petrea_mitchell | DC attraction list (Reply)

I made myself a list of things to see in DC in the hope that I make it to DisCon III, and maybe it can help you make up your mind or discover something new too. You can see there are a lot of blank spaces, and I'm sure there are errors and omissions, so please let me know about them in the comments.

(If DisCon III decides to copy any of this information, I am completely fine with that.)

Last updated: September 13, 2021

General notes

Highlight means one thing of particular interest to people who are fans of whatever the attraction is about. That one thing can be a collection, but it cannot be "Oh, it's got a bunch of cool things."

By transit entries work like this:

If there is a subway station nearby, that is listed.
If it is along a DC Circulator route, that route is given.
If it is otherwise reachable by bus, there are probably numerous ways to get there depending on time of day and distance you're willing to walk, so it will simply say "Bus". If there is no way to get there with less than a .3 mile (~.5 km) walk, I've noted the minimum walking distance according to the WMATA trip planner.

WMATA's trip planner is right on their front page. The con hotel is at 2500 Calvert Street NW. Remember to always include that NW/NE/etc, because many addresses can be found in more than one quadrant!

Science & Technology

	What	Highlight	By transit
National Air and Space Museum	Aviation and spaceflight	Gallery of developments from the US-Soviet space race	Subway: L'Enfant Plaza
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center	Even more aviation and spaceflight	Space Shuttle Discovery	Bus (Fairfax Connector, not part of WMATA)
National Museum of Natural History	Earth sciences, biology anthropology		Subway: Federal Triangle
National Children's Museum	Science and tech for kids	Temporary exhibit about Moomins	Subway: Federal Triangle
Planet Word Museum	Language	Native speakers available to answer your language questions	Subway: McPherson Square
International Spy Museum	Spycraft and associated tech		Subway: L'Enfant Plaza
National Building Museum	Architecture and urban design		Subway: Judiciary Square
The Octagon	Architects and architecture		Bus
National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum	Famous inventors and intellectual property		Bus
National Capital Trolley Museum	Historic streetcars from around the world		Not accessible

Nature

	What	Highlight	By transit
National Zoo	Zoo	Panda cub	Just across the street from the con
U.S. National Arboretum	Plants		Bus (.6 mile walk)
United States Botanic Garden	Plants		Subway: Federal Center SW
Smithsonian Gardens	Gardens and floral exhibits scattered around the National Mall		Subway: Smithsonian, L'Enfant Plaza, or Federal Triangle
National Geographic Museum	Photography and interactive learning about conservation		Subway: Farragut North
Rock Creek Park	Greenspace incorporating hiking trails, historic sites, nature center		Bus (.4 mile walk)
Ansel Adams Collection & Gallery	Ansel Adams photos held by the Wilderness Society		Subway: Farragut North

Art

	What	Highlight	By transit
National Museum of African Art	Historical and contemporary art of Africa		Subway: Smithsonian
National Museum of Asian Art	Historical and contemporary art of Asia		Subway: Smithsonian
Smithsonian American Art Museum	Historical and contemporary art from within the United States		Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Freer Gallery of Art	Asian and American art	Whistler's Peacock Room	Subway: Smithsonian
National Gallery of Art	European and American art		Subway: Judiciary Square
Lawrence A. Fleishman Gallery	Samples from research archive of American art		Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
National Museum of Women in the Arts	Art by women		Subway: Metro Center
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden	Contemporary art and culture		Subway: L'Enfant Plaza
American University Museum	Global contemporary art		Bus (campus shuttle)
Art Museum of the Americas	Contemporary art from the Western Hemisphere		Bus
Phillips Collection	Modern art		Subway: Dupont Circle
Kreeger Museum	19th & 20th century art		Bus (.8 mile walk)
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens	Elaborately decorated mansion with French and Russian art		Bus (.7 mile walk)
Dumbarton Oaks Museum	Byzantine and pre-Columbian art; 16-acre garden		Bus
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum	Contemporary craft and decorative art		Subway: Farragut North
Textile Museum	Global textile art		Subway: Foggy Bottom/GWU
National Bonsai and Penjing Museum	Miniature scenes and trees		Bus (.6 mile walk)
National Portrait Gallery	Portraits of significant Americans	Complete set of presidential portraits	Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Madame Tussauds Washington, DC	Wax figures of famous people	Buzz Aldrin & Neil Armstrong	Subway: Metro Center
ARTECHOUSE	Experiential and technological art		Bus
O Street Museum	Eclectic memorabilia focusing on the creative process		Subway: Dupont Circle

