It may be too late but I enjoyed a tour of the pentagon. You have to request a tour. The website indicates that you should apply 6 months in advance but, if I remember correctly, mine was accepted in about 2 weeks. If you don't get a tour at least see the 911 memorial. It outdoors and open very late.

Great Falls Park

The U.S. Marine Corp Museum on route 1 outside of Quantico.

Thanks for all the great replies! Looks like my dance card just filled up for this trip (and probably the next one!)

There is a new exhibit of neo-impressionist paintings opening Phillips Collection which looks really nice. I am a member and went on a members only tour yesterday.

I liked the post office tower.
Great views and a pleasant place to catch a breeze on a hot summer day.

bookmarking, so many great suggestions here. I love the Corcoran.

I love the Corcoran.

Me too. Past tense. But there's no there there. I visited this summer and it was heartbreaking. Many galleries are shuttered. The ongoing exhibitions are very poorly curated. The place is staffed with rent-a-cops for gallery oversight.

Great news though. Admission to the train wreck is free until October when the building will be closed for the better part of a year to allow the National Gallery of Art and Geo Washington U to divvy up the carcass. GW gets the building and says when it reopens it will have "reduced" gallery space to rotate exhibiting the collection. Or what is left of it. NGA will take the best of it (and they should).

Very sad and nearly criminal how poorly managed the Corcoran has been for years.

Franciscan monastery and gardens @ myfranciscan.org.

I thought the Phillips Collection was one of the most wellknown museums in DC.

IN any case, I also like Dumbarton Oaks and Wilson's house and the Building Museum. The National Geographic Museum hasn't been mentioned, it is worth going to if they are having an exhibit of interest to you. These are pretty major, but if you haven't been there, the Library of Congress is worthwhile, as is the National Archives. The Archives sound like they'd be more boring than they are.

obxgirl - I'm so sorry to hear your news about the Corcoran. It has been one of my favorites over the years and I had thought that it would be good news they were acquired. Guess it's one less stop when I'm there in October....

Spy Museum. I just found the Segway tours last night myself.

I love this thread. I'm looking at going to NYC and DC next year and like goofball stuff and unusual things.

Check out the freetoursbyfoot.com website. They offer an array of free walking tours in DC. Having experienced similar free walking tour companies internationally, I was delighted to discover this group before a DC trip last year. They did not disappoint. Technically they are not free, as you tip the guide, but knowing that, the young energetic guides give it their all. We did the mall tour, something we have experienced on our own numerous times over the years, and found ourselves thoroughly entertained and surprised at how much we learned. I only wish we had had more time to take more of their tours. Next time for sure.

>I only wish we had had more time<

My biggest complaint about visiting DC.........so much to see and do, and never enough time! :)

I hear the weather right now is lovely.