If you’re looking for a vacation destination filled with culture, history, and famous landmarks that won’t break the bank, D.C. is the place for you! Almost everything is within walking distance, and everything that isn’t within walking distance is easily accessible by the Metro.
Memorials and Monuments
Thankfully, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Jefferson Monument, Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial are ALL within walking distance of each other!! Personally, my favorite monuments were the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but it was awesome to be able to see all of these famous memorials and monuments within a whole span of about 2.5 hours.
The White House
Tours of the White House aren’t exactly easy to come by. In order to register for a tour, you need to submit a request to your congressman/congresswoman weeks before your trip. However, the work is definitely worth it as this self-guided tour is FREE and takes you inside several famous rooms of the White House including the Red Room, the Blue Room (seen in the picture above), and the Green Room.
U.S. Capitol
Although it’s a little bit farther from the other monuments, the U.S. Capitol is a must see, especially at night! It’s beautiful and usually free of most tourists after sunset.
Bonus: It’s right across from the U.S. Supreme Court.
National Archives
The National Archives are within walking distance from the National Museum of American History and National Museum of Natural History, and are a definite must-see when in D.C. The National Archives hold the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and U.S. Constitution, and are again, free! Just be careful when on your cell phones inside as no photography is allowed.
Ford’s Theater
This was my favorite stop along our trip. For FREE, you can visit Ford’s Theatre, the place where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The museum in the basement of the theatre is full of relics from the night of the murder, including the actual pillow that Lincoln died on! On the tour you have full access to the small basement museum as well as the theatre itself.
Museums
The Smithsonian offers eleven museums on the National Mall, and six others in the surrounding area. The best part: They’re ALL free! Unfortunately, I only had time to visit two, highlighted below.
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History houses hundreds of treasures of American History. My favorites were the ruby red slippers worn by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat he wore on the night he was killed, and a life vest worn by a Titanic survivor.
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History has every type of exhibit you could ask for, including dinosaur fossils, ancient mummies, and the most expensive gems in the world.
I was only in D.C. for three days, and was therefore unable to visit all of the museums and monuments that I had hoped to see. Other must-see spots not included on this list include: the African American Museum, Air and Space Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Pentagon. D.C. offers an insane amount of free things to do and see, and is the ultimate destination for travelers on a budget.
Sources:
https://www.stateplaza.com/resourcefiles/mainimages/the-lincoln-memorial-at-washington-dc-top.jpg
https://museum.archives.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/rotunda-20150219-01-021-l.jpg
https://s3.amazonaws.com/fords-theatre/files/pages/02h_interior_maxwell-mackenzie-2.jpg