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An open area in the middle of Washington, D.C., the National Mall stretches between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol. Take a tour and discover facts along the way with this list:
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW (btwn 15th St NW & 17th St NW), Washington, D.C.
Government Building · Northwest Washington · 512 tips and reviews
HISTORY: Completed in 1800, The White House is the oldest public building in Washington, DC and has been the home of every president except George Washington.
1 1st St NE (at E Capitol St NE), Washington, D.C.
Courthouse · Northeast Washington · 51 tips and reviews
HISTORY: After the federal government was established in Washington, the court was housed in a basement room in the US Capitol until 1929, when Chief Justice Taft argued successfully for their own building.
101 Independence Ave SE (btwn 1st & 2nd St SE), Washington, D.C.
Library · Southeast Washington · 186 tips and reviews
HISTORY: Created in 1800 the library is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution & the largest library in the world. In 1815 Thomas Jefferson sold his entire personal collection of books to the library
Capitol Building · Northwest Washington · 205 tips and reviews
HISTORY: The Capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. Begun in 1793, the Capitol has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored.
Science Museum · Southwest Washington · 639 tips and reviews
HISTORY: Originally called the National Air Museum when it was formed on August 12, 1946 by an act of Congress, some pieces in the National Air and Space Museum collection date back to 1876.
Monument · Northwest Washington · 9 tips and reviews
HISTORY: This memorial consists of 56 stones, each with the signature, occupation and hometown of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
6th St and Constitution Ave NW (at Constitution Ave NW), Washington, D.C.
Art Museum · Northwest Washington · 155 tips and reviews
HISTORY: Opened in 1941, this museum, founded by financier Andrew Mellon, has some 116,000 works of Western art dating from the Middle Ages to the modern era.
1400 Constitution Ave NW (at 14th St NW), Washington, D.C.
History Museum · Northwest Washington · 357 tips and reviews
HISTORY: The museum first opened in 1964, and among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.
1000 Constitution Ave NW (at 10th St NW), Washington, D.C.
Science Museum · Northwest Washington · 428 tips and reviews
HISTORY: The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the "increase and diffusion" of knowledge from a bequest to the United States by the British scientist James Smithson, who had never visited the US himself.
W Potomac Park (btwn Lincoln & World War II Memorials), Washington, D.C.
Fountain · Southwest Washington · 76 tips and reviews
HISTORY: The pool, measuring some 2,000 feet long, was built soon after the 1922 dedication of the Lincoln Memorial; both were designed by architect Henry Bacon.
1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW (at 15th St NW), Washington, D.C.
Government Building · Northwest Washington · 24 tips and reviews
HISTORY: The current building was designed by Robert Mills and constructed over a 33-year period beginning in 1836. It is the oldest departmental building in Washington.
History Museum · Southwest Washington · 256 tips and reviews
HISTORY: Opened in 1993, this museum is devoted to the history of the Holocaust, the state-sponsored murder of 6 million Jews in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.
400 W Basin Drive SW (at Ohio Dr SW), Washington, D.C.
Monument · Southwest Washington · 108 tips and reviews
HISTORY: This tribute features outdoor galleries, statues and inscriptions meant to represent the 32nd U.S. president’s time in office, from 1933 to 1945.
10 Daniel French Dr SW (at Independence Ave SW), Washington, D.C.
Monument · Southwest Washington · 74 tips and reviews
HISTORY: Dedicated in 1995, this memorial honors the U.S. military members who served in the Korean War (1950-53). More than 54,000 Americans were killed, while more than 100,000 others were wounded.
2 Lincoln Memorial Circle NW (btwn Constitution & Independence Ave SW), Washington, D.C.
Monument · Southwest Washington · 471 tips and reviews
HISTORY: Construction began in 1914, and the memorial was opened to the public in 1922. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd by the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 .
16 E Basin Dr SW (at Ohio Dr SW), Washington, D.C.
Monument · Southwest Washington · 144 tips and reviews
HISTORY: President Roosevelt asked the Commission of Fine Arts about the possibility of erecting a memorial to Thomas Jefferson. Construction went from 1938-43, & Roosevelt laid the first cornerstone himself.
5 Henry Bacon Dr NW (at Constitution Ave NW), Washington, D.C.
Monument · Northwest Washington · 91 tips and reviews
HISTORY: The memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial & the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, where over 58,000 names are engraved.
Monument · Southwest Washington · 344 tips and reviews
HISTORY: The Washington Monument was formally dedicated on February 22, 1885, and at the time of its construction, it was the tallest building in the world; it remains the tallest stone structure in the world.