D.C. Outside D.C.
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Friday, October 9, 2009
There's a lot to see and do in the nation's capital. You've got your Mall, your monuments and roughly 3,000 Smithsonian institutions. Plus, Washington has more U.S. presidents per capita than most major cities.
But the District of Columbia is actually kind of small. It's often easy to forget that many of the city's landmarks and touchstones are actually outside the city proper. For instance, the Pentagon is across the Potomac River in Virginia. The Washington Redskins play their home games in Maryland, on the opposite side of the District. And the White House is actually in Delaware. (Okay, we're joking about that one.)
Still, there's so much to do and see in this area that you can have a fantastic visit without ever setting foot inside D.C. So if you're looking for things to do this Columbus Day weekend -- or any other time -- here's a guide to some of the highlights and great sights you can find in the Washington area without setting foot in the city.
Virginia
At the foot of Memorial Bridge, across from the Lincoln Memorial
703-607-8000; http:/
Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Metro: Arlington Cemetery
Free
Who needs to enter Washington when you can catch breathtaking vistas of the city's monuments from this spot, which is part beautiful landmark, part somber memorial? While visiting, you can see the Tomb of the Unknowns, a house with ties to George Washington and Robert E. Lee, and the final resting places of two U.S. presidents (William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy). Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's simple grave site is also drawing crowds these days. If you want to visit the graves of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, head toward Section 60. (When you enter the cemetery, make a left on Memorial Drive; Section 60 is on your left immediately after York Drive.)
