Washington, D.C. brings the country's history, government, and public memory together in one remarkable city. Walk among the memorials of the National Mall, tour the U.S. Capitol, and stand before the nation's founding documents at the National Archives.
Across the Potomac, witness the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Our Storyteller Guides connect the people, decisions, and events behind each place, while time in the Smithsonian museums is shaped around your group's interests. The journey concludes at George Washington's Mount Vernon, overlooking the Potomac River.
Begin with photographs at the White House, then step inside the National Museum of American History for a first pass through the objects the country keeps. In the afternoon, walk west past the Washington Monument and World War II Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial, with the Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials a short stroll away. Our Storyteller Guides set the pace and fill in the stories.
Spend the morning on Capitol Hill with a guided tour of the U.S. Capitol and visits to the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. After lunch, stand before the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights in the Rotunda of the National Archives. Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot in April 1865, rounds out the day.
Cross the Potomac and give Arlington National Cemetery the time it deserves: the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Kennedy gravesites, and hills of white headstones in every direction. Expect real walking on Arlington's slopes. Finish nearby at the Marine Corps War Memorial, the massive bronze of the second flag-raising on Iwo Jima.
The morning belongs to the Smithsonian museums. Choose the ones that fit your group, whether the National Museum of African American History and Culture or Natural History. After lunch, follow the Tidal Basin shoreline to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. In cherry blossom season, this is the walk everyone remembers.
Travel fifteen miles south along the Potomac to George Washington's Mount Vernon. Walk the mansion and its gardens, take in the museum galleries, and stand at the tomb where Washington is buried. The long view over the river from the estate is worth a quiet pause before the trip home begins.
Lincoln Memorial: Martin Falbisoner (CC BY-SA 3.0); U.S. Capitol: Architect of the Capitol (Public domain); Washington Monument: Diliff (CC BY-SA 2.5); Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin: APK (CC BY 4.0); Smithsonian Castle: Noclip (Public domain); Library of Congress: Carol M. Highsmith (Public domain); Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery: Drewspr00 (CC BY-SA 3.0); The White House: Nminow (CC BY-SA 3.0); The National Mall: mariordo59 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Transportation options
Group airfare or motor coach transportation to and from Washington, D.C. can be included on request.
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