Things To Do Washington DC
Vacation Ideas

Things To Do Washington DC #1:

Washington DC has lots of trails that are scenic as well as historically significant. Whether your vacation activities include walking, running, cycling or hiking, the DC area has loads of great trails. Here's a couple examples:

At the Georgetown Visitor Center you can catch the C&O Canal Towpath in the C&O Canal National Historical Park. This is a great trail for foot or bicycle and you can go as far as you want cause this trail runs for 185 miles all the way to Cumberland MD.

A riverside trail with great views of the Washington skyline is the Mount Vernon Trail. It runs along the Potomac River on the Virginia side. This is a nice scenic 18 mile long multi-use trail.

The Tidal Basin is a small inlet of water near the the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. There's a 2 mile trail around the Tidal Basin with overlooks that provide excellent views of the water and the famous Washington cherry blossom trees.

Fun Things To Do Washington DC #2:For outdoor activities in Washington DC, try Rock Creek Park. At 1700 acres it's double the size of Central Park in New York City. Rock Creek Park is a great place to get some fresh air and enjoy the beauty of nature. Much of the park is forest and it's easy to forget you are in the nation's busy capital. There are plenty of jogging and biking paths that run through the park from the Potomac River to the Maryland border. Exploring the park will reveal old 1860's era fortifications which were part of the defense structures that fortified the capital during the Civil War.

The park rangers have lots of programs for all ages. There are children's programs where the rangers guide the kids as they explore and learn about the animals, birds and plants in the park. You can go on a ranger-led horseback ride along the banks of Rock Creek. Join rangers and astronomers for a night time viewing of the stars and other heavenly phenomena. Or take in a showing of the constellations at the park's Planetarium.

Vacation Ideas: Things To Do Washington DC #3:An interesting historical spot, and Washington DC has many, is the Ford's Theater where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Since that infamous event in 1865, the theater has been used for various things warehouse to office building. But today the theater is an official National Historic Site. It's been restored and is once again an operational theater. You can enjoy a wide variety of performances of famous plays, debates, humorists and musical performances.

You can take a tour of the theater and also visit The Lincoln Museum. At the museum you can see historical artifacts such as Lincoln's coat, the Derringer used by the assassin Booth and the bloodstained pillow used by Lincoln as he died from his head wound. You can continue the Lincoln theme by visiting the Peterson House across the street. This is where Lincoln was taken after he was shot and he died here.

Cool Things To Do Washington DC #4:The National Air and Space Museum is one of the most popular museums in the world and a must-see spot if you are planning a vacation in Washington DC. This is an immense museum and is sure to have plenty to interest every member of the family. The Space Race exhibit chronicles the race into outer space between the U.S. and Russia. Some of the things you can see here are a 1957 era three-stage launch vehicle, Jupiter-C rocket which was America's first satellite and an original Hubble Test Telescope.

At the How Things Fly exhibit you can see a Boeing 747 fuselage. Have fun with hands-on interactive displays and live demonstrations about flight. You can see lunar rocks, the Wright brothers plane, the Apollo 11 command module and the Spirit of St. Louis. These are just a few examples of the hundreds of cool stuff to see at The National Air and Space Museum.

Cool Things To Do Washington DC #5:One of the things that makes Washington DC a great family vacation destination is the National Zoo. There are just a tremendous number of animals, exhibits and cool stuff at the National Zoo. Many of the over 400 species are on the endangered list. The African Savanna has cheetahs, gazelles, hippos and other animals from the grassland regions of Africa.

The Great Ape House is popular with its howler monkeys, gorillas and other great primates. You can see lots of lions and tigers, birds, bears and giant pandas. The National Zoo covers 163 acres, houses some 2,000 animals and features wonderful galleries, gardens and museums. It's one of the most popular spots in Washington and draws visitors from all around the world.

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Things To Do Washington DC Vacation Ideas

Things To Do Washington DC
Vacation Ideas