In Washington, D.C. there is no shortage of free and cheap entertainment. The only problem you’ll have is figuring out how to fit it all in. Many museums, memorials and government building are free and open to the public. For some sites such as the White House, The Washington Monument, the “Mint” and the Holocaust Museum, you must get your free tickets in advance, either by writing to your congressman with the date(s) of your visit or by waiting in line at the attraction on the day that you want ticket. Other sites have reduced rates with a student ID card. This list is by no means exhaustive. While we have tried to include everything, please remember some things may have been accidentally left out. We have included Metro stops, but if you need bus service, please visit the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. FYI you can download WMTA maps to your IPOD.
Near the convention center
Government Buildings
Bureau of Engraving and Printing, aka “The Mint” - http://www.moneyfactory.gov/
Location: Entrance located on 14th & C Streets, SW
Admission: Free, tickets required, see below
Getting There: Metro – Orange/Blue Line to Smithsonian
Bureau of Engraving & Printing public tours can either be reserved in advance by calling (202) 874-2330 or tickets can be picked up at 8 am on 15th Street on the side of the building. One person can retrieve up to 8 tickets. Tours during the summer are from 10 am - 2 pm and from 5pm - 7 pm.
The FBI Building – CLOSED for RENOVATIONS
The Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/visit/
Location: First and Independence Avenue, SE
Admission: Free
Getting There: Metro- Orange/Blue Line to the Capitol South Metro Station
Public tours are offered at the following times: Monday–Friday 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30; and Saturday at 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, and 2:30. The tours begin in the Ground Floor Visitors Center of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Hours vary by building and collection.
The National Archives - http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/visit/
Hours: Rotunda and Exhibit Halls 10:00AM – 7:00PM, Research Rooms 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Collection: The United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence are on permanent display. The collection also contains federal records from the 18 th century to the present.
U.S. Capitol - http://www.aoc.gov/
Location: First Street, SW and Independence Avenue
Admission: Free, tickets required, see below.
Getting There: Orange/Blue Line to the Capitol South Metro Station
Tours: Monday through Saturday from 9:00AM - 2:30PM. The tours are given free of charge, but tickets are required and can be obtained the same day of the tour on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket distribution begins at 8:15 am at First Street and Independence Avenue. Guided tours last approximately thirty minutes and are organized in groups of 40 people.
For information on free, guided tours, call (202) 225-6827. To obtain passes to see the House and Senate in session, call your representative or one of your senators at (202) 224-3121.
The White House - http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/tours/
Location: 5000 Pennsylvania Ave (near the National Mall)
Admission: Free, tickets required- see below
Getting There: Metro: Blue and Orange Lines to Federal Triangle, or McPherson Square
Blue, Orange and Red Lines to Metro Center
The White House only offers tickets to groups of 10 or more people. It does not offer individual tickets. You must request tickets through one’s Member of Congress one to six months in advance. These self-guided tours are available from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (excluding federal holidays), and are scheduled on a first come, first served basis approximately one month in advance of the requested date. Please submit your request as early as possible since a limited number of tours are available.
Historic Buildings
Dumbarton House – Georgetown - http://www.dumbartonhouse.org/visit.htm
Location: 2715 Que Street, Georgetown
Admission:
Adults - $5.00
Students – Free with valid ID
Senior Citizens - $5.00
Hours: Tours only, see below
Getting There: Metro – Red Line to Dupont Circle, Q Street North Exit. Walk 6 blocks west on Q over the bridge and into Georgetown.
According to the website, the Dumbarton House “offers guests a distinctive look at Federal period architecture, furniture, and decorative arts, as well as life in Georgetown, during our nation’s earliest days.”
Docent-led tours are available Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., or 1:15 p.m. Tours last approximately 45 minutes. Dumbarton House is closed on all Federal holidays.
Ford’s Theatre -http://www.nps.gov/foth/
Location:
Admission: free
Hours: Daily 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Location: Metro – Orange/Blue Line or Red Line to Metro Center
The theatre where President Lincoln was shot, which is across the street from the “House Where Lincoln Died”
Monuments
African American Civil War Memorial
Freedom Foundation and Museum http://www.afroamcivilwar.org/visitorscorner/visitingmemorial.htm
Location: 1200 U Street N.W.
