Walking Tour

• Day One: White House and Memorials
• Day Two: Arlington Cemetery, Iwo Jima Memorial, Shopping, DEA Museum or Roosevelt Island
• Day Three: Capitol Hill
• Day Four: The Mall, Smithsonian Institution and National Art Gallery

Day One: White House and Memorials

The first public building built in Washington, the White House, is your first stop on today's itinerary. The White House has been home to every U.S. president, beginning with John Adams. To get to the White House from Arlington, take the Blue or Orange Line to Federal Triangle. Walk north on 12th Street, west on Pennsylvania Ave, crossing 14th Street. At the end of the Commerce Building, (E Street), where the flags are flying, you'll find the White House Visitors Center. Be sure to see the Visitor's Center movie on the history of the White House. You can choose to see the inside of the White House by watching the movie, or purchase tickets for a tour. After you have completed your tour of this area, plan to have lunch at one of the excellent nearby restaurants. Continue your day's tour of Washington, D.C.'s world-famous memorials. Visit the Old Executive Office Building, then head south on 17th Street, past the Corcoran Art Gallery, DAR Constitution Hall, the Red Cross and the Pan American Union on your right. Cross Constitution Avenue, and continue about 50 yards to the path on your right which winds past the pond commemorating the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and on to the solemn Vietnam Veterans Memorial. From there, continue ahead to the Lincoln Memorial. Head south to the Korean War Memorial, with its 19 poncho-clad, combat-ready soldiers. Exit the Memorial onto Independence Avenue, going east. Follow the signs to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the Tidal Basin. Continue on around the Tidal Basin, turning right on Raoul Wallenberg Place. Pass by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Holocaust Museum. Timed tickets for the latter are required, obtainable from the museum at least 15 minutes before it opens at 10:00 am each day or from Protix. There are two exhibits appropriate for children that do not require a ticket. Walk straight ahead to 15th Street, and you'll see the Washington Monument on your left. Timed tickets are distributed at a kiosk on the grounds of the Monument. Your travels on Day One have ended; from 15th Street, walk toward the Capitol to the Smithsonian Metro stop and catch an Orange or Blue line train to return to your hotel in Arlington.

Day Two: Arlington Cemetery, Iwo Jima Memorial, Shopping, DEA Museum or Roosevelt Island

Day Two is a day devoted to sites in and around Arlington. From your Arlington hotel, take a Blue Line Metro train to Arlington Cemetery. The Cemetery's Visitors Center is approximately one block from the Arlington Cemetery Metro stop. Buy tickets for the Tourmobile, which drives through the cemetery, or get oriented and pick up a map for a self-guided, walking tour. During your tour of the Cemetery, be sure to visit the Tomb of the Unknowns, where unknown soldiers from World Wars I and II and the Korean Conflict are buried. Civil War buffs will want to take a free tour of a fine old antebellum home, Arlington House -- the Robert E. Lee Memorial, home of General and Mrs. Robert E. Lee. It is located in the Cemetery, as the original 1,000 acres were part of the Lee's estate. Arlington House is considered the first true Greek Revival building in the Capital region. Then, go on down the hill to the gravesites of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy. Before exiting the Cemetery, stop at the Women in the Military Service of America Memorial. After exiting the Cemetery, cross Memorial Drive to the bike/pedestrian path that parallels the ramp to Route 110 south. Continue north to Marshall Drive and the service road to the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial, the largest cast bronze statue in the world, depicting the raising of the American flag on Mt. Surabachi, during World War II, and dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives since 1775. Time for a bite to eat and some shopping... Return to the Blue Line Metro stop at the Arlington Cemetery and catch a train towards Reagan National Airport. Get off at the Pentagon City station and look for the Pentagon City Mall exit. This exit will deliver you inside the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, which offers innumerable temptations for shoppers and diners. If you prefer not to shop, the Pentagon City Metro stop will also serve as your destination for a visit to the National Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Museum. Upon exiting the Metro Station, go north one block on Hayes Street, turn right and walk to the DEA Museum and Visitors Center at 700 Army-Navy Drive. After an afternoon of shopping and dining, take a Blue Line train and return to Rosslyn. Your final stop of the day is Roosevelt Island. Upon exiting the Rosslyn station, go left on N. Moore St. Turn right on N. 19th Street, left on N. Lynn, cross the ramps to and from I-66 and go right onto the bike path. Continue on through the parking lot adjacent to Roosevelt Island. Cross the bridge to the Island and follow the signs through the wooded walking paths to this "off the beaten path" site. You'll be glad you took a moment to discover this often overlooked treasure.

Day Three: Capitol Hill

Take the Metro Blue or Orange Line to the Capitol South Metro stop. Join a tour group to view the rotunda, Statuary Hall and the original Supreme Court and Senate chambers. After the tour, you are free to go around on your own and explore many other parts of "Capitol Hill", which includes the Supreme Court (across the street) and the magnificent Library of Congress (also across the street). Two other buildings of interest in this area are the Folger Shakespeare Library at 201 E. Capitol Street, SE, and the Botanic Garden Conservatory, at 245 First Street, SW, the oldest continually operating botanic garden in the United States. To browse shops or get a quick bite, visit bustling Union Station, just north of the Capitol. To return to Arlington from Union Station, take the Red Line back to Metro Center and change to the Blue or Orange lines; remember, the latter two are on the ground floor.

Day Four: The Mall, Smithsonian Institution and National Art Gallery

The Smithsonian Institution is internationally renowned, and a top destination of millions of visitors each year. It is the world's largest museum complex, composed of museums and art galleries and the National Zoo. Getting to The Mall and the Smithsonian buildings couldn't be easier. Take the Blue or Orange Line to the Smithsonian stop. Make your first stop the Visitors Center, located in the red brick "Castle". From there, head to where your interests take you: the most popular museums are the Museum of American History and the Museum of Natural History, across the mall from the Castle, and the Air and Space Museum, farther down Jefferson Drive toward the Capitol. The Mall also offers a variety of art galleries and museums...The Freer and Sackler Galleries specialize in Asian art; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, specialize in modern and contemporary art. The African Art Museum depicts art and sculpture from Africa, and the National Gallery of Art offers some of our nation's most priceless treasures. The West Wing of the National Gallery, designed by John Russell Pope, houses an awesome collection of European art from the 13th through the 20th centuries. I.M.Pei's East Wing, connected underground to the West Wing, concentrates on contemporary European and American Art. Your Smithsonian Metro stop will return you to your hotel by way of either the Blue or Orange Line; you'll be happy, tired, full of knowlege and satisfied that even having seen so much, there is so much more to experience in your Nation's Capital!