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Washington D.C Experiences

Washington DC is not one of the 50 states. But it’s an important part of the U.S. The District of Columbia is the capital of the USA.

Below is a small selection of the tours we can organise for you when you have booked your USA holiday with us and are visiting Washington D.C.   

The President and Dr. Biden are delighted to welcome members of the public to tour the White House. Public tour requests are scheduled on a first come, first served basis and must be submitted through a Member of Congress and their Congressional Tour Coordinator. Public tours are typically available from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, excluding Federal holidays or unless otherwise noted. If the tour is confirmed, please note that visitors will be assigned a specific start time. All White House tours are free of charge. The White House tour schedule is subject to change, with little notice, based on inclement weather or official use. 

White House Tour Highlights

  • Tours are self-guided and last approximately 45 minutes
  • The East Wing, which includes the Blue Room, Red Room and Green Room; the State Dining Room; the China Room; and a view of the White House Rose Garden.
  • Secret Service members are stationed in each room and are available to answer any questions about the history and architecture of each room.

The Washington Monument, designed by Robert Mills and eventually completed by Thomas Casey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, honors and memorializes George Washington at the center of the nation's capital. The structure was completed in two phases of construction, one private (1848-1854) and one public (1876-1884). Built in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk, evoking the timelessness of ancient civilizations, the Washington Monument embodies the awe, respect, and gratitude the nation felt for its most essential Founding Father. When completed, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world at 555 feet, 5-1/8 inches.

Washington Monument Highlights

  • The Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world upon its completion in 1884.
  • Honours and memorializes George Washington, the first President of the USA.

Construction on the Lincoln Memorial began on February 12, 1914. The building stands at the far western end of the National Mall. The 19th foot tall statue of Lincoln gazes out from a solemn chamber in a building surrounded by 36 columns, each representing a state in the union at the time of the Lincoln's death. Dedicated in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial is the most visited site on the National Mall.

The Lincoln Memorial interior is divided into three chambers (north, south, and central). Two rows of four Ionic columns separate the chambers. Gaze up at these 50 foot high columns. Wrap your arms around their five foot six inch diameter bases. The columns support the memorial ceiling, towering 60 feet above the floor. The glowing ceiling is framed by bronze girders, ornamented with laurel and oak leaves. Between the girders are panels of Alabama marble, saturated with paraffin to increase their translucency. Together these larger than life elements envelop the larger than life statue of Abraham Lincoln to create an atmosphere of quiet reflection and awe.

Lincoln Memorial Highlights

  • The Lincoln Statue which measures in at 19 feet tall.
  • Reflecting pool and elm walks
  • The north and south side chambers contain carved inscriptions of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address and his Gettysburg Address.
  • The Lincoln Steps and Plaza

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum maintains the world's largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts, encompassing all aspects of human flight, as well as related works of art and archival materials. It operates two landmark facilities that, together, welcome more than eight million visitors a year, making it the most visited museum in the country. It also is home to the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.

The Museum's two buildings house thousands of artifacts showcased in exhibitions on aviation, space exploration, and planetary science. At both of its locations, the Museum presents programs, educational activities, lectures, and performances that reflect the American spirit, and the innovation, courage, and optimism that have led to triumphs in the history, science and technology of flight. At the Museum in Washington, DC, which opened in 1976 and is located in the heart of the Smithsonian complex in Washington, DC, some of the most awe-inspiring icons of flight are on display. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, located near Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, is a massive structure with open, hangar-like settings that accommodate large aircraft and spacecraft, as well as entire collections of aviation and space artifacts.

The Library was founded in 1800, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the nation. On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the Capitol building (where the Library was housed) and destroyed the Library's core collection of 3,000 volumes. On January 30, 1815, Congress approved the purchase of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library of 6,487 books for $23,950.

Each working day the Library receives some 15,000 items and adds more than 10,000 items to its collections. Materials are acquired as Copyright deposits and through gift, purchase, other government agencies (state, local and federal), Cataloging in Publication (a pre-publication arrangement with publishers) and exchange with libraries in the United States and abroad. Items not selected for the collections or other internal purposes are used in the Library’s national and international exchange programs. Through these exchanges the Library acquires material that would not be available otherwise. The remaining items are made available to other federal agencies and are then available for donation to educational institutions, public bodies and nonprofit tax-exempt organizations in the United States. Since 1962, the Library of Congress has maintained offices abroad to acquire, catalog and preserve library and research materials from countries where such materials are essentially unavailable through conventional acquisitions methods.

 

 

Tour reservations from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

All tours are led by professional tour guides and visit the Rotunda (a large, domed, circular room located in the center of the U.S. Capitol), the Crypt (vaulted space beneath the Rotunda which has long been called the Crypt because of its resemblance to similar areas in churches, which were often used for chapels and tombs) and National Statuary Hall (built in the shape of an ancient amphitheater, serves as the main exhibition space for the National Statuary Hall Collection). 

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