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The Guide to Our Nation’s Capital

Washington D.C. Tourist is your guide to our nation's capital and it's monuments, museums, historic sites and attractions, including points of interest in Virginia and Maryland. We are proud of our great city and look forward to showing you its charms. Enjoy your visit!

To contact Washington DC Tourist, please click here

Washington D.C. was built on land selected by President George Washington. It was designed by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, and modeled after the city of Paris, France with wide avenues radiating from circles and squares centered on monuments, sculptures and fountains.

A Brief History of Washington, D.C.

Built on a site selected by President Washington, the city of Washington, D.C., was conceived by Pierre Charles L’Enfant and completed by Andrew Ellicott. Congress proposed in 1783 that a city be built to house the new country’s government. Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson decided that the south would pay off the North’s Revolutionary war debts in exchange for northern support of a southern capital.

L’Enfant modeled the city after that of Paris, France with broad avenues radiating from squares and circles centered on monumental fountains and sculptures. Despite political issues and the firing of L’Enfant in 1792, the capital began to take shape. What is now the White House and the first wing of the Capitol building were completed by 1800.

The city fell on hard times when it was burned by the British in 1814 and Congress came close to abandoning it as the American Capital. But through the efforts of Thomas Jefferson and others - including a 1929 bequest of half a million dollars from James Smithson (which would establish the Smithsonian Institution) - the city survived.

Construction of the Capitol building continued even when the city was consumed with the Civil War, and its giant dome was completed in 1863… The continuing growth of Washington included the development of a park system, designation of sites for government buildings, designs for memorials and monuments, and the planting of the famous cherry trees…

The city today remains in much of its original state, divided into 4 quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE) with the dome of the U.S. Capitol in the center…Washington, D.C., is rich in culture and history-a definite must see for all Americans.

Monuments and Museums to visit:

Air & Space Museum
6th Street & Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357-2700

American History Museum
14th & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357-2700

Anacostia Museum
1901 Fort Place SE, Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357-2700

Bureau of Engraving & Printing
14th & C Sts. SW, Washington, DC 20228
(202) 874-3019

Capitol Building
Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

Federal Bureau of Investigation
9th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20535
(202) 324-3447

Ford's Theatre & Lincoln Museum
511 10th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
(202) 347-4833

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
The Tidal Basin, Washington, DC
(202) 228-2491

Freer Gallery of Art
12th & Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357-2700

George Washington Masonic Memorial
King Street, Shooters Hill, Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 683-2007

Holocaust Memorial Museum
14th St. SW, Independence, Washington, DC
202-488-0400

International Spy Museum
800 F St, NW , Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-7798

Kennedy Center
2700 F St. NW, Washington, DC 20566
(202) 467-4600

Korean War Veterans Memorial
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington, DC
(202) 619-7222

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20540-5240
(202) 707-8000

Lincoln Memorial
West Potomac Park, 23rd St. NW, Washington, DC
(202) 426-6841

Marine Corps Memorial
Route 50, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
(703) 285-2601

Marine Corps Museum
18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, VA 22172
(877) 653-775

Mount Vernon
George Washington Parkway, Mount Vernon, VA 22121
(703) 780-2000

National Archives
7th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20408
(202) 501-5000

National Gallery Of Art
4th & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20565
(202) 737-4215

Natural History Museum
10th & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357-2700

National Zoo
3000 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
(202) 673-4717

Navy Memorial
Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., 7th and 9th Streets, Washington, DC
(202) 737-2300

Pentagon
700 Army Navy Drive , Arlington, VA
(703) 695-1776

Portrait Gallery
8th & F Street NW, Washington, DC
(202) 357-2700

Smithsonian Visitor Center
1000 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357-2700

Supreme Court
1st Street NW and E. Capital St, Washington, DC

Thomas Jefferson Memorial
The Tidal Basin, Washington, DC

Union Station
40 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington DC 20002
(202) 289-1908

Vietnam War Veterans Memorial
Constitution Avenue. NW, Washington, DC
(202) 426-6841

White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC

Washington Monument
15th Street, Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
(202) 426-6841

Washington National Cathedral
Massachusetts &Wisconsin Avenues., NW
(202) 537-6207

World War II Memorial
17th Street, Constitution & Independence Avenues
(202) 619-7222

Districts and Neighborhoods to visit:

Anacostia - Smithsonian Anacostia Museum, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Capitol Hill - The Capitol Building, Supreme Court, Library of Congress
Dupont Circle – DC's trendiest neighborhood, restaurants, bars, nightclubs
Georgetown – DC's most historic neighborhood, Georgetown University.
Northeast - Trinity University, National Shrine, Petworth, Takoma Park.
Northwest - Friendship Heights, Chevy Chase, American University,
Penn Quarter - Chinatown, Verizon Center, Convention Center
Shaw - African American history, Howard University, U Street jazz clubs
Waterfront - Tidal Basin, Holocaust Museum, Nationals Stadium
West End - The White House, West Potomac Park, Kennedy Center
Woodley Park - The National Zoo, National Cathedral

Washington DC Tourist will help you find information and resources for Washington DC Metro, Washington DC Hotels, Washington DC Maps, Washington DC Tours, Washington DC Attractions, Things To Do in Washington DC, Washington DC Monuments, Washington DC Museums, Washington DC Restaurants, History of Washington DC, Washington DC Airports, Washington DC Events, Washington DC Vacation, Washington DC Travel, Washington DC Convention Center and Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.