Attractions Nearby Washington DC, Day Trips and Excursions

(Washington, District of Columbia - DC, USA)



As the nation's proud capital, Washington is filled with interesting sights to see and attractions to enjoy, although if you are prepared to travel a little outside of the city boundaries, then a wealth of possible day trips await, particularly around Arlington, Alexandria and Silver Spring. Worth considering are excursions to the Clara Barton National Historic Site, Carlyle House and Monticello, the latter of which is a former presidential residence, just over two and a half hours away, being next to Charlottesville and just past Gordonsville.

A visit to Mount Vernon will be a memorable one and this attraction resides no more than 30 minutes to the south of Washington DC. Situated on the banks of the Potomac River in nearby Alexandria, Mount Vernon served as George Washington's beloved home from 1754 to 1799. Also possible are trips to the Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington, the FedEx Field at Landover and the Audubon Naturalist Society at Chevy Chase.


Monticello

Address: 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, Virginia VA, 22902, USA
Tel: +1 804 984 9800
Attractions Nearby WashingtonThe Monticello is a leading attraction located just outside of Charlottesville, about 130 miles / 210 km southwest of Washington DC. This National Historic Landmark was once the home of America's third president, Thomas Jefferson, and features many interesting inventions that were actually designed by Jefferson himself, as well as a wealth of books and scientific items. Monticello was built as long ago as the 1770s and remains one of Virginia's most important buildings, being the only private American house listed on the United Nation's World Heritage List. Of interest to visitors, Jefferson considered furniture to be rather unnecessary and so much of the house remains sparsely furnished, with the main dining table usually being put away after mealtimes and the beds built into the walls. The nearby slave dwellings of Mulberry Row may also be of interest, along with the various outbuildings, stone weaver's cottage and vegetable garden.
Open hours: daily - 09:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for children, children six years old and under are free

Attractions Nearby Washington

Pentagon

Address: 1600 Defense Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia D.C., 20301, USA
Tel: +1 703 697 1776
The Pentagon office is situated in Arlington city, Virginia, across the Potomac River and close to Washington DC. In 1941 the US War Department gave a team of planners just one weekend to design a building that would house all of the capital's military offices and the following week the architects presented their design of this famous landmark, a five-sided building. Shortly afterwards a team of around 13,000 people set to work, 24 hours a day, to build this steel-reinforced building, and 16 months later the Pentagon offices were complete. This is the world's largest office building and the statistics are incredible - there are five concentric and ten radial hallways, totaling 17.5 miles / 28 km in length, 7754 windows and 131 stairways, and the Pentagon actually has four zip codes of its own. However, due to its excellent interior planning, it takes no more than seven minutes to walk between any two points. Regular guided tours of the principal attractions were available until the terrorist attack on September 11th 2001 badly damaged one side of the building. At present, the offices are only open to schoolchildren on field trips.
Open hours: tour by request - 09:00 to 15:00, submit request at least two weeks prior to scheduled tour, arrive a minimum of 30 minutes before tour time
Admission: free

Mount Vernon

Address: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Virginia VA, 22309, USA
Tel: +1 703 780 2000
Even while completing his official duties as president of America, George Washington always found time to maintain this mansion's elegant interior and organize his team of workers that ran the farm. The Mount Vernon estate is one of the major landmarks in the DC area and covers around 500 acres / 200 hectares.

The president's family descendants continued to live at this plantation home until 1858, when the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association purchased it for USD 200,000 - this non-profit organization still administers the estate today. The grounds have a number of attractions to draw visitors, including many original furnishings which are still on display in the house, as well as the formal gardens, planted in a colonial style and featuring a bowling green.
Open hours: daily, April to August - 08:00 to 17:00, March, September and October - 09:00 to 17:00, November to February - 09:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for seniors and children aged between six and 11 years old, children six years old and under are free

Attractions Nearby Washington

Arlington House - The Robert E. Lee Memorial

Address: Arlington National Cemetery, Sherman Drive, Fort Myer, Virginia VA, 22211, USA
Tel: +1 703 235 1530
Constructed in the very early 1800s, Arlington House is situated next to the Arlington National Cemetery and is also often known as the 'Lee-Curtis House', since this grand neoclassical mansion was once the home of Virginia aristocrat, Confederate general Robert E. Lee. There are some excellent views of Washington from the front of this Greek-revival mansion, since it was built on a hilltop.
Open hours: daily, September to March - 09:30 to 16:30, April and May - 09:00 to 17:00, June to August - 09:00 to 17:30
Admission: free



Carlyle House

Address: 121 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia VA, 22314, USA
Tel: +1 703 549 2997
Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Carlyle House was built in 1753 and ranks amongst the grandest mansions in the neighboring city of Alexandria. Fully restored in 1976, this historic Palladian-style house is located next to both the Market Square and the City Hall, and features vibrant 18th-century decor, a public garden ideal for picnics, school programs, exhibits and a number of special events.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 16:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for children between five and 12 years old, children five years old and under are free

Clara Barton National Historic Site

Address: 5801 Oxford Road, Glen Echo, Maryland MD, 20812, USA
Tel: +1 301 320 1410
Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and lived here until her death in 1912. The Clara Barton National Historic Site is one of Maryland's most important heritage attractions and was built in 1891, when it served as both a warehouse for supplies and also as the American Red Cross Headquarters. These days the house is laid out as it was during Clara's last years, with plentiful period furnishings.
Open hours: guided tour daily - 10:00 to 17:00, tour starts on the hour, last tour starts at 16:00
Admission: free

FedEx Field

Address: 1600 FedEx Way, Landover, Maryland MD, 20785, USA
Tel: +1 301 276 6000
The FedEx Field is to be found in nearby Landover, roughly 40 minutes to the east of Washington DC, where it stands near to the National Harmony Memorial Park and was opened to the paying public in 1997. Formerly known as the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, the FedEx Field famously functions as the home ground of the Washington Redskins, the city's NFL football team. This vast stadium seats around 80,000 spectators and most home games are usually sold out. There are two restaurants based onsite, each of which offers good views of the sports field and action.

Audubon Naturalist Society

Address: 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, Maryland MD, 20815, USA
Tel: +1 301 652 9188
The Audubon Naturalist Society is based at the Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase and comes with many attractions for the visiting tourist. Located just under 30 minutes to the north of Washington DC and close to the popular Rock Creek Trail, the society features a large Georgian mansion, an extensive bookstore and around 40 acres / 16 hectares of woodland areas, with ponds, nature trails and a large amount of indigenous wildlife.
Open hours: daily - dawn to sunset
Admission: free

Chrysler Museum of Art

Address: 245 West Olney Road, Ghent, Washington, District of Columbia D.C., USA
Tel: +1 757 664 6200
Close to the waterside, in the Ghent area, is the superb Chrysler Museum, which includes a fine collection of paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and decorative arts. There are a number of paintings by famous international artists, such as Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Gainsborogh, Picasso and Renoir. The Chrysler Museum is also home to one of the finest collections of glass in America, with over 8,000 pieces, displayed in the Institute of Glass, ranging from ancient Roman glasswork to stylish Tiffany pieces.
Open hours: Wednesday - 10:00 to 21:00, Thursday to Saturday - 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

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Washington, DC USA - Attractions Nearby - Last updated 7/9/2019 - gprofile - Google+

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