Washington, D.C. guide

Things to do in Washington, D.C.

Things to do in Washington, D.C.: start with 9:30 Club, Eastern Market, and Library of Congress. Use the 204 places below to build a plan around this theme; each place has source-backed details behind its description.

204 places

Places to start with

Union Market District

Source-backed place · Markets

Union Market District

A thriving historic neighborhood and culinary epicenter in Washington, D.C., featuring a massive food hall with over 50 independe…

Source-backed place · Theaters and music

Union Stage

A dynamic live music and performance venue located at 740 Water Street SW, dedicated to creative expression for everyone.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater

Source-backed place · Theaters and music

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater

A Tony Award-winning national center dedicated to American voices, this pioneering theater was the first racially integrated venu…

Source-backed place · Theaters and music

Blues Alley

Tucked away in Georgetown, Blues Alley is the oldest continuing jazz supper club in the United States, offering an intimate atmos…

Source-backed place · Landmarks

Capitol Visitor Center

The primary gateway to the U.S. Capitol, this massive underground complex provides a welcoming, educational introduction to the l…

Source-backed place · Parks and outdoors

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

A sprawling 184.5-mile linear park tracing the Potomac River, preserving a 19th-century transportation artery that once linked Ma…

Embassy Row

Source-backed place · History

Embassy Row

A prestigious diplomatic district in Northwest Washington, D.C., featuring a high concentration of embassies, diplomatic missions…

Folger Shakespeare Library

Source-backed place · Museums

Folger Shakespeare Library

An independent research library on Capitol Hill, housing the world's largest collection of William Shakespeare's printed works an…

Ford's Theatre Museum

Source-backed place · Museums

Ford's Theatre Museum

The historic site of President Abraham Lincoln's 1865 assassination, combining a working theater, a museum of Lincolniana, and th…

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Source-backed place · Landmarks

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

A sprawling 7.5-acre outdoor museum honoring the 32nd US President and Eleanor Roosevelt, featuring four thematic rooms and casca…

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Source-backed place · Museums

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Explore the final home of Frederick Douglass, a former slave who rose to become a world-renowned abolitionist, statesman, and cha…

Freedom Statue

Source-backed place · Public art

Freedom Statue

The crowning feature of the U.S. Capitol dome, this 19-foot-6-inch bronze figure represents freedom, perched 288 feet above the E…

Freer Gallery of Art / National Museum of Asian Art

Source-backed place · Museums

Freer Gallery of Art / National Museum of Asian Art

The Smithsonian’s first fine arts museum, the Freer Gallery of Art showcases a premier collection of Asian masterpieces and the w…

Georgetown University

Source-backed place · History

Georgetown University

The oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States, Georgetown University's stunning Hilltop campus blends…

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Source-backed place · Museums

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

A Smithsonian architectural wonder featuring international modern and contemporary art within a striking cylindrical building and…

Howard Theatre

Source-backed place · Theaters and music

Howard Theatre

A historic landmark in the Shaw neighborhood, the Howard Theatre was the first African American-owned theatre in the United State…

Bookable Fever
International Spy Museum

Source-backed place · Museums

International Spy Museum

The only public museum in the United States dedicated solely to espionage, featuring the world's largest collection of spy artifa…

Jefferson Memorial

Source-backed place · Landmarks

Jefferson Memorial

A neoclassical marble tribute to the third U.S. President, situated on the Tidal Basin and framed by iconic Japanese flowering ch…

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Source-backed place · Theaters and music

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The national cultural center of the United States and the only official memorial to President John F. Kennedy in Washington, DC,…

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Source-backed place · Landmarks

Korean War Veterans Memorial

A poignant national memorial honoring U.S. and South Korean service members who fought against North Korea's 1950 invasion of Sou…

Library of Congress

Source-backed place · Museums

Library of Congress

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States, housing the world's lar…

Source-backed place · Landmarks

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

A powerful tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., featuring a massive granite statue and symbolic architecture that honors the st…

Museum of the Bible

Source-backed place · Museums

Museum of the Bible

A massive, high-tech exploration of the Bible's history and impact, featuring over 1,000 artifacts and immersive VR experiences i…

National Archives Building

Source-backed place · Museums

National Archives Building

Home to the Charters of Freedom, this historic landmark preserves the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill…

Bookable Eventbrite
Loading more places

Gyde may earn a commission from ticket and booking links.