National Mall
The epicenter of American pride is no doubt this two-mile-long stretch of open space, with the Lincoln Memorial on the west, Capitol Hill on the east, the White House to the north, Jefferson Memorial to the south, and the 555-foot-tall Washington Monument in the center. Other notable sites include the Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Also peppered along the way are several of the Smithsonian museums (all with free admission), including the National Air and Space Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Georgetown
In DC’s oldest neighborhood, stroll along the waterfront walkways of both the Potomac River and C&O Canal and enjoy the restaurants and nightlife, perhaps at the tavern where John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Kennedy in 1953 or a 1960s-era jazz club modeled after ones from the 1920s.
Dupont Circle
This lively neighborhood for shopping, dining, and nightlife is named after its center, a metropolitan traffic circle with a fountain and a new underground art space. Dupont Circle is also the perfect starting point for a self-guided tour along the quarter’s Embassy Row.