Other than the Smithsonian.
I’m going to have two free days in mid-December and would like some suggestions.
I’ve never been to Baltimore and was thinking of spending one of the days there. If I did, would you suggest I drive or take the train?
TIA
The National Archives are a must see. That is where the Constitution and Declaration are stored and protected by aren’t guards (don’t take a flash camera if you don’t want to see it destroyed however). I have heard great things about the Spy Museum but I don’t think that is in D.C. proper.
The Korean War Memorial.
Next to it, there is no other piece of statuary in this town worth seeing. Trust me on this.
We saw the Spy Museum – lotsa fun, and it’s small.
There are several art galleries, all worth seeing.
The Folger Shakespeare Library
The spy museum is in DC proper, but it’s overrated in my book. Think big crowds and exhibits designed to get little kids fired up, like an air duct they can crawl through. Also, there aren’t many artifacts, mostly just stuff to read and replicas of stuff. And it’s like 20 bucks to get in.
I’d second the National Archives though.
Air & Space.
The Holocaust museum.
Natural History.
The Botanical Gardens.
The Spy Museum is great. Unlike Smithsonian and other attractions it’s privately owned and charges admission (about $12 when I was there), BUT it’s also open a lot later than the others so I’d make it your last stop. (Across the road from Spy Museum is a restaurant called ZAYTINYA’s, a Greco-Turkish place that is probably my favorite restaurant in D.C.- very moderately priced mezze/tapas style dining.)
By all means the Library of Congress- it’s a must. It’s possibly the most beautiful building in America and its exhibitions are on par with the Smithsonian (plus they always have on display a Gutenberg Bible, the contents of Lincoln’s pockets the night he was killed, etc.). Take the guided tour because there are hidden gems throughout the place in the artwork, sculpture, etc…
I’d least recommend the National Archives. The line is usually very long, you finally get to see the Constitution/Declaration for about a minute each and when you do they’re so faded you can’t read them (plus having seen the replicas of it so often it’s anticlimactic), so I’d spend the time elsewhere.
Ford’s Theater and the Petersen House are musts. The theater has a great museum about the assassination in the basement that includes, of course, the murder weapon and Booth’s other arsenal components, a hood that the conspirators were forced to wear at trial, the clothes Lincoln wore that night (with bloodstained collar), etc… The Petersen House isn’t that fascinating really, but it’s just across the street and takes a few minutes.
The Supreme Court if you get the chance- very close to the Library of Congress and across the street from the Capitol (which, just in case you aren’t aware, you have to go through your Congressional Rep to get tickets to, though so long as your name isn’t Saddam Killachristian bin-Laden or Fred Phelps it’s pretty pro-forma).
Next time I’m there I want to go to the Zoo. It’s the furthest out of the attractions in DC- I’ve been there once but got there about 30 minutes before closing, when they’d already put the pandas to bed.
While it’s part of the Smithsonian Complex, let me mention that a great place for lunch is the cafeteria in the Museum of the American Indian. It’s traditional native American dishes divvied up by region (salmon for the nw, bison for great plains, etc.)- a sampler is enough for 2 people and is about $20 and contains parts of every region.
I’ve never been to the Postal Museum, but people I know who have said it was far more interesting than they’d have suspected and that they recommend it highly.
The White House you can pretty much forget about. Even if you get tickets from your Rep they can be cancelled at the last minute with no notice, but you probably won’t get tickets for security reasons. OTOH, you’re free to stand outside the fences and with a moderately high power digital camera you can take pics through the windows- no idea why there haven’t been more assassination attempts.
Invest in a laminated folding walking map and you won’t regret it. ALWAYS STAND TO THE RIGHT ON THE TRAIN STATION ESCALATORS- by day two you’ll actually find yourself cursing tourists who don’t.
If you’re in a hurry to get someplace, D.C. has the most reasonably priced cabs of any big city I’ve ever been to, incidentally. You can get all the way across town for $10 or thereabouts.
Ah- keep Manhattan and Philly- I love me some D.C… Would live there in a heartbeat if I was just a little bit hellofalot richer.
#1 and #3 are part of the Smithsonian, which the OP excluded.
