The Best Place to Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday

Founding Documents (And Their Fathers)

There’s only one place where you can view the nation’s founding documents. In the Rotunda of the National Archives Building, visit the Charters of Freedom – the collective name for the U.S. Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Archives will also showcase the Emancipation Proclamation full-time by 2026. Pay homage to the figures who helped give birth to the nation when you check out the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on the National Mall or make a visit to George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

The Star-Spangled Banner – the flag that inspired the National Anthem – can be viewed at the National Museum of American History, along with thousands of other artifacts. Schedule a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building and/or the Library of Congress to take your historic journey a step further. Visitors can also revel in a replica of the Oval Office at The People’s House.

Civil Rights City

The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, located at the abolitionist’s former home of Cedar Hill, features a tour-able 21-room Victorian mansion where you can learn of Douglass’ incredible work and take in one of the city’s most breathtaking views.  On the National Mall, visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, which sits on a four-acre site and showcases a 30-foot statue of Dr. King that displays words from his famous “I Have A Dream” speech (which was given at the nearby Lincoln Memorial). A short walk away, the expansive Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture focuses solely on African American life, art, history and culture through in-depth exhibits and artifacts from the African Diaspora to the present day.

Other sites of note are the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument at 144 Constitution Avenue NE, the African American Civil War Memorial (a sculpture located in the U Street neighborhood, which was once known as “Black Broadway” thanks to Duke Ellington and the vibrant musical scene of his time) and Black Lives Matter Plaza.

Cultural Cornerstones

Supplement historic exploration by diving deep into DC’s cultural cache. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts fills the calendar with fascinating performances each year and hosts free shows on its Millennium Stage weekly. Yes, Ford’s Theatre was the site of Abe Lincoln’s assassination, but it also serves as a museum and hosts multiple productions on its stage every year. The National Museum of the American Indian platforms Indigenous voices, artists and stories through powerful exhibits in its architectural marvel of a building.

A walk through the National Gallery of Art (and its sculpture garden) is akin to a voyage through time with creative masters as your guide, while the National Portrait Gallery displays stunning work featuring leaders and icons who have defined American culture. For those who love the abstract, don’t skip the Hirshhorn Museum, which will debut a revitalized sculpture garden in 2026.

Window to The World

DC is also a hub for international cultures and stories, just like America at-large. Travelers from all over the world converge on the city each spring for the National Cherry Blossom Festival (typically held from late-March through mid-April), a celebration of the blooming cherry trees gifted to the District by Japan in 1912. Also mark your calendar for May of each year, when dozens of countries represented along the city’s Embassy Row open their doors for Passport DC. These open houses are usually held during the first two Saturdays of the month. International cultures again take center stage during the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival on the National Mall, which usually takes place from late-June to early-July. Learn about the world espionage when you check out the state-of-the-art International Spy Museum and tour the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the country’s official memorial to the historical atrocity.