# Best things to do in Washington, D.C.

Monuments, free Smithsonian museums and the seats of government: the D.C. essentials according to Lonely Planet, U.S. News and visitors.

- 498 votes · 12 items
- Jul 25, 2025 · Justin Harper
- https://even.best/en/l/163/best-things-to-do-in-washington-d-c

## Top 10

1. **Lincoln Memorial** (54 · ▲62 ▼8) — The 1922 temple with Daniel Chester French's seated Lincoln, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave 'I Have a Dream'.
2. **United States Capitol** (43 · ▲48 ▼5) — Seat of Congress with free tours of the Rotunda booked through the Visitor Center. <https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/>
3. **National Mall** (42 · ▲48 ▼6) — Two-mile park from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, lined with monuments and museums.
4. **National Air and Space Museum** (36 · ▲43 ▼7) — Free Smithsonian museum with the Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 command module. <https://airandspace.si.edu/>
5. **Library of Congress** (32 · ▲37 ▼5) — The world's largest library, with the ornate Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building. <https://www.loc.gov/visit/>
6. **White House** (26 · ▲31 ▼5) — The president's residence; public tours must be requested through a member of Congress.
7. **National Museum of Natural History** (20 · ▲28 ▼8) — Home to the Hope Diamond and a hall of dinosaur fossils; free entry. <https://naturalhistory.si.edu/>
8. **National Museum of African American History and Culture** (20 · ▲26 ▼6) — Smithsonian museum opened in 2016 in a bronze-latticed building on the Mall. <https://nmaahc.si.edu/>
9. **Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial** (17 · ▲26 ▼9) — Cherry blossom season in spring around the basin, with the Jefferson, FDR and MLK memorials.
10. **Arlington National Cemetery** (16 · ▲25 ▼9) — Military cemetery with JFK's grave and the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
11. **International Spy Museum** (16 · ▲21 ▼5) — The largest collection of espionage artefacts on public display, at L'Enfant Plaza. <https://www.spymuseum.org/>
12. **Georgetown** (8 · ▲19 ▼11) — Historic waterfront neighbourhood of Federal-style houses, shops and the C&O Canal towpath.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.