Self-Guided Walking Tour of Washington, DC Memorials
The walking tour takes approximately 2 hours, but it can be cut short at either end.
This is not an ECS-sponsored activity.
Walk to the Woodley Park Zoo Metro Station. Take the Red line to the Metro Center Station. At the
Metro Center Station, take the Orange, Blue or Silver line to the Smithsonian Station – National Mall.
(See detailed instructions here.) The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is about a 15 minute walk
from the
Smithsonian Station.
1. Thomas Jefferson Memorial
The Jefferson Memorial is the most out-of-the-way memorial, but it is worth the
extra steps for the view. You can go inside by taking the elevator or stairs down
underneath the statue chamber. There you will find restrooms, a gift shop, a
bookstore and a small museum with an exhibit titled ‘Light and Liberty’ detailing
Thomas Jefferson’s life, qualities, beliefs as well as a few of his inventions and
innovations.
The closest Metro station is Smithsonian, located on the Orange, Blue and Silver
lines. From there, it is an approximately 15-minute walk to the
Jefferson Memorial.
2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
From the Jefferson Memorial, head west along the Tidal Basin. It is a 10-minute
walk to the FDR Memorial. This sprawling memorial represents FDR’s four terms as
president, one outside “room” for each of his terms.
3. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Continue Northwest from the FDR Memorial to the MLK Memorial for about 5
minutes. The newest of the monuments on this tour, the MLK Memorial opened in
2011. The monument contains a sculpture of Dr. King and a wall with quotations
from King’s speeches and writings.
4. Korean War Veterans Memorial
Continue west along Independence Avenue for 5-minutes for the Korean War
Veterans Memorial where you can see the 19 steel soldier statues, the Mural Wall,
and the Pool of Remembrance on your way to the Lincoln Memorial.
5. Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Continue west toward the Lincoln Memorial (the one on the back of the penny) for
approximately 5 minutes. There are 36 columns, each one representing one state in
the U.S. at the date of President Lincoln’s death. Climb the stairs to look down the
mall past the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument.
6. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Head northeast along the left side of the Reflecting Pool for about 5 minutes toward
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It’s hard to spot the memorial from a distance
because it is a partially sunken wall. The wall is made up of two identical walls that
each stretch 246 feet and 9 inches, containing more than 58,000 names. The names
are listed in chronological order based on the date of casualty, and within each
day, names are shown in alphabetical order.
7. World War II Memorial
Walk to the east edge of the Reflecting Pool (along the scenic Constitution Gardens)
for my favorite monument – the WWII Memorial. You can find a granite column for
your home state around the edge of the fountain before walking toward the center.
Look west to see the Lincoln Memorial and look east to see the Washington
Monument and Capitol building.
8. Washington Monument
Although the Washington Monument is visible from many locations in DC, you can
end your tour here. The Washington Monument is currently closed for renovations and
will reopen in 2019. The two closest Metro stops are Federal Triangle and Smithsonian,
both on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines.