field, 1600 Raljon Road, Raljon, MD - DC United (MLS)
RFK Stadium, 2400 East Capitol Street, SE - Wizards (NBA)
Verizon Center, 7th and F Streets NW
Other Points of Interest
- Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA - Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
400 Michigan Avenue, NE - Bureau of Engraving and Printing
14th & C Streets, SW - Hall of the States Building, State Services Organization
444 North Capitol Street, NW - National Aquarium
DC location: 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Baltimore location: 501 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland - National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE - National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW - Naval Observatory
3450 Massachusetts Avenue, NW - Navy Memorial and Visitors Center
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Old Post Office Pavilion
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Pentagon
Arlington, VA - State Department
2201 C Street, NW - Voice of America
330 Independence Avenue, SW