Is it possible to rent a wheelchair on the Washington Mall?

Factual Questions
1

I looked at the National Parks website and couldn’t tell.

Obviously, it’s dumb to try to park near the Mall. We’ll be at my aunt’s house in Rockland and taking the Metro in. I’m sure I can get my dad a wheelchair at any of the museums, no problem, but what about walking on the Mall itself? It’s pretty big, as I recall.

My dad has back problems that make it difficult for him to walk or stand for long distances. He’s fine at home but has a hard time on trips where there tends to be more walking and standing, so minimizing his stand time makes everybody happier and allows him to see a lot more - extends his “foot time”, as it were. So generally we try and get him a wheelchair when we go to museums and zoos and such. We haven’t been to DC for a while, and were planning to do some of the Smithsonean museums if nothing else, but I haven’t seen Lincoln in a while and I’d like to at least make it down there. Plus, we haven’t been there since they put up the Korean War monument, and my dad fought in that one; I’m sure he’d like to go there.

So is there a way, wheelchair or otherwise, to get him around the various Mall sites without having to bring our car downtown?

2

Bike The Sites has wheelchair and scooter rentals. They’re located beside the Old Post Office Building a block and a half from the Mall, across from Federal Triangle Metro station.

3

Awesome! He likes those electric ones at Lowe’s, but the regular kind are a lot easier to maneuver in museums… have to find out what to get for him. Lord knows we’re experienced pushers-around-attractions.

Psst! Whoever suggested the Maine Maritime Museum, that was awesome! And they did indeed have wheelchairs! But you could have mentioned the 45 degree hill!

4

Zsofia writes:

> We’ll be at my aunt’s house in Rockland and taking the Metro in.

I presume you mean Rockville.

5

I’m sure I do.