Skip the U.S. Botanic Garden, which would keep the plants alive but turn away visitors. Instead, head to Dumbarton Oaks, a lush garden in Georgetown at 31st and R streets NW. The center for scholarship has beautiful gardens designed by Beatrix Farrand and a pre-Columbian pavilion, the work of the great architect Philip Johnson. 1703 32nd St. NW, 202-339-6401, $8 general admission, $5 for seniors 60 and older, students and children 2-12.
High-ceilinged vistas
The Library of Congress’s grand rotunda will not be accessible, but the Washington National Cathedral, high on Wisconsin Avenue and visible from all quadrants of the city, is a contemplative place to gaze upon the city, marvel at stained-glass windows, and say a little prayer or two that our legislators will wise up and get on with the business of the people. Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues NW, 202-537-6200, free (but the suggested donation is $5).
Fine art
The National Gallery of Art, the country’s official encyclopedic museum, would be dormant. Try another approach to art history at the National Museum of Women in the Arts at 13th Street and New York Avenue NW. Right now the museum is featuring the photography of Berenice Abbott, Margaret Bourke-White and Dorothea Lange in one show. On the promenade outside are outrageous sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle. 1250 New York Ave. NW; 202-783-5000; $10 for adults, $8 for students over 18 with valid ID, free for youths 18 and under.
Sights in the sun
The National Gallery’s Sculpture Garden and its playful “Typewriter Eraser” by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen will be locked up, but more sculpture treasures are accessible at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. The chapel on the grounds was designed by James Renwick, architect of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and you can spend an entire afternoon just reading the historic tombstones, which date from the Civil War era. 3001 R St. NW; 202-337-2835; free.
Presidential residences
The occupants of the White House have their hands full with foreign unrest and a meek economy, and a government shutdown would only complicate matters. That’s means no tours through 1600 Pennsylvania. Step back into another era with a visit to the Woodrow Wilson House above Dupont Circle and poke around the living quarters of Wilson and his wife, Edith. 2340 S St. NW; 202-387-4062; $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $3 for students, free for children 6 and under.
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