Washington DC: Where American History Lives

The National Mall is the central organizing feature of Washington DC — a 2-mile-long open landscaped park running from the Capitol building to the Lincoln Memorial, flanked by the Smithsonian museums and anchored by the Washington Monument (555 feet, the world's tallest obelisk and tallest stone structure). The Mall contains the most significant concentration of American history in the country: the Lincoln Memorial (where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963), the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (58,000 names in black granite), the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, and the Reflecting Pool. All are free and accessible 24 hours.

The Smithsonian Institution encompasses 19 museums and galleries in Washington DC — the National Museum of Natural History (4 million annual visitors — the Hope Diamond, Sue the T. rex, ocean hall), the National Air and Space Museum (completing a major expansion in 2026, featuring original Wright Brothers Flyer, lunar module, Hubble Space Telescope), the National Museum of American History (Star-Spangled Banner, Julia Child's kitchen, pop culture artifacts), the National Museum of African American History and Culture (most in-demand museum in DC, timed passes required), and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery (finest American art collection in the country). All are free.

The US Capitol and its grounds are the seat of the legislative branch of the US government — free guided tours of the Capitol interior are available through a visitor center and can be arranged through your congressional representative's office for the most comprehensive access. The Library of Congress (the world's largest library, with 173 million items) is across the street, with free public galleries displaying original Jefferson Bible and other historic documents. The Supreme Court is open to the public on non-argument days.

Georgetown is DC's most charming neighborhood — a pre-Revolutionary War riverfront town of Federal-era townhouses, Georgetown University, the C&O Canal towpath (a 184-mile trail along the old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal), and the finest restaurant concentration in DC. The neighborhood predates the founding of DC itself and retains an architectural character distinctly different from the federal city planned by L'Enfant.

Washington DC has developed into one of America's most exciting culinary cities over the past decade — with 25 Michelin-starred restaurants and 26 Bib Gourmand designations, and named Bon Appétit's Restaurant City of the Year in 2016. The food scene is shaped by DC's extraordinary diversity (the most internationally diverse federal workforce in the world produces a city of international restaurants from every cuisine imaginable) and by a generation of James Beard-winning chefs who have made the city a serious culinary destination.

The best dining neighborhoods are 14th Street NW (the most vibrant restaurant corridor), Shaw (newer restaurants in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood north of downtown), Georgetown (most established, most classic), and Navy Yard (newest, near Nationals Park). The Eastern Market on Capitol Hill is the oldest continuously operating market in DC — a Saturday morning institution for local produce, cheese, and prepared food. Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street (since 1958, the half-smoke chili dog is the most specifically DC fast food) is the most storied casual institution.

The half-smoke is DC's own food contribution — a larger, spicier version of the American hot dog (half beef, half pork, coarsely ground) served in a steamed bun with chili, onions, and mustard. Only at Ben's Chili Bowl (or its few competitors) is the authentic version available. Chesapeake Bay blue crabs — from the bay 2 hours south of DC — are the regional shellfish specialty, available at dozens of seafood restaurants from August through October.