MUSTS FOR HISTORY BUFFS

1. Sit in the lobby of the Willard InterContinental Hotel to imagine history unfolding. The hotel is where Julia Ward Howe wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," where President Ulysses S. Grant popularized the term "lobbyist" and where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his renowned, "I Have a Dream" speech.
2. Have a heart-to-heart with Honest Abe at the Lincoln Memorial, then walk along the Reflecting Pool to remember and honor U.S. soldiers at the WWII Memorial.
3. See the original Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights at the National Archives, then stick around to research your own family's immigration records.
4. Check out the Library of Congress' interactive elements, like the re-creation of Thomas Jefferson's original library. While you're there, see if you come across one of the free lectures, concerts, exhibits, and poetry readings that are held regularly.
5. Visit Arlington National Cemetery to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
6. Watch history being made by sitting in on a ground-breaking Supreme Court ruling.
7. Trace the names of loved ones lost at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall, a place of deep reflection for many visitors.
8. Test your history knowledge at the National Portrait Gallery, where the nation's only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House is located.
9. See America's story told through stamps at the National Postal Museum. Then walk across the street to 102-year-old Union Station to get inspired by its beautiful architecture.
10. Get out into DC's neighborhoods to learn about history beyond the National Mall by experiencing Cultural Tourism DC's free self-guided walking trails. They are marked with illustrated signs revealing the stories behind Washington's historic neighborhoods.