Travel with the Braves: Washington, D.C.

Travel

Visiting Washington, D.C. to catch the Braves? There's plenty to do in the nation's capital and most of it is free. George Washington himself laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in 1783, and in early years the building served both governmental and religious purposes. The large wings of the Capitol were added in the 1850s, and partially built by slave labor. An official tour requires getting tickets, but the organized can contact their Senator or Congressman to get a pass to the gallery and watch the action when Congress is in session.

Lincoln Memorial, sits at the west end of the National Mall. Nearby (1.2 miles) is Washington Monument and, at the other end of the mall is the U.S. Capitol (1.9 miles). The 19-foot tall statue of the 16th president is made, like many other D.C. buildings, of Georgia marble.

The treasures of the nation are housed in one of the Smithsonian's many buildings along the National Mall. "The Castle" (pictured) was the Smithsonian's first building and is still its headquarters. Of the eleven museums near the mall, the Museum of Natural History is the one that has dinosaurs. The Air and Space museum houses everything from the Wright Brothers' plane to actual spaceships.

The National Gallery of Art houses one of the finest collections in the world. And as part of the Smithsonian, admission is free. Many works of art by masters such as Titian, Raphael and Botticelli are on display, as is the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas, 'Ginevra de' Benci.'

Washington crossed the Potomac, and so should you. Old Town, Alexandria is known for its historic town houses, art galleries, antique shops, and restaurants. Robert E. Lee's boyhood home and a replica of George Washington's townhouse and Gadsby's Tavern Museum, part of the American Whiskey Trail.

President Jimmy Carter got the ball rolling on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1978, but the building was not dedicated until 1993, by President Bill Clinton. The museum houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Holocaust-related materials in the world.

Memorials are everywhere in D.C., and most are found on or near the National Mall, the park running from the Capitol to Lincoln Memorial. The Korean War Veterans Memorial (pictured) is located just south of the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located northeast of Lincoln Memorial, features thousands of names of those killed in combat. The typesetting of the original 58,195 names on the wall was done in Atlanta.

America doesn't have many cathedrals, but the Washington National Cathedral is the sixth-largest in the world and the second-largest in the United States. The Episcopal church, a bit off the tourist path in northwest D.C., has served as the U.S.'s "National House of Prayer" and was the site of three presidential funerals -- Eisenhower (1969), Reagan (2004) and Ford (2007).

The National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is one of the oldest zoos in the United States, and, like other parts of the Smithsonian Institution, does not charge admission.

Kids get tired of looking at old stuff. That's when it's time to check out the noisy and interactive displays at the International Spy Museum. Exhibits include KGB poisonous lipstick and invisible ink letters.

When daylight ends, the nightlife along the U Street corridor lights up. Long considered the center of D.C.'s music scene, U Street is located west of Dupont Circle in a largely Victorian Neighborhood. In the 1920s, the area was home to the largest African-American community in the U.S., and was known as "Black Broadway." Duke Ellington's childhood home is nearby. Pictured is 'Spirit of Freedom,' the African American Civil War Memorial.

Meridian Hill Park, located 1.5 miles north of the White House, is known for its Sunday Night drum circle, a cascading waterfall and Joan of Arc statue (the only one of a woman on horseback in D.C.). It is known as "Malcolm X Park" by many residents.

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Visiting Washington, D.C. to catch the Braves? There's plenty to do in the nation's capital and most of it is free. George Washington himself laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in 1783, and in early years the building served both governmental and religious purposes. The large wings of the Capitol were added in the 1850s, and partially built by slave labor. An official tour requires getting tickets, but the organized can contact their Senator or Congressman to get a pass to the gallery and watch the action when Congress is in session.

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