njs

We are planning to drive to DC for 2 days around April 15.
We will be staying at a hotel about 4 miles from DC.

Primarily we would like to visit Capitol Hill and the attractions(museums) around it on the first day. We would be taking a train from hotel to Capitol Hill..

We are not sure about what we should be doing on the second day. We have about 7-8 hours(9am-4pm) on the second day, before we start our drive back. We would like to drive to some place within DC.

Our primary areas of interest are beautiful architecture, gardens, photography.

Not so interested in history unless it makes a good architectural monument.

Thanks for all your replies.
-njs

emd

What about the National Cathedral? Great acrchitecture and incredible stained glass windows, great gardens, great photography oppurtunities, and a President is buried there (so there is your bit of history- although there is alot of other history associated w/that cathedral).

zootsi

If you are interested in gardens and photography, consider a trip to Mt. Vernon, which is 1/2 hour outside DC. It should be very beautiful in mid April. Also realize that the Smithsonian musueums on the mall are huge, you can easily spend 1/2 day in each of them, so you may want to take two days to do the musueums.

Anonymous

You need to get a map, since the points of interest in DC aren't "around" Capitol Hill -- it anchors one end of the Mall. East of the Capitol you'll find only the Library of Congres and the Folger Shakespeare Library, two worthy destinations to be sure. Aso near the capitol is the relatively newly renovated National Botanic Gardens. As zootsi pointed out, there are many many museums, most of which deserve a half-day or more each, so you have to read up and choose what's of itnerest to you. Look into the Building Museum(northeast of the Mall), one of my favorites.

LN

There is much to do in Washington DC and you might find that you don't have enough time for all of it.

Your Congressman can get you special invitations to visit the Capitol and sit in on Congress (if in session) and also visit his office. From there you can visit the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court (just steps away). You cn then meander down Pennsylvania Avenue and, if the mood strikes you, stop in and visit the National Gallery of Art. The various Smithsonian Museums come into focus from there on south and you'll spend most of a day just visiting the Museum of Natural History or any of the other great museums. If at some point you have additional time, you could also try the Holocaust Museum, a trip up to the Washington Zoo is generally called for as there really isn't a zoo up to its standards anywhere. Oh, but I was forgetting the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials plus the Vietnam (will catch your heart quickly), World Wars I and II memorials. Then, of course, you may want to visit Arlington Cemetary and visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, and President Kennedy's grave.

If you find any additional time you might also want to include walks through Georgetown and maybe Dunbarton Oaks and visit Washington Cathedral.

Hope this helps

E

There is no way on earth you're going to be able to see Capitol Hill, "the museums", and other attractions around the Hill--I assume you mean the monuments and memorials, which, as Anonymous pointed out, aren't actually that near the Hill-- in one day.

Go to www.si.edu to see a list of all the museums on the Mall and think about which ones will likely interest you, since you won't be able to see them all. On the other hand, they're all free admission, so you can wander in and out at will. But, as I'm sure you realize, you could spend days and days on the museums alone, so be selective.

Budget half a day for walking from the Capitol to the Jefferson Memorial and enjoying the views, the plantings, and the monuments along the way. You could walk briskly around the Capitol and check out the Library of Congress and other Congressional buildings on the way, if you start with an early breakfast at Eastern Market. See www.nps.gov/nama for info on the Mall.

Consider another half day in Georgetown , specifically checking out Dumbarton Oaks--lovely gardens, and you'll enjoy the cobbled streets and classic federal architecture of the area. www.doaks.org

For your remaining 7-8 hours, the other posters have given you great ideas--the Botanic Gardens, National Cathedral, Arlington Cemetery, the Building Museum, Mount Vernon, more museum time. Enjoy--it's a beautiful city, and you'll be there at a lovely time of year!

Anonymous

Dumbarton Oaks has some crazy opening hours -- be sure to check before you trek out there.

Another fabulous home and private garden that's now open to the public in Georgetown is Tudor Place, which was occupied by Martha Washington's descendants until about 20 years ago. We visited in mid-April last year and it was just charming, I took 100 photos.

Lemo

The National Cathedral is one of our favorite places. There is a beautiful garden there with great opportunities for some beautiful pictures. The cathedral is beautiful inside and you can go all the way to the top for some cool views of the city. There is a great place to eat within walking distance called "Two Amys". All of this is very kid friendly and my kids always enjoy our visits there.

Slw

At Union Station, which is where I think your train will arrive, you can buy tickets to the Old Town Tolley. This is a good way to see all the sights in about 2.5 hours and then you can decide which you would like to revisit. You can use the trolley for that too, as it is "hop on, hop off". We just did that this weekend. Here is a link. http://shophta.com/acb/stores/15/pro...uct_ID=52&kc=y
There is another tour similar to this also.