Admission: Monument (free), Museum
Hours: Museum - Monday to Friday 10:00AM to 5:00PM, Saturdays10:00AM to 2:00PM
Getting There: Metro – Green Line to the U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo
Honors African Americans who fought in the civil war and document’s the African American's heroic and largely unknown struggle for freedom.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial - http://www.nps.gov/frde/planyourvisit/directions.htm
Location: West of the Jefferson Memorial and South of the Washington Monument
Admission: Free, no tickets required
Hours: open 24/7 park rangers on site 9:30AM - 11:30PM daily
Getting There: Metro - Orange/Blue Line to Smithsonian It is a long walk to the Jefferson Memorial, but it is on the Tourmobile stop for a fee http://www.tourmobile.com/tours.php
Jefferson Memorial - http://www.nps.gov/thje/
Location: South of the Washington Monument
Admission: Free, no tickets required
Hours: open 24/7 park rangers on site 9:30AM - 11:30PM daily
Getting There: Metro - Orange/Blue Line to Smithsonian It is a long walk to the Jefferson Memorial, but it is on the Tourmobile stop for a fee http://www.tourmobile.com/tours.php
Korean War Veterans Memorial - http://www.nps.gov/kowa/
Location: National Mall- eastern end
Admission: Free, no tickets required.
Hours: open 24/7 park rangers on site 9:30AM - 11:30PM daily
Getting There: Metro- Blue and Orange Line to Smithsonian
Lincoln Memorial – http://www.nps.gov/linc/
Location: National Mall- eastern end
Admission: Free, no tickets required.
Hours: open 24/7 park rangers on site 9:30AM - 11:30PM daily.
Getting There: Metro- Blue and Orange Line to Smithsonian
Viet Nam Veterans Memorial - http://www.nps.gov/vive/
Location: National Mall
Admission: Free
Hours: open 24/7 park rangers on site 9:30AM - 11:30PM daily
Getting There: Metro- Blue and Orange Line to Smithsonian
Washington Monument- http://www.nps.gov/wamo
Location: National Mall
Admission: Free, tickets needed, see below
Hours: 9:00AM - 5:00PM, daily
Getting There: Metro- Blue and Orange Line to Smithsonian
Tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis, beginning at 8:30 am. You can order tickets in advance online for a service fee of $1.50 at http://www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm or by calling 1-800-967-2283.
World War II Memorial - http://www.nps.gov/wwii/
Location: National Mall
Admission: Free
Hours: open 24/7 park rangers on site 9:30AM to 11:30PM daily.
Getting There: Metro- Blue and Orange Line to Smithsonian
Museums
National Museum of Women in the Arts - http://www.nmwa.org/
Location: 1250 New York Avenue, N.W.
Admission: Adults: $8.00
Visitors 60 and over: $6.00
Students: $6.00
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM, Sunday: noon - 5:00 p.m.
Getting There: Metro - Red, Blue or Orange line to Metro Center
Collection: The museum’s collection covers women artists from the 16 th century to the present and includes a wide range of media such as photography, sculpture, painting and decorative arts. A special collection of 17 th and 18 th century English and Irish women silversmiths is also on display.
The Phillips Collection - http://www.phillipscollection.org/
Location: 1600 21st Street, NW
Admission: $12 for adults
$10 for visitors 62 and over and students
No charge for visitors 18 and under or Museum Members.
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday10:00AM – 5:00PM
Thursday 10:00AM– 8:30PM
Sunday 12:00 –5:00PM
Getting There: Metro – Red line to Dupont Circle
Collection: The Phillips collection was the first modern art museum in the United States, when Duncan Phillips opened his home collection to the public. It features works by Matisse, Braque, Bonner, Ryder and O’Keefe. Some of the highlights include Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party and the Rothko Room.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - http://www.ushmm.org/visit/
Location: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW (Independence Avenue and 14 th Street)
Admission: Free, Timed passes needed for Permanent Exhibit only, see below
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:30PM daily
Tickets for the Permanent Exhibits may be obtained at the Museum on the day of your visit or in advance by calling tickets.com at (800) 400–9373. Each day, the Museum distributes on a first–come first–served basis a large but limited number of timed entry passes for use that same day. No tickets/passes are needed to enter the Museum building, special exhibitions , or the interactive Wexner Learning Center .
SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS
Location: National Mall
Admission: Free
Getting There: Metro- Blue and Orange line to Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institute is comprised of 17 museums, the national zoo and several research centers and archives. For more information on individual hours, please visit http://www.smithsonian.org or call202.633.1000 (voice/tape); 202.633.5285 (TTY).
Go to this link to print out a PDF (6.03 MB) that details the hours, locations, collections and transportation information for all of the museums. http://www.si.edu/pdf/SIVisitorGuide.pdf
Except where noted, all of the museums listed here are located on “The Mall” in Washington, D.C. The mall is a park like setting between the US Capitol Building and the Washington Monument.
African Art Museum - http://africa.si.edu/about/parking.html
Hours: 10:00 AM – 5:30PM daily
Collection: Ancient to contemporary art from the African continent including, sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawings, utilitarian objects, funerary objects and textiles.
Air and Space Museum and Udvar-Hazy Center - http://www.nasm.si.edu/
Hours: daily 9:00AM – 5:30 PM daily
Collection: Artifacts and objects from the first airplane flight to the space race.
American Art Museum - http://americanart.si.edu/museum_info/index.cfm
Location: 8th and F Streets N.W
Hours: 11:30AM – 7:00PM daily
Getting There: Metro – Yellow/Green Line or Red Line to Gallery Place/Chinatown
Collection: American art and artists featuring colonial portraits, nineteenth-century landscapes, American impressionism, twentieth-century realism and abstraction, New Deal projects, sculpture, photography, prints and drawings, contemporary crafts and decorative arts, African American art, Latino art, and folk art.
American History Museum- CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS until Summer 2008
Selected items from this museum are on display in the Air and Space Museum on the Mall, such as Kermit The Frog, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers, Prince’s Guitar, and Mr. Roger’s Sweater
American Indian Museum - http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=dc&second=visitor&third=hours
Hours: 10:00 AM – 5:30PM daily
Collection: Displays art and artifacts from Native American Cultures across North America, plus items from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America.
Anacostia Community Museum - http://www.anacostia.si.edu/
Location: 1901 Fort Place, SE
Hours: Daily 10:00AM – 5:00PM, daily
Getting There: Metro – Green Line to Anacostia Metro Station
Take the Local exit out of the station. After exiting, turn left and go to the W2 or W2 bus stop on Howard Road. Note: the W2 bus runs only during AM and PM rush hours. The W3 bus runs every 30 minutes 9:30 AM- 4:00PM M-F, and every 20 minutes on weekends. The W2 and W3 buses stop in front of the museum.
Collection: A museum of African American history and culture, it explores American history, society, and creative expression from an African American perspective.
Arts and Industries Building - CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS
Freer and Sackler Galleries - http://www.asia.si.edu/
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:30 PM, daily
Collection: The museums are connected by an underground exhibition space. These two galleries house one of the best collections of Asian art in the world. The collection also includes American art, ancient Egyptian art, ancient Near Eastern Art, Islamic Art and Biblical manuscripts, including the famous Peacock Room created by James McNeill Whistler.
Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden - http://hirshhorn.si.edu/visit/index.asp?key=132
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:30 PM, daily
Collection: The Hirshorn features art and sculpture from contemporary artists. Of particular interest is the outdoor sculpture garden.
National Zoo - http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Visit/default.cfm
Location: 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW
Hours: Grounds 6:00AM – 8:00PM, Buildings – 10:00AM – 6:00PM, daily
Getting There: Red Line to the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop or the Cleveland Park stop TIP: The walk to the zoo is uphill from the Woodley Park stop.
Natural History Museum - http://www.mnh.si.edu/
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:30 PM, daily
Collection: This diverse collection includes specimens from primitive life, extinct animals, gems, fossils and dinosaurs. The famous Hope Diamond is located here.
