Boy Scout Memorial
The Boy Scout Memorial sits in President’s Park near the White House. Unveiled in 1964, its main element is a sculpture symbolizing the Boy Scouts’ aspirational ideals.
Commodore John Paul Jones Memorial
Commemorating Revolution War naval hero Commodore Jones Paul Jones, the memorial sits on the Tidal Basin in Washington DC, not far from the Washington Monument and National World War Two Memorial.
Sackler Gallery
The Sackler Gallery joins the Freer Gallery of Art to form the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art for the United States of America.
First Division Monument
The First Division Monument, standing in President’s Park next to the White House and in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, is dedicated to those who served and died in the First Division of the American Expeditionary Forces.
Moongate Garden
Hidden away behind the Smithsonian Castle, the Moongate Garden is a small oasis of calm inspired by Temple of Heaven Garden in Beijing.
Smithsonian Castle
The Smithsonian Castle looks like it should housing exotic treasures. But it doesn’t really–at least, not many and not any more. The Smithsonian now sprawls across 19 different facilities, but this is the original building.
National Museum of African Art
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, out the back of the Smithsonian Castle, showcases ancient and modern African art.
John Ericsson National Memorial
The John Ericsson Memorial is tucked away down on the bank of the Potomac, not far from the Lincoln Memorial. It commemorates the inventor of the USS Monitor, a technological breakthrough during the Civil War.
Martin Luther King Jr National Memorial
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, in tribute to the celebrated Civil Rights leader, is now open on the banks of the Tidal Basin opposite the Jefferson Memorial.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
If there’s a combination that can draw the museum crowds almost as much as spaceships and airplanes, it’s dinosaurs and whopping huge diamonds. And having a life-size elephant just inside the main entrance doesn’t hurt either.
US Capitol Building’s Exterior
The U.S. Capitol Building is one of Washington DC’s most distinctive buildings. In fact, you’d be surprised how many tourists find the building so recognizable and in such a conspicuous location that they assume it must be the White House.
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC houses one of the finest collections of paintings and sculptures in the world. On permanent display are works by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Manet, Monet, Rodin, Degas, and many, many more.
Washington Monument
For what is really just a big, stone tower you’d expect the Washington Monument to be a boring thing to take photos of. But this isn’t just any old tower and happens to be near some of the world’s great landmarks, making for a bunch of ways and vantage points to get some interesting shots.
The White House
As both the home and office of the President of the United States, the White House is probably the most widely recognized building in Washington DC.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool does what it does best very well indeed, providing some great photographic opportunities for capturing reflections of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The FDR Memorial, on the western bank of the Tidal Basin, is dedicated to the 32nd president but also features the twin challenges that defined the era: the Great Depression and the Second World War.
George Mason Memorial
Tucked away between the Jefferson Memorial and the 14th Street Bridge, the George Mason Memorial commemorates one of the lesser known founding fathers and Virginia plantation owner, George Mason.
District of Columbia World War I Memorial
The World War I Memorial near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool isn’t well known or much visited. It has been neglected and forgotten for decades but in the past few years has gotten some long-overdue attention.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Korean War Veterans Memorial, unveiled in 1992, consists of several elements designed by different people and groups. It has a triangular footprint with the main elements being “The Column” consisting of 19 stainless steel solders, each over 7 feet tall.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial memorializes Americans who served and died in the Vietnam War. The reflective wall, in particular, offers some interesting photo opportunities.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum National Mall Building
There are only a handful of museums in the world that get more visitors than the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. It’s a wonderful showcase of all things to do with space exploration and flight.
National World War II Memorial
The National World War II Memorial sits at the opposite end of the Reflecting Pool from the Lincoln Memorial and not far from the Washington Monument.
Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally
Every Memorial Day weekend, thousands of motorbike-riding military veterans descend on Washington DC for the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally.
The Jefferson Memorial
Sitting on an island on the southern axis of the National Mall, the Jefferson Memorial is dedicated to one of the most famous and influential of the Founding Fathers.
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is one of the grandest and most distinctive of Washington’s monuments. Anchoring the western end of the National Mall and framed by the Reflecting Pool, it’s an outsized tribute to an American president who played an outsized role in America’s history: Abraham Lincoln.
