I love Washington DC, but I haven’t always loved DC.
I remember visiting with my family during my 5th grade summer. Chubby and extra short Jenn. Dressed in plaid boxer shirts and a polka dot tshirt. Yeah, I was that cool. Well really, I wasn’t. We visited in the years that I garnered the nickname “sunshine.” And it wasn’t because I was happy and cute. Glad those days are over. I don’t think the world could handle an adult version of my preteen self. Sorry mom & dad for those years…
Anyways, Washington DC is great. We all know it’s a hub for history, but I didn’t discover until recently how affordable the city is. Sure a hotel, parking and food will cost you, but with dozens of things to see for free it more than makes up for it. I’ve compiled a list of free things to see and do in Washington DC. If you have something to add to the list, comment below and I’ll update the post!
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo
- Rock Creek Park
- Freer & Sackler’s Galleria
- The National Mall
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing
- Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum
- Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History
- National Museum of American History
- National Building Museum
- Friendship Park
- National Archives
- Library of Congress
- Arlington National Cemetary
- The Supreme Court
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
- National Portrait Gallery
- National Postal Museum
- National Museum of Women in the Arts – Free on Community Days
- The Phillips Collection – Free Tuesdays – Fridays
- Old Stone House
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- National Arboretum
- Cherry Blossom Festival – visit in April for the festival and for stunning photos
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Martin Luther King Jr Memorial
- Jefferson Memorial
- Folger Shakespeare Library
- US Botanic Garden
- African American Civil War Memorial & Museum
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum
- Kennedy Center
- Mexican Cultural Institute
- Washington National Cathedral
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- US Capitol
- Korean War Veterans Memorial
- Marine Corps War Memorial
- Frederick Douglass Home
- St Matthew’s Cathedral