Portrait Gallery - http://www.npg.si.edu/
Hours: 11:00AM – 7:00PM, daily
Collection: The National Portrait Gallery hosts portraits of famous Americans including, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., George Washington, Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth and Rosa Parks to name a few.
Postal Museum - http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/museum/1_museum.html
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:30 PM, daily
Location: 2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Getting There: Red Line to Union Station
Collection: Showcases the history of the national philatelic and postal operations collection.
Renwick Gallery - http://americanart.si.edu/visit/hours/
Hours: 10:00AM – 5:30 PM, daily
Getting There: Metro – Orange/Blue Lines to Farragut West
Collection: Features work from contemporary craft artists
Events/Other
National Capital Barbecue Battle - http://www.bbqdc.com/
Date: June 23-24, 2007
Time: Saturday: 11 am - 10 pm Sunday: 11 am - 7:30 pm
Location: Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 14th Sts.
Admission: Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 or younger. Group Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more. Call 301-860-0630 for group tickets.
Getting There: Metro – Blue and Orange Lines to Federal Triangle
The Barbecue Battle features serious competition between top BBQ competitors, great BBQ restaurants from our area and around the country, cooking demonstrations, free food samples, interactive cooking displays and children's activities.
Smithsonian Folklife Festival - http://www.festival.si.edu/
Time: 11 am – 5:30 pm daily; Evening events 6 pm
Location: National Mall
Admission: Free
Getting There: Metro – Blue and Orange Lines to Smithsonian Green and Yellow Lines to L’Enfant Plaza
Initiated in 1967, The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a national, even international, celebration of contemporary living traditions. The Festival typically includes daily and evening programs of music, song, dance, celebratory performance, crafts and cooking demonstrations, storytelling, illustrations of workers' culture, and narrative sessions for discussing cultural issues. The Festival encourages visitors to participate - to learn, sing, dance, eat traditional foods, and converse with people presented in the Festival program.
Highlights: The Mekong River program will bring to Washington approximately 200 artists, performers, craftspeople, cooks, and ritual specialists from the Mekong region for an unprecedented cultural confluence. Visitors will experience the region's diversity firsthand as they listen to Vietnamese folk opera, watch talented Lao cooks prepare a holiday feast, or join in a Cambodian wedding procession.
DC Caribbean Carnival - http://www.dccaribbeancarnival.org
Date: June 23-24 2007
Time: Parade starts at 10 am and festivities conclude at 7pm on 6/25
Location: Georgia Ave. NW
Admission: Parade is free to attend. There is a $5 charge for the events at Banneker Park.
Metro/Transportation/Parking: www.metroopensdoors.com
Parade starts at 10 am at Georgia & Missouri Avenues and heads south on Georgia Avenue. Parade culminates at Barry Place (across from Howard University) where activities continue at Banneker Park until 7 pm.
Highlights: The highlight of the Carnival is the annual parade, which includes 25 colorful bands of masqueraders accompanied by the sweetest, most infectious music, will be dancing up a storm down Georgia Avenue from Missouri Avenue, NW to Banneker Park, NW across from the campus of Howard University.
Outside of DC
Arlington National Cemetery - http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/
Location: Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia 22211
Hours: 8:00AM – 5:00PM
Admission: Free
Getting There - Metro: Blue Line to Arlington National Cemetery Stop
Arlington National Cemetery is home to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, and President Kennedy’s grave, to name a few. There is also a mansion and an amphitheater on the grounds.
Mount Vernon – Mount Vernon, Virginia http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/27/
Ticket prices
Adults - $13.00
Senior Citizens, age 62 and above (with identification) - $12.00
Youth ages 6 through 11 (accompanied by an adult) - $6.00
Children ages 5 and under (accompanied by an adult) – FREE
Annual Pass (unlimited daytime admission for one year) - $18.00
Add a Youth to Annual Pass, each - $9.00
Getting There- Public Transportation
Metro and Bus
Yellow Line to Huntington Station
Exit at the lower level (Huntington Avenue) of the station to catch a Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon.
Board the Fairfax Connector Bus #101 (Fort Hunt Line) at Huntington Station for a 20-minute trip to Mount Vernon's entrance gate. For fare information and schedules, call Fairfax Connector at (703) 339-7200 or visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/#southcountyroutes