Cultures

	What	Highlight	By transit
National Museum of the American Indian	Native artifacts and history from throughout the Americas		Subway: L'Enfant Plaza
National Museum of African American History and Culture	African American life, history, and culture	Lt. Uhura's uniform	Subway: Federal Triangle
National Deaf Life Museum	Deaf culture and history; history of Gallaudet University		Bus (.5 mile walk)
Anacostia Community Museum	History and issues of urban communities		Bus
Mexican Cultural Institute	Historical and contemporary Mexican culture		DC Circulator: Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square
Chinese American Museum	History and contributions of Chinese-descended Americans		Bus
German-American Heritage Museum	History and contributions of Americans of German-speaking ancestry		Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown

History

	What	By transit
National Museum of American History	US	Subway: Federal Triangle
Daughters of the American Revolution Museum	Pre-industrial US	DC Circulator: National Mall
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum	The Holocaust	Subway: Smithsonian
DC History Center	Washington, DC	Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Museum of the Bible	Biblical-era artifacts of sketchy provenance, Bibles from throughout history	Subway: Federal Center

Historic Sites & Landmarks

	What	Highlight	By transit
Ford's Theatre	Site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination		Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Black Lives Matter Plaza (16th Street NW between H and J Streets)	Site of racial justice protests in 2020	Mural painted at the direction of DC mayor	Subway: Farragut North
Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum	Headquarters of organization tracking down MIA soldiers during US Civil War		Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Old Korean Legation Museum	First Korean embassy in the US		DC Circulator: Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square
Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument	Headquarters of the National Woman's Party since 1929		Bus
General Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters	Victorian-era mansion		Subway: Dupont Circle
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site	First headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women		DC Circulator: Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square
Women's National Democratic Club Museum	19th-century mansion		Subway: Dupont Circle
Charles Sumner School	Early public school for Black children		Subway: Farragut North
Mount Vernon	George Washington's estate		Bus
Frederick Douglass National Historical Site	Final home of Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and abolitionist		Bus
President Lincoln's Cottage	Lincoln's summer home during the US Civil War		Bus
Woodrow Wilson House	Final home of former president		Subway: Dupont Circle
Decatur House	Final home of Stephen Decatur, naval hero		Subway: Farragut North
Old Stone House	Oldest surviving building in DC		DC Circulator: Georgetown-Union Station or Dupont Circle-Rosslyn
Anderson House	Early 20th-century mansion with library of American Revolution-era documents		Subway: Dupont Circle
Tudor Place Historic House & Garden	19th-century mansion		DC Circulator: Georgetown-Union Station
Heurich House Museum	19th-century mansion		Subway: Dupont Circle South
Dumbarton House	Early 19th-century mansion		Bus
L. Ron Hubbard House	First headquarters of Scientology		Subway: Dupont Circle
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park - Georgetown Visitor Center	One end of 184-mile-long 19th-century canal		DC Circulator: Georgetown-Union Station or Dupont Circle-Rosslyn

Government

	What	Highlight	By transit
US Capitol Visitor Center	History and workings of US Congress	Walk-up tours of the Capitol itself (note that Congress will probably be in recess at Worldcon time)	Subway: Capitol South
Library of Congress	World's biggest library		Subway: Capitol South
National Archives Museum	Historical government documents	Declaration of Independence	Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Interior Museum	History of US Department of the Interior (responsible for public lands and tribal relations)		Bus
National Cryptologic Museum	History of the National Security Agency, and cryptology in general		Not accessible
National Postal Museum	History of the US Postal Service		Subway: Union Station
Smithsonian Institution Building	Exhibitions from various museums and about the Smithsonian itself		Subway: Smithsonian
National Law Enforcement Museum	History of policing in the US		Subway: Judiciary Square
National Museum of American Diplomacy	Preview of a larger planned museum about diplomacy in the US	Chunk of the Berlin Wall signed by major world leaders	Bus

Military

	Highlight	By transit
National Museum of the United States Army		Bus
National Museum of the Marine Corps		Not accessible
National Guard Memorial Museum		Subway: Union Station
African American Civil War Museum		Subway: U St
National Museum of American Jewish Military History		Bus
National Museum of Health and Medicine (formerly the Army Medical Museum)		Not accessible
National Museum of Civil War Medicine		MARC commuter rail: Frederick, MD

Religious

DC probably has facilities for nearly any religion you can name, but this one is limited to places that are fine with random members of the public wandering in to look at things.

