FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2008

ELECTION SEASON PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON POLITICAL EXHIBITIONS & PRESIDENTIAL PLACES

The official race for the White House means all eyes are on Washington, DC, and there's no better place to plug in to the excitement of election season.

If you're planning a presidential pilgrimage, start by checking out free and low-cost election-themed exhibitions throughout the city. See a re-creation of the White House China Room, including more than 150 pieces of Presidential china in The Presidential Dish, on display at the Woodrow Wilson House Museum through Jan. 25, 2009.

Find a tribute to Abraham Lincoln's second Inaugural Ball in The Honor of Your Company is Requested: President Lincoln's Inaugural Ball, on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through Jan. 18, 2010.

Enjoy Herblock's Presidents: Puncturing Pomposity, an exhibition featuring Block's ("Herblock") political cartoons at the National Portrait Gallery through Nov. 30. The featured cartoons were selected from the collections of the Library of Congress, and the exhibition demonstrates that none of the 11 presidents who held office during Herblock's career, from FDR to Bill Clinton, escaped his criticism.

And coinciding with Inauguration Day, Presidents in Waiting comes to the National Portrait Gallery on Jan. 20. It highlights American vice presidents who succeeded to the presidency. The exhibition will be on display through Jan. 2, 2010.

Museums aren't the only places in DC to get in on the election action. Washington, DC is a city so rich in history that you'll have more trouble finding places that don't have a presidential connection than you will stumbling upon those that do. Whether it's the cozy Billy Martin's Tavern in Georgetown where JFK. proposed to Jackie, the regal Mandarin Oriental Hotel where Barack Obama stayed in the heat of the race for the Democratic Party nomination, or serene Theodore Roosevelt Island, a 91-acre green space with a memorial dedicated to past president Teddy and his commitment to conservation.

You also won't want to miss out on new presidential sites drawing the attention of political history junkies everywhere, like the newly restored Lincoln Cottage in Northwest DC and the Library of Congress' new Visitor Experience, complete with a re-creation of Thomas Jefferson's library. At Madame Tussauds, visitors can pose with past presidents and contenders and even take a picture behind the most powerful desk in the world - located inside a perfect replica of The Oval Office.

And don't forget that DC will be buzzing with power and excitement on Inauguration Day, scheduled for Jan. 20, 2009. There are eight official Inauguration Balls, and many other "unofficial" events taking place throughout the city during the days before and after the actual swearing-in. Details are not yet available, but keep checking Destination DC's online pressroom for updates on inauguration-related events and extravagant hotel packages that will put you near the action.

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About Destination DC: Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. Destinationdc.com.