11 Best Things to Do in Washington DC for First-Time Visitors!

It felt pretty special to visit Washington DC for the first time. This is the capital of the United States, where power brokers make decisions every day that could alter the course of world events. Therefore, it felt quite surreal to see the numerous iconic federal buildings. There are also many memorials and monuments here, commemorating important historical U.S. figures or events. And of course, we were really excited to visit the world-renowned Smithsonian museums, which hold some of the best exhibitions in the world. We have compiled a personal list of our 11 best things to do in Washington DC for tourists visiting the first time. We hope you will enjoy your first time in D.C. as much as we did!

1. Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It houses the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. It felt surreal to see the place where so many significant laws that impact the world are evaluated.

Supreme Court of the United States
Opening Hours: https://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/visitorservices.aspx
Address: 1 First St NE, Washington, DC 20543, USA

2. United States Capitol

The United States Capitol, also known as the Capitol Building, houses the U.S. Congress and the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. Unfortunately, the building was undergoing maintenance work when we visited and the iconic dome was covered in scaffolding. However, we were definitely still grateful to see this iconic U.S. building in person.

United States Capitol
Guided Tours: https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/plan-visit/book-tour-capitol
Address: East Capitol St NE & First St SE, Washington, DC 20004, United States

3. Library of Congress

Just across the street is the Library of Congress (LOC). This is the national library of the United States, as well as the official research library of the U.S. Congress. It is supposedly the largest library in the world. We took several photos of this beautiful neoclassical architecture.

Library of Congress
Guided Tours: https://www.loc.gov/visit/tours
Address: 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20540, USA

4. National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) is a Smithsonian museum that exhibits a wide collection of original production (or original backup) spacecrafts and aircrafts. It is also a research centre for the history and science of aviation, spaceflight, planetary science, geology, and geophysics. I was excited to check out this museum because of the cool space and aircrafts on display. Also, many of the scenes in the movie “Night at the Museum” were filmed here! Admission is free.

National Air and Space Museum
Opening Hours: https://airandspace.si.edu/visit
Address: 600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, USA

5. Smithsonian Institution Building

The Smithsonian Institution Building is home to the Smithsonian Institution’s administrative offices and information centre. Also known as “The Castle”, this National Historic Landmark is built in the late Romanesque and early Gothic style. It was constructed using Seneca red sandstone and completed in 1855. This was one of the more unique buildings we came across in D.C.

Smithsonian Institution Building
Opening Hours: https://www.si.edu/museums/smithsonian-institution-building
Address: 1000 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, DC 20560, USA

6. National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history Smithsonian museum that has a massive 126 million specimens of human remains, human cultural artifacts, fossils, minerals, plants, animals,  and meteorites. The research center also houses about 185 scientists, which is the largest group of scientists engaged in the study of natural history in the world. We wanted to come here because well, it is always fun to see giant dinosaur skeletons. Admission is free.

National Museum of Natural History
Opening Hours: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit
Address: 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, United States

7. White House

The White House is the official residence and office of the U.S. President. It houses the executive branch of the U.S. federal government. This was the attraction that we were most looking forward to seeing! It was pretty cool to see this neoclassical architecture that is the nerve centre of the United States President, leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world.

The White House sits within the the President’s Park, which also encompasses the White House Visitor Center and the two pretty public parks: Lafayette Square and The Ellipse. It was nice to see the National Christmas Tree located in the The Ellipse. Each year during the Christmas period, the tree will be decorated with festive ornaments and glittering lights. In early December, it will be lit up by the U.S. President.

White House
Guided Tours: https://washington.org/dc-faqs-for-visitors/how-can-i-tour-white-house
Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA

8. Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is an obelisk that commemorates George Washington, the first U.S. President. It is located at the east end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It is the world’s tallest obelisk, standing at about 170 metres tall. We were pretty excited to see this iconic landmark too, especially after seeing it as part of a crucial scene in the movie “Spider-Man: Homecoming”! Do note that it is not possible to tour inside the Washington Monument until 2019, as the structure’s elevator system is currently being revamped.

Washington Monument
Website: https://www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/index.htm
Address: 2 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20024, USA

9. Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial is a monument built to commemorate Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President. It is built in the style of a Greek Doric temple. Beside the large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln, we saw the inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln: “The Gettysburg Address” and his Second Inaugural Address. The memorial is also known for being the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered on August 28, 1963

Even though I had seen the sculpture on TV and pictures before, and I knew that it was actually a big sculpture, I was still in awe of its large size when I saw it in person. The sculpture literally towered over me, and I felt that it was looking down at me with its stern gaze. As I left the memorial, I felt grateful to have had the chance to see this iconic U.S. monument.

Lincoln Memorial
Opening Hours: Open 24 Hours Daily
Address: 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA

10. Jefferson Memorial

The Jefferson Memorial is a memorial dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and subsequently third U.S. President.

Jefferson Memorial
Opening Hours: Open 24 Hours Daily
Address: 701 E Basin Dr SW, Washington, DC 20242, USA

11. National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial

The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial commemorates the 184 victims on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into The Pentagon during the September 11 attacks. The memorial is located beside The Pentagon on the southwest side. We walked silently around the tranquil site, which consists of 184 illuminated benches each engraved with the name of a victim. The benches are arranged according to the victim’s ages, from age 3 to age 71. (We visited this site at night, which I wouldn’t recommend because it was quite isolated and the surrounding area didn’t feel entirely safe.)

Pentagon Memorial
Opening Hours: Open 24 Hours Daily
Address: 1 N Rotary Rd, Arlington, VA 22202, USA

And that’s it! We hope you will find this list of things to do in Washington D.C. useful! We only had one day to spend here so we only covered the major attractions. However, it was still a good experience to finally see so many iconic U.S. monuments and landmarks in person.

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Washington DC Travel Guide. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?