	What	By transit
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America	Church and gardens with replicas of famous shrines	Bus
Washington National Cathedral	Cathedral and gardens	Bus
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception	Church, bookstore, gift shop	Bus
Saint John Paul II National Shrine	Church and exhibits	Subway: Brookland/CUA

Memorials

Specifically large memorial installations; see the next section for a a ton of memorial statues.

	Also	By transit
Washington Monument	Tallest building in DC with viewing platform at top	Subway: Smithsonian
Lincoln Memorial		DC Circulator: National Mall
Lincoln Park/Emancipation Memorial		Bus
Jefferson Memorial		DC Circulator: National Mall
Theodore Roosevelt Island	Park with hiking trails	Bus (.8 mile walk)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial	Four rooms of sculptures depicting stages in Roosevelt's life	DC Circulator: National Mall
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial		DC Circulator: National Mall
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial		DC Circulator: National Mall
Robert A. Taft Memorial	Carillon which plays at 11am and 5pm	DC Circulator: National Mall
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial	Largest equestrian statue in US	DC Circulator: National Mall
Robert E. Lee Memorial	Lee's former home	Subway: Arlington Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery		Subway: Arlington Cemetery
US Navy Memorial	Visitors' center with exhibits	Subway: Archives/Navy Memorial
U.S. Air Force Memorial		Bus
U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial		Subway: Arlington Cemetery
National World War II Memorial		DC Circulator: National Mall
Korean War Veterans Memorial		DC Circulator: National Mall
Vietnam Veterans Memorial		DC Circulator: National Mall
Congressional Cemetery	Gravesites of numerous notable people	Subway: Stadium Armory
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial		Subway: Judiciary Square

Miscellaneous Statuary

I couldn't find one comprehensive information source for these, but DC Memorialist was far and away the best for the statues it does include.

