Walking Tour of the National Memorials

View Full Size

The U.S. Capitol Building

Photo Credit: George Alexander

The tour takes from three to four hours and covers a large area of open spaces. Essentials for an enjoyable tour include:

• A fair weather day.
• Comfortable shoes.
• Your camera and plenty batteries or film.
• A small carry bag.

For those who prefer less walking, the tour follows the same direction as the Tourmobile. Tickets can be purchased on board and used for the entire day to visit other sites.

Due to the locations of the monuments, the tour does not follow a historical progression. Before you begin, it is helpful to visualize the changing landscape through time as each new memorial was added.

• Washington Monument, dedicated in 1885, stood alone as a symbolic anchor between the White House and the U.S. Capitol for more than 35 years.
• The Lincoln Memorial, dedicated in 1922, extended the monumental core axis to the west.
• The Jefferson Memorial, dedicated in 1943, extended the monumental core to the south.
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1982.
• The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1995.
• The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial was dedicated in 1997.
• The National WWII Memorial was dedicated in 2004.

Index: Walking Tour of the National Memorials

1. Introduction
2. First Stop: Washington Monument
3. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial
4. Next Stop: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
5. Next Stop: The Korean War Veterans Memorial
6. Next Stop: The Lincoln Memorial
7. Next Stop: Vietnam Veterans Memorial
8. Next and Final Stop: The National WWII Memorial