Following up on our other post regarding the National Mall in Washington DC, we had a great experience visiting a number of FREE (yes that’s right, the majority of museums in the Mall in DC are free of charge) museums. Truth be told, you could probably spend at least half a day or maybe even a full day if you are really interested in each of the museums.

Many of the museums are part of the Smithsonian Institution which are the world’s largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums, 9 research centers and more than 140 affiliate museums around the world.

Washington DC is of course also home to the President of the United States of America – The White House. Located in the National Mall, this is another infamous location that is worth seeing if you are in the area.

Here is a brief overview of the museums and famous buildings we visited and others that are available:

The White House

The White House is the official residence of the President of the USA. It is one of the iconic stereotypes of American architecture and standing in front of those gates peering across the White House gardens was certainly a memorable experience. You can compare this with the likes of Buckingham Palace when thinking about infamous residences.

The Capitol

Located at the furthest point in the National Mall (if you start at the Lincoln Memorial that is!), the United States Capitol is the meeting place of the U.S. Congress, the legislature of the U.S. federal government. The white architecture may lead some people to mistake this for the White House or Treasury department, but it’s location atop Capitol Hill makes this infamously spectacular.

Smithsonian Institution HQ

Home to the Smithsonian Information Center as well as the Institution’s administrative headquarters, the ‘Castle’ is a great place to head inside, grab a quick snack after a morning wandering around the National Mall Memorials and Monuments and then decide on which museums you plan on visiting in the afternoon. There is a gift shop inside and of course Heather’s favorite penny-machine to take home a cherished treasure of your museum visit.

The National Air and Space Museum

I am not exaggerating when I say that you could literally spend a full day inside this museum and probably still not have enough time to learn about everything that is on offer inside this wonderful building. A whole host of exhibits are available and this is a great museum for all ages.

I will be the first to admit that I am generally not a museum sort of person, but this provides a detailed (plus in some instances hands-on experience with the moon rock touching experience) display of air and space throughout history to the present day iconic planes and rockets that we are all familiar with.

The National Museum of Natural History

This is very much similar to the American Museum of Natural History but the main difference between the two is that the Smithsonian version in DC is FREE. There are numerous exhibits that have life-like creatures, the entrance hall has a life size elephant as you can see from the image above. You can wander around the well structured halls, looking at animals by continent from African lions to Australian kangaroos. There is a sea life center with a giant squid on display that was captured off the coast of Spain and is at least 20ft long.

Holocaust Museum

The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

Entering the Holocaust Museum in DC is a somber feeling as you consider the millions of lives that were lost during this appalling period. Free tickets to tour the museum are available but unfortunately when we arrived at 11:30AM, the next available tour was at 1:00PM so we decided to venture back out and see other museums rather than wait. This is certainly one of those museums that I would like to return to and tour because all the reviews and feedback I heard suggest that this is a worthwhile tour though you will likely be left feeling upset afterwards.

There are several other museums available throughout the National Mall area but as I have mentioned throughout, there is just not enough time in the day to visit all of these in one day.

Have you visited the museums in DC, if so which is your favorite?

What other museums are worth visiting that are FREE?

If you are looking to spend a full day exploring a plethora of history, heritage, fun and excitement for FREE then you would do well to find anywhere better suited than the National Mall in Washington DC. You are probably asking – surely it is too good to be true that you claim everything is free and there has to be a catch! Well, from first hand experience last week all of this is true and we had an absolute blast!

To start things off, take a look at the map below to give a better idea of where everything is located. We started our daily tour at around 9:00AM and finished at 5:00PM. Of course, we didn’t visit every museum/memorial and we were selective over those that we did see but everything we did do was FREE!

To make things even better, you certainly get a lot of exercise from visiting the National Mall in the heart of DC! Here are some of the top memorials and monuments in the National Mall that we visited or walked by (check out our other post on The National Mall in Washington DC – Part 2):

The Lincoln Memorial

This was a great way to start our tour of the National Mall, the impressive structure of the Lincoln Memorial stands proud at the start of this infamous area. There is an eerie silence as folks pay their respects when you walk inside the memorial and are presented with a large statue of Lincoln sitting in a chair (see below). The 19-foot tall statue was designed by Daniel French and depicts Lincoln in the middle of the Civil War as he contemplates the next moves.

One wall inside the memorial contains Lincoln’s Gettysburg address in 1863 while the other side opposite this includes Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865.

Korean War Veterans Memorial

After walking a short distance from the Lincoln Memorial, the mood becomes much more somber as you arrive at the Korean War Veterans Memorial. The statuesque figures of soldiers fighting in the fields of Korea bring back harsh memories of past wars and how thousands of troops lost their lives. The 19 stainless steel statues were sculpted by Frank Gaylord and they are approximately 7-feet tall and represent an ethnic cross section of America.

There is a Pool of Remembrance and engraved on granite blocks near the water pool at the east end of the monument are the casualty statistics for the soldiers who fought in the war.

• Dead — United States: 54,246, United Nations: 628,833
• Wounded — United States: 103,284, United Nations: 1,064,453.
• Captured — United States: 7,140, United Nations: 92,970.
• Missing — United States: 8,177, United Nations: 470,267.

World War 2 Memorial

The World War 2 Memorial is a really impressive fountain and surrounding pillars makes this a very peaceful environment. These fifty-six pillars represent the states, territories and the District of Columbia at the time of the war.

The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people.

The Washington Memorial

The Washington Monument is arguably the most prominent feature of the Washington, DC skyline. Visitors are welcome to climb the 896 steps inside the monument to the observation level which, on a clear day, provides 30-40 mile views (there is also, of course, an elevator!).

Unfortunately the Washington Memorial was closed due to renovations but looking at this from a distance still allowed us to see what an impressive structure this is. The reflection pool that runs all the way from the Washington Memorial to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial is a great place to relax and walk around before you head further towards the other National Mall landmarks.

Of course, the above monuments and memorials are not the only iconic landmarks in Washington DC. There are others that we did not have time to visit such as the Vietnam War Memorial and also the Thomas Jefferson Memorial which is an impressive structure.

Part 2 of our Washington DC experience will highlight our experiences in the museums and famous buildings such as The White House.

What is your favorite monument/memorial in Washington DC?

What are your experiences in the National Mall?