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
Source-backed place · History
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
A Victorian townhouse serving as a memorial to Mary McLeod Bethune and the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Wo…
Source-backed place · Public art
Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial
A groundbreaking monument in Lincoln Park, this was the first statue of an African American leader and an American woman in Washi…
Source-backed place · Museums
Mexican Cultural Institute
Housed in a spectacular 1910 mansion, this nonprofit center promotes Mexico-U.S. relations through free art exhibits, scholarly l…
Source-backed place · Landmarks
Mount Vernon Square
A historic city square in Northwest Washington, D.C., featuring the white marble Beaux-Arts Carnegie Library and a rich legacy of…
Source-backed place · History
Mount Zion / Female Union Band Society Cemeteries
A profound historic memorial park containing two of the oldest African American cemeteries in Washington, D.C., including a site…
Source-backed place · Museums
National Law Enforcement Museum
An immersive, mostly underground facility in Judiciary Square that explores 300 years of American law enforcement through 25,000…
Source-backed place · Museums
National Museum of American Diplomacy
Located at the U.S. Department of State headquarters, this unique institution is the first museum in the United States dedicated…
Source-backed place · Museums
National Museum of American Jewish Military History
Dedicated to the courage of Jewish Americans, this museum preserves military contributions from colonial days to the present thro…
Bookable EventbriteSource-backed place · Museums
National Postal Museum
Discover the epic journey of the mail at the National Postal Museum, a free Smithsonian institution featuring rare stamps and int…
Source-backed place · History
National Union Building
A restored 1890 Romanesque Revival landmark in Chinatown/Penn Quarter, this former insurance headquarters now serves as a seven-s…
Source-backed place · Markets
O Street Market (CityMarket at O)
A rare 19th-century public market building in the Shaw neighborhood, blending Italian Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Gothic Revival…
Source-backed place · History
Oak Hill Cemetery
A serene 22-acre rural cemetery in Georgetown, featuring the Gothic Revival Renwick Chapel and the resting places of influential…
Source-backed place · Museums
Old Korean Legation Museum
A historic Victorian house museum in Logan Circle, detailing the early diplomatic relations between the Joseon kingdom and the Un…
Source-backed place · History
Old Stone House
The oldest structure on its original foundation in Washington, D.C., this 1765 pre-Revolutionary home in Georgetown provides a ra…
Source-backed place · History
Pierce Mill
A historic 1829 water-powered mill in Rock Creek Park, offering seasonal demonstrations of corn, wheat, and rye grinding grains u…
Source-backed place · History
Prince Hall Masonic Temple
A stunning Indiana limestone landmark on U Street, this 1929 temple serves as a monument to African American advocacy and the his…
Source-backed place · Museums
Renwick Gallery
The Renwick Gallery is the nation's premier museum dedicated to American craft, housed in a stunning National Historic Landmark b…
Source-backed place · History
Riggs National Bank (historic building)
A stunning example of Richardsonian Romanesque Revival architecture, this 1891 landmark once served as the 'Bank of Presidents' a…
Source-backed place · Museums
Rubell Museum DC
A dedicated contemporary art museum housed in a historic 1906 school building, showcasing the extensive Rubell Family collection…
Source-backed place · Theaters and music
Shakespeare Theatre Company
A premier regional theatre in Washington, D.C., specializing in the works of William Shakespeare and other classic playwrights ac…
Source-backed place · Theaters and music
Sidney Harman Hall
A premier venue in Penn Quarter, Sidney Harman Hall serves as a flexible, contemporary home for the Shakespeare Theatre Company,…
Source-backed place · Theaters and music
Studio Theatre
A premier destination for contemporary theater in DC, this nonprofit production company occupies a unique converted car showroom…
Source-backed place · Landmarks
The Exorcist Steps
An iconic set of 75 stone stairs in Georgetown, made world-famous by the climactic final scene of the 1973 horror masterpiece, Th…
Source-backed place · History
The Line Hotel (former First Church of Christ, Scientist)
A stunning Neoclassical Revival church from 1912 converted into a design-centric boutique hotel and community hub in the heart of…
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