Washington, DC Information

If you would like information on travel or visiting Washington DC or the surrounding area see http://www.arlingtonva.us/Portals/Topics/TopicsAttractions.aspx.

You can also request tickets for certain activities from your local Congressperson or Senator for tours of certain buildings (For Examples see http://www.house.gov/bilbray/tours. or http://boxer.senate.gov/services/visitdc/tours.cfm).

The Supreme Court offers a variety of educational programs. Exhibits, which are changed periodically, and a theater, where a film on the Supreme Court is shown, are located on the ground floor. Lectures in the Courtroom are typically given every hour on the half-hour, on days that the Court is not sitting, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding at 3:30 p.m. The building is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.

The National Archives offers self-guided tours throughout the year from 10:15 am to 4 pm weekdays with reservations made at least 6 weeks prior to the date of the visit. Reservations are recommended for individuals or groups wishing to make a self guided visit to the National Archives Experience. Visitors are highly recommended to make reservations at least 6 weeks prior to the date of the visit. To make a reservation, please contact the Visitor Services Manager at visitorservices@nara.gov. A date and time for your visit will be scheduled and a confirmation letter will be sent that must be presented upon entry. All reserved groups enter on Constitution Avenue through the Special Event entrance. Please note that without a reservation, individuals and groups must wait in the general public line for entry.

The Holocaust Museum offers timed passes that are necessary for visiting the Permanent Exhibition — The Holocaust — and can be obtained at the Museum on the day of your visit or in advance by calling tickets.com at (800) 400–9373. Each day, the Museum distributes on a first–come first–served basis a large but limited number of timed entry passes for use that same day. This is a self guided museum so the length of the tour varies.

The National Cathedral is open to public tours on Monday through Saturday from 10 to 11:30 am and 12:45 to 3:30 pm and Sundays from 12:45 to 2:30 pm. You can visit their website at http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/visit/guided.shtml for more information on these tours. This tour will last approximately 30 minutes.

Free tours of the Kennedy Center are given by the Friends of the Kennedy Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. They depart from the parking plaza on Level A, and feature the Hall of States and Hall of Nations, the Center's main theaters, and dozens of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks given to the Center by foreign countries. For more information, call (202) 416-8340 or visit their website at http://www.kennedy-center.org/visitor/tours.html.

Admission is free for all Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., which includes the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum.

The National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission to the museum is free.

The U.S. Department of State offers tours of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms. These are used for official functions hosted by the Secretary of State and other high level government officials, are open for pre-arranged tours at no charge. These rooms hold a premier collection of 18th century American furniture, paintings and decorative arts. Guided tours are conducted Monday through Friday at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 2:45 pm. Tours are 45 minutes in duration. Reservations are required and should be made approximately 90 days in advance, due to the large volume of requests. This is a fine arts tour so they do not recommend the tour for children under the age of 12. Strollers are not permitted and there are no facilities for storage of personal belongings. To schedule this tour, please visit their website at https://receptiontours.state.gov/.

Arlington National Cemetery is open to the public at 8 a.m. 365 days a year. From April 1 to Sept. 30 the cemetery closes at 7 p.m.; the other six months it closes at 5 p.m. Ample paid parking is available to visitors, accessible from Memorial Drive. As of February 2002, the cost is $1.25/hour for the first three hours, and $2.00/hour thereafter. During all hours the cemetery is open the Arlington National Cemetery Metro stop is regularly served by Metro. The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns occurs every hour on the hour Oct. 1 to March 31 in an elaborate ritual. From April 1 through September 30, there are more than double the opportunities to view the change because another change is added on the half hour and the cemetery closing time moves from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Washington Monument reopened to the public on Friday, April 1st, 2006. Hours of operation are 9:00 am to 4:45 pm daily. Advanced tickets are available through the National Park Service Reservation System. Timed tickets are required to ensure an enjoyable experience for all visitors. All visitors 2 years of age or older must have a ticket to enter the Monument. The number to the Reservation System is 1-800-967-2283. Reservations may be made between the hours of 10:00 am and 10:00 pm. While tickets to the Washington Monument are free of charge, callers to this number will incur a $1.50 service charge and a $.50 shipping and handling fee. As usual, visitors may also obtain free, same-day, timed tickets to the Washington Monument at the 15th Street kiosk. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30 a.m. until all tickets for that day are gone.

Admission to all public areas of the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) is free. The Conservatory is open 10 AM - 5 PM everyday, including weekends and holidays. The Conservatory main entrance is located at 100 Maryland Avenue, SW (use this address for internet mapping searches). Visitors are welcome in Bartholdi Park from dawn until dusk and can access it from any of the three bordering streets - Independence Avenue, Washington Avenue or First Street.

The FBI is undergoing extensive renovations and is closed for tours until further notice.

The CIA is currently not available for public tours.

 
Updated: February 2009
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