What are the best places to visit in Washington DC on Dec. 24, 2007?

Question

How much do you think I can cover. I never been to Washington, and I have preselected the following places:

1. Capitol Hill
2. Constitution Ave
3. International Spy Museum
4. Smithsonian Museum
5 The White House
6. Supreme Court
7. The Pentagon.

Of course one day will not be enough to visit all of the places above, but what can I realistically visit in one day (Dec 24)
Please give me your opinion and tips.

Answer 1

Start off early in the morning at the Capitol. I'd suggest Getting off at the Capitol South Metro station. Go down 1st Street East (from SE to NE, passing the library of Congress to the Supreme Court Building. It opens at 9 AM, but there is a cafeteria open at 7:30. Have a cup of coffee, then see the exhibits and such. You cannot see oral argument on December 24, so you should be out by 10 AM.

Go back around the south of the capitol, and pick up timed tickets for late afternoon to tour the Capitol. On the Capitol grounds, walk by the Grant statue and around the reflecting pool.

Continue walking till you get to the Peace memorial, enjoying the views of the Capitol and the grounds. You are now on Pennsylvania Avenue, which stretches out to your north and west (on the other side of the capitol it continues south and East, but you'll skip that.) I suspect this is what you want to see, Pennsylvania Avenue, the street of power, not Constitution Avenue, but you'll get to both here.

Continue walking down Constitution Avenue, toward the North. You will pass The National Gallery of Art on your left, the Navy Memorial (with all the pools on your right, and across from hit the National Archives (where the Constitution and the Declaration of independence are, the FBI Buildling on your right, the Old Post Office Pavilion on your left, A block of office buildings, then Freedom Plaza (in the middle, near the National Theatre) then on your right the Willard Hotel (where King finished up his "I have a Dream" speech and Julia Ward Howe wrote the Battle Hymn of the republic. You'll end at the Treasury Building, go around that to the north to Pennsylvania Avenue where it is a big broad pedestrian plaza, across from Lafayette Square.

You cannot tour the white house without an arranged tour. If you have an arranged tour, then stick it in here where it belongs, but I suspect you don't.

Enjoy the outside of the White House, as you cannot get in. Go back to 14th street, and go south to the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. Stop in the basement for a quick lunch. Cross Constitution Avenue as you continue south.

If you booked, it's about 1 PM, You're near the Washington Monument. Go down to the mall, and walk down the mall. The buildings along the mall include most of the 13 Washington Museums of the Smithsonian (there is also a museum in New York, and the Zoo.) Pick one and visit it. Air and Space is pretty good, as is Natural History. Visit the Museum until about 30 minutes before your Capitol tour. Walk down to the Capitol. Tour the Capitol.

If you have any time, then grab the metro at Smithsonian Station (Blue) or L'Enfant Plaza (YEllow - faster) to get to the Pentagon. Get off at Pentagon station and walk out into the parking lot. You can look at the outside, but you can't go inside, and you can't take pictures of it.

I didn't get you to the spy museum, but it is out of the way and only open from 10 to 4 on December 24. But you can, if you are willing to walk a LOT, see everything else.

Answer 2

Don't forget it's going to be cold outside also, especially if you have children or if you are with the elderly or anyone, really, who doesn't like the cold.

Realistically, you cannot visit all of those in one day. Like someone said before, everything will be closing early. I would say you could probably go to two or three of the aforementioned places. However, the Spy Museum and the Smithsonian Museum (there are many!) will take HOURS to go through. Skip if you want to go to as many places as possible. And you really don't want to rush through the museums, they're a lot of fun. I go there almost every weekend to study or just to walk around.

Enjoy! DC is a great city...

Answer 3

I disagree with the first answer. Go to the Smithsonian's and the White House. I have been twice.

Answer 4

the white house, dont bother with smithsonian museum it's boring there

Answer 5

Not much on Christmas Eve. Everything will be closing early. All you'll be able to do is drive bys