	Honoree	Where	By transit
Albert Einstein	Eminent physicist	2101 Constitution Avenue NW	DC Connector: National Mall
Louis Daguerre	Inventor of first photographic process	611 7th Street NW	Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Guglielmo Marconi	Inventor of wireless telegraphy	16th Street and Lamont Street NW	Bus
John Ericsson	Inventor, designer of first ironclad in US Civil War	23rd Street, Ohio Drive, and Independence Avenue SW	DC Circulator: National Mall
Dante Alighieri	14th-century Italian poet	Meridian Hill Park	Bus
Kahlil Gibran	Lebanese poet	3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW	Bus
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow	American poet	Connecticut Avenue, 18th Street, and M Street NW	Subway: Dupont Circle
Alexander Pushkin	Russian poet, dramatist, and novelist	H Street & 20th Street NW	Subway: Farragut West
Taras Shevchenko	Ukrainian poet	P Street between 22nd and 23rd Street NW	Subway: Dupont Circle
Francis Scott Key	Author of US national anthem	34th Street and M Street NW	DC Circulator: Dupont Circle-Rosslyn
Chuck Brown	Godfather of Go-Go, subgenre of funk music originating in DC	Franklin Street and 20th Street NE	Bus
Duke Ellington	Jazz composer and bandleader	Florida Avenue and T Street NW	Bus
Josh Gibson, Frank Howard, and Walter Johnson	Hall of Fame baseball players	Outside Nationals Park	Bus
Samuel Gompers	Founder of the American Federation of Labor	Massachusetts Avenue between 10th and 11th Street NW	DC Circulator: Georgetown-Union Station or Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square
A. Philip Randolph	Civil rights leader, head of sleeping car porters' union	Inside Union Station	Subway: Union Station
Carter G. Woodson	"Father of Black History"	9th Street, Q Street, and Rhode Island Avenue NW	Subway: Shaw
Boy Scout Memorial	50th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America	15th Street between E Street and Constitution Avenue NW	Subway: Federal Triangle
Jane A. Delano	Superintendent of Army Nursing Corps, later chair of Red Cross Nursing Service	18th Street and E Street NW	Bus
Nuns of the Battlefield	Catholic nuns served as nurses on both sides of the US Civil War	Rhode Island Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, and M Street NW	Subway: Farragut North
Martin Luther	Christian reformer	1226 Vermont Avenue NW	Subway: Dupont Circle
Francis Asbury	Founder of American Methodist church	16th Street and Columbia Road NW	Bus
Christopher Columbus	Explorer	Columbus Circle	Bus
Joan of Arc	French hero of the 15th century	Meridian Hill Park	Bus
James Buchanan	US president	Meridian Hill Park	Bus
James A. Garfield	US president	1st Street and Maryland Avenue NE	Bus
Benito Juárez	President of Mexico	Virginia Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue NW	Subway: Foggy Bottom
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk	Founding president of Czechoslovakia	Massachusetts Avenue and 22nd Street NW	Subway: Dupont Circle
Daniel Webster	Orator and politician	Scott Circle	Bus
John Witherspoon	Revolutionary	Connecticut Avenue, 18th Street, and N Street NW	Subway: Dupont Circle
Robert Emmet	Irish revolutionary	Massachusetts Avenue, 24th Street, and S Street NW	Bus
Benjamin Franklin	Inventor and revolutionary	10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW	Subway: Metro Center
Mahatma Gandhi	Campaigner for Indian independence	21st Street, Q Street, and Massachusetts Ave NW	Subway: Dupont Circle
Simón Bolívar	South American revolutionary	18th Street, C Street, and Virginia Avenue NW	Bus
George Mason	Delegate to Constitutional Convention, refused to sign because it did not abolish slavery	900 Ohio Drive SW	DC Circulator: National Mall
Edmund Burke	Irish statesman, supporter of US independence	Massachusetts Ave between 10th and 11th Streets NW	DC Circulator: Georgetown-Union Station
Bernardo de Gálvez	Spanish colonial governor, American Revolution supporter	Virginia Avenue & 22nd Street NW	Bus
Lafayette Square	President Andrew Jackson and four international heroes of the American Revolution	H Street between 15th and 17th Street NW	Subway: Farragut North
George Washington	General in American Revolution, first president of US	Washington Circle	Subway: Foggy Bottom/GWU
Count Casimir Pulaski	Polish exile, general in American Revolution	13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW	Subway: Metro Center
Artemas Ward	General in American Revolution	Ward Circle	Bus (.7 mile walk)
Nathanael Greene	General in American Revolution	Stanton Park	Bus
Peter Muhlenberg	General in American Revolution	Connecticut Avenue and Ellicott Street NW	Bus
John Paul Jones	Naval hero of American Revolution	17th Street and Independence Avenue SW	DC Circulator: National Mall
Nathan Hale	Spy executed by the British during American Revolution	10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW	Subway: Federal Triangle
David G. Farragut	First admiral of US Navy	Farragut Square	Subway: Farragut North
Winfield Scott Hancock	General in the Mexican-American War and US Civil War	7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW	Subway: Archives
John A. Logan	General in US Civil War	Logan Circle	DC Circulator: Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square
George B. McClellan	General in US Civil War	Connecticut Avenue, California Street, and Columbia Road NW	Bus
James B. MacPherson	General in US Civil War	Vermont Avenue NW between K Street and I Street	Subway: Farragut North
George Meade	General in US Civil War	Pennsylvania Avenue and 3rd Street NW	Subway: Judiciary Square
John A. Rawlins	General in US Civil War, later Secretary of War	18th Street and E Street NW	DC Circulator: National Mall
Winfield Scott	General in War of 1812 and US Civil War	16th Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and Rhode Island Avenue NW	Bus
Philip Sheridan	General in US Civil War	Sheridan Circle	Bus (.4 mile walk)
William Tecumseh Sherman	General in US Civil War	15th Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Treasury Place NW	Subway: McPherson Square
George Henry Thomas	General in US Civil War	Thomas Circle	Subway: McPherson Square
John Pershing	Commander of US army in WWI	Pershing Park	Subway: Federal Triangle
Serenity Statue	Memorial to obscure naval officer	Meridian Hill Park	Bus
John Marshall	Chief Justice of US Supreme Court	4th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW	Subway: Archives/Navy Memorial
Sir William Blackstone	English jurist and politician	3rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW	Bus
J. J. Darlington Memorial Fountain	Figure of a nude and deer in honor of prominent local attorney	5th Street and Indiana Avenue NW	Subway: Judiciary Square
Alexander Robey Shepherd	Head of DC Public Works Department, later Governor of DC	14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW	Subway: Federal Triangle
Olive Risley Seward	Daughter of the Secretary of State who negotiated purchase of Alaska	6th Street and North Carolina Avenue SE	Subway: Eastern Market
Titanic Memorial	Men who died in the sinking of the Titanic	P Street and 4th Street SW	Subway: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Victims of Communism Memorial	Replica of the "Goddess of Democracy" figure from Tiananmen Square protests	Massachusetts Avenue, New Jersey Avenue, and G Street NW	Subway: Union Station
Samuel Hahnemann	Originator of homeopathy	Scott Circle	Bus