Tour Washington, D.C.

From its celebrated symbols of patriotism to its undiscovered neighborhoods, the sites and sounds of the nation’s capital inspire millions of visitors every year. Packed with famous sights, free attractions, and an endless calendar of special events, Washington, D.C. offers year-round opportunities to celebrate the American Experience.

Whether it’s a quick tour of the city’s highlights or a themed and customized itinerary, Small Journeys’ Washington, DC packages provide the best way to enjoy the sights, history and inner workings of our nation’s capital. Tours include well-known monuments and inspiring memorials, museums, government institutions and events in trendy and historic neighborhoods, like Georgetown and DuPont Circle.

 Our professional tour guides provide the local knowledge and historical narration to make your visit a complete success. Discover for yourself why Washington, D.C. is truly the nation’s capital in every sense.

ATTRACTIONS

Arlington National Cemetery
A 500-acre site containing the graves of many important figures in US history including President John F. Kennedy, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom and those of over 200,000 dedicated Americans. Attend the Arlington Wreath  Laying Ceremony or the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and see the spectacular Memorial Amphitheater.

National Mall
Visit the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial,  Korean Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Washington Monument.  See the new World War II Memorial and The FDR Memorial featuring four outdoor “gallery” rooms featuring 10 bronze sculptures depicting the life and times of the President.

Washington National Cathedral
The sixth largest cathedral in the world offering magnificent views of Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia from its 57-acre site. In 1791, George Washington commissioned Major Pierre L’Enfant to design an overall plan for the future seat of government that included a church, “intended for national purposes… and assigned to the special use of no particular sect or denomination, but equally open to all.” The magnificent structure is filled with architectural sculpture, wood carving, leaded glass, mosaics, artistic metal work, and many other works of art, including over 200 stained glass windows.

Bureau of Printing and Engraving
You’ll see millions of dollars being printed during a tour of the BEP. The tour features the various steps of currency production, beginning with large, blank sheets of paper, and ending with wallet-ready bills!

Georgetown
Perhaps the city’s most heard of neighborhood, Georgetown is home to many of our most important government leaders. The village is loaded with trendy restaurants, shopping opportunities, historic sights and is the home of Georgetown University.

Mount Vernon
See Washington’s home and tomb, tour the innovative Pioneer Farmer site with its 16-sided barn, the inspirational Slave Memorial, important outbuildings, lush gardens, and museums with exhibitions on Washington and Mount Vernon archaeology.

Spirit Cruises
Select from a variety of cruises around Washington D.C. on beautiful yachts including the popular Student DJ Cruise. Enjoy dinner, lunch or a moonlight cruise and take in the sights from a unique vantage point.

Frederick Douglas House
The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the most famous African American of the 19th Century.

Spy Museum
Explore the craft, practice, history and contemporary role of espionage in one of Washington’s newest museums.  Dozens of interactive displays and exciting activities provide an entertaining feature  for student and adult groups.

Shear Madness Theatre
Washington’s Shear Madness, at the Kennedy Center, takes place in a Georgetown hairstyling salon where the comings and goings of the flamboyant salon proprietor, his streetwise assistant, and the zany customers in the shop lead up to a madcap murder reminiscent of the Marx Brothers. Washingtonians and visitors alike delight in the surprising mixture of audience sleuthing and up to the minute improvisational humor.

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Kennedy Center, located on 17 acres overlooking the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., is America’s living memorial to President Kennedy as well as the nation’s busiest arts facility, presenting more than 3,000 performances each year.  Tours of Kennedy Center include its theatres and television, radio, and Internet production facilities which broadcast media to millions of people around the world.

Supreme Court
The Supreme Court offers a variety of educational programs. Exhibits, which are changed periodically, and a theater, where a film on the Supreme Court is shown, are located on the
ground floor. Lectures in the Courtroom are typically given every hour on the half-hour, on days that the Court is not sitting.

Ford Theatre
On the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, his wife and two guests attended “Our American Cousin.”  That night, John Wilkes Booth fired a shot that plunged the nation into mourning and the theatre into darkness. Ford’s Theatre re-opened its doors in 1968 – after having been closed 103 years, is now a live, working theatre located in downtown Washington, DC.

Smithsonian Institution
Since it is impossible to visit all of the 14 museums in a single visit, pick a few and save the rest for your next trip.  Some of the Smithsonian experiences include: Air and Space Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, National Museum of American History and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

The National Holocaust Museum
The museum building is organized by the principles it was built to support: education and remembrance of the Holocaust.  Advance  reservations are required for groups.

White House
The White House Visitor Center features many aspects of the White House, including its architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, and relations with the press and world leaders, as well as a thirty-minute video. Requests for public tours of the White House are available for groups of 10 or more people and must be submitted at least one month in advance through one’s Member of Congress.

IMAX
See more, hear more, feel more — IMAX is the ultimate movie experience. With crystal clear images up to eight stories high, and wrap-around digital surround sound, IMAX takes you to places you only imagined.

Union Station
For over 90 years, Union Station has welcomed people to the most important city in the world. This magnificent building has even played host to 17 Presidents and countless foreign dignitaries. However, what may be most impressive is the fact that Union Station’s marble floors echo with the footsteps of over 25 million people each year, making it the most visited site in all of Washington, D.C.

National  Gallery
The mission of the National Gallery of Art is to serve the United States of America in a national role by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art, at the highest possible museum and scholarly standards.

National Zoo
The National Zoo is a beautiful urban park offering family fun and excitement, stimulating education programs, and a peaceful place to enjoy nature. There is something new to discover on

every visit. Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Zoo is the nation’s zoo. It is a 163-acre zoological park set amid Rock Creek National Park in the heart of Washington, D.C. You can visit the Zoo 364 days a year to see more than 2,700 individual animals of 435 different species.

Capitol Hill
The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. It has housed the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for almost two centuries. Begun in 1793, the Capitol has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored; today, it stands as a monument not only to its builders but also to the American people and their government.

Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with nearly 128 million items on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves.  A spectacular architectural masterpiece, no visit  to DC is complete without a stop at this impressive institution.

Olde Town Alexandria
Olde Town Alexandria is located about 5 miles south of Washington’s main tourist area, on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. The town is a popular local hang-out thanks to its collection of small shops, restaurants, and bars. Alexandria is also the only working shipping port in the area, which is the main reason for the draw span on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, located just south of town.

SAMPLE ITINERARIES & EXTENSIONS

Washington, D.C.  –  3  Days

Day 1

• Meet your Small Journeys guide in Washington DC or at the airport
• National Zoo
• Ford Theatre, Peterson  House
• Dinner at Hard Rock Café or one of DC’s fine dining options
• Kennedy Center sunset view
• Monuments at night tour (Lincoln, Jefferson, Viet Nam, FDR and WWII Memorials)
• Hotel check-in

Day 2

• Hotel breakfast
• Capitol Hill, Library of Congress, White House
  (Capitol and White House tour appointments are arranged  through your Congressional Representative)
• Post Office Pavilion lunch
• Smithsonian Air and Space or American History Museum
• Holocaust Museum
• Embassy Row
• Spirit DJ Cruise
• Return to hotel

Day 3

• Hotel breakfast
• Arlington Cemetery Changing of the Guard and Memorials
• Mount  Vernon, home  of George Washington
• Olde Towne  Alexandria or  Georgetown shopping

Extensions: 

Colonial  Williamsburg
Jamestown-Yorktown
Busch Gardens
Kings  Dominion
6 Flags
Gettysburg