Although the OP may not realize that the Smithsonian is in fact a complex of 16 museums (including the National Zoo), 13 of which are in Downtown DC, nine on the national Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. However, two of the nine – American History and Arts & Industries – are closed right now.
Many people jump to the conclusion that one particular facility (usually Natural History or the Castle Building) is “the Smithsonian.” If the OP has fallen into this trap, you may want to check out the Smithsonian Web site (Hours and Locations of Smithsonian Museums and Zoo | Smithsonian Institution) and consider any of the museums you haven’t already visited. Depending on your interests, you could easily spend the better part of a day (or more) in any of the 11 (open) downtown facilities.
If you’ve already been to all of the Smithsonian museums (and the Zoo), or have some other reason for wanted to shun them, I can second the recommendations of the Spy Museum and Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, “the 1897 ‘temple of knowledge’ and the most beautiful building in Washington.” It’s very impressive.
The Lincoln Memorial is pretty cool in person, and even better late at night. It used to be open all night, although they may have changed that since 9/11.
As for Baltimore, you’ll need a car. If you take the train, it’ll take you to Penn Station, which is not in an interesting or nice part of town and miles from most tourist locations. You’ll need a mess of cabs to get anywhere. But Bawlamer has Fort McHenry, Harborplace (including the Maryland Science Center, the National Aquarium, and other attractions), Mount Vernon Place (home of Baltimore’s Washington Monument), Fells Point, and Johns Hopkins Hospital, notable as my birthplace.
Except for Harborplace, Baltimore’s attractions are farther apart than DC’s. So DC gives you more access to more stuff, and DC’s Metro (subway) is easier to use than Baltimore’s more limited public transport options (bus and light rail, and a subway that is of no use to you).
If you told us more about your interests, we might be able to provide more specific recommendations.
My recommendations are all in Northern Virginia, which is just across the Potomac River…
Better yet: A cruise down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon. This looks awesome!
Also, Old Town Alexandria is great! Here’s a few sites:
The Vietnam Memorial Wall. Incredibly powerful.
BTW, I took a train to Baltimore once. It’s only about $15.
However, meaning no disrespect to any Baltimore Dopers and in full acknowledgement that
1- it’s a city I haven’t been to in 30 years
2- it’s the home city of two of my favorite writers (and one of my favorite character actors who portrays one of my favorite writers)
I wouldn’t give up a day in D.C. to go there. There’s just way way way too much to see and do without leaving the city (though if I were to leave it would be the Mt. Vernon/Potomac Cruise, which I’ve wanted to do every time and still haven’t- came thisclose last time but canceled when I learned Mt. Vernon was covered with scaffolding.)
Where you can see the bullet that killed Lincoln. And the ones that killed Garfield, for that matter. And probably a homeless guy asking for change.
The Dumbarton Oaks museum.
The National Building Museum is well worth a visit.
Second the National Building Museum. Cool building!
The Renwick is a Smithsonian museum (I think) but very worthwhile. It’s small and absolutely gorgeous, and undervisited in my opinion. It’s an art museum, but the building itself is historically interesting. Other good places for art (you didn’t say art, but I plus it anyway!) are the Phillips Collection and the Corcoran. Farther out, but very worth the effort for an art lover, would be the Kreeger: http://www.kreegermuseum.org/
If you have the lead time to set it up, the State Department offers these very interesting tours of their diplomatic reception rooms. You have to make an appointment. I was very glad we did this–there are some absolute treasures in those rooms. Plus, it’s fascinating how they managed to completely make over an entire floor of modern, ugly 1970s building into what looks like a stately manor. http://receptiontours.state.gov/
The National Cathedral and the zoo in DC are both interesting. In Baltimore, go to the Phillips and the Museum of Outsider and Visionary Art.
Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam Wall were my favorite places in D.C.
Surprisingly I also really enjoyed the Jefferson Memorial, although I can’t really explain why. It was really peaceful there.
The Phillips Collection is in Washington. Perhaps you were thinking of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore? There’s also the Baltimore Museum of Art.
In addition to seconding the suggestions made already, the view from the old Post Office tower is pretty impressive. If you have time, it might be worth going up for a quick look.