The National Mall and Memorial Parks
In the heart of Washington, D.C., the National Mall and Memorial Parks (NAMA) is home to the monuments of America: Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, World War II Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
In addition to the monuments on the National Mall, NAMA also administers historic sites such as, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, the space between the Capitol and the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue, the East and West Potomac Parks, and Constitution Gardens. In total, there are more than 80 structures and 150 parks and squares in the National Mall and Memorial Parks collection. These parks provide a national stage for remembrance, observance, or protest, from presidential inaugurations to civil rights protests.
Always open to the public, the National Mall and Memorial Parks offers Americans the chance to learn about the history that has shaped the nation. Those from other countries can observe the same monuments, and learn how personal liberty and independence, fought for under the leadership of the men memorialized – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt - helped to mold the United States into the world’s leader and champion of freedom.
Each day thousand of school children, families, and foreign visitors enjoy the interpretive programming, park exhibits, publications, and carefully attended beauty. These monuments at the National Mall and Memorial Parks are a living testament to the past.
The parks are open daily, 24 hours a day. There is no cost associated with visiting any of the Memorials with the National Mall and Memorial Parks. The park receives approximately 24 million visitors from around the world each year
Smithsonian Institution
The world’s largest museum complex is the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Established in 1846, the Smithsonian consists of 17 museums and institutions, as well as the National Zoo, in Washington D.C.
The Smithsonian’s storied past began in 1826 with a mysterious bequest from a British scientist, James Smithson. Drafting his last will and testament, Smithson decreed that should his beneficiary, a nephew, die without heirs, his estate was to be bequeathed to “the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” His nephew died without heirs and the United States has benefited from that legacy ever since. Interestingly, Smithson never traveled to the United States and appears to have had no contact with anyone in America that would have inspired such a bequest.
In 1846, President James K. Polk signed an Act of Congress establishing the Smithsonian Institution. Today, the institute is a collection of museums and sites, mainly in Washington D.C. There are over 100 million artifacts within the Smithsonian trust.
The Smithsonian museum collection within Washington, D.C., includes: Anacostia Community Museum, (History and culture of African American communities) Arts and Industries Building, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of African Art, National Museum of American History - Behring Center, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of the American Indian, National Portrait Gallery, National Postal Museum, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery, and Smithsonian Institution Building, the Castle.
Most museums are open daily and are closed on Christmas. Admission is free for the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian Information Center is located in the “Castle” along the National Mall.
The White House
The White House, home to the President of the United States, is situated on 18 acres of land at the south end of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, in the District of Columbia (D.C.). Also known as the "President's Palace", the "President's House", and the "Executive Mansion", it has been the “White House” since President Theodore Roosevelt made it the official name in 1901.
In 1790, President George Washington signed an Act of Congress that declared that the home of the federal government would be in a district "not exceeding ten miles square…on the river Potomac". Washington, along with city planner Pierre L’Enfant, selected the site of the residence. President Washington was the only president who did not reside in the White House. Construction was not complete until the second president, John Adams, was in office. Many changes have been made to the White House since, as it has seen many residents within its 200 plus years of history. It has survived two fires, one set by the British in 1814 during the War of 1812 and one in 1929.
As the president’s private home, while they are in office, the president and first lady may determine the decorating style and their reception of the public. Thomas Jefferson was the first to open the White House to the public and it has remained open ever since, except in wartime. In the early days, it was like one big open house, with people coming and going as they pleased during inaugural events or on special holidays. Not until Grover Cleveland’s first presidency (1885-1889) did this open-door policy change, if only for the safety of the president.
The six levels of the White House contain 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators. There is a tennis court, jogging trails, a bowling lane, a movie theater, and more.
Tours of the White House are available to groups of ten or more and requests must be submitted through the visitor’s Congressman. The self-guided tours take place Tuesday through Saturdays. The White House is closed to the public on federal holidays. A limited number of tours are available, so requests should be submitted early and may be accepted up to six months in advance. The White House Visitor Center, located at the corner of 15th and E streets is open daily and features a 30-minute video and exhibits on the White House, including the architecture, the furnishings, the presidents and their families, and more.