Area Attractions The Was ...

Area Attractions

The Washington, D.C., Visitor Information Center is in the RonaldReagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 PennsylvaniaAve. NW (Metro: Federal Triangle, Metro Center). Call 202-328-4748for more information.

The National Park Service can answer questions about many events,monuments and memorials in town. Call 202-619-7222.

Here are some of the major tourist attractions in the Washingtonarea:

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY -- Memorial Drive, at southern end ofMemorial Bridge (Metro: Arlington National Cemetery); 703-607-8052.The cemetery is open to the public at 8 a.m. daily. From April 1 toSept. 30 the cemetery closes at 7; the other six months it closes at5. Major attractions include the Tomb of the Unknowns, where a formalchanging of the guard ceremony is held every half-hour in the summerand on the hour the rest of the year.

BUREAU OF ENGRAVING & PRINTING -- 14th and C streets SW (Metro:Smithsonian); 202-874-3188. Guided tours of the currency printingfacility available Monday through Friday 9 to 2 (and from 5 to 6:40June through August). Admission is by free, same-day timed-entryticket available from 8 to 1:45 (and from 3:30 to 6:30, unlesstickets are gone, from June through August). The tickets are givenaway at a booth on Raoul Wallenberg Place (15th Street NW) near theHolocaust Museum. From October through March, visitors can take self-guided tours from 9 to 2. No tickets are required then. -- In WestPotomac Park, between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials; 202-426-6841. Open 8 a.m. to midnight daily. Free admission. The seven-acre,outdoor memorial has four galleries, each representing a differentterm in FDR's presidency.

JEFFERSON MEMORIAL -- South bank of the Tidal Basin (Metro:Smithsonian); 202-426-6821. Open daily 8 a.m. to midnight.

KENNEDY CENTER -- New Hampshire Avenue NW and the Rock CreekParkway. 202-467-4600 (TDD: 202-416-8524). Free guided tours of theKennedy Center are given in English Monday through Friday from 10 to5 and Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 1. Printed guides are availablein English, Spanish, German, French and Japanese. Tours depart fromthe parking plaza on Level A, and feature the Hall of States and Hallof Nations, the center's theaters, and the dozens of paintings,sculptures, and other artworks given to the Center by foreigncountries.

KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL -- Constitution Avenue, between21st and 22nd streets NW; 202-426-6841. Open daily 8 a.m. tomidnight. This memorial consists of 19 larger-than-life statues ofsoldiers from each branch of the armed forces whose images arereflected in a 164-foot-long wall bearing the message inlaid insilver: Freedom Is Not Free.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL -- 23rd Street NW, between Constitution andIndependence avenues; 202-426-6842. Open daily 8 a.m. to midnight.Free admission.

MOUNT VERNON -- At the south end of the George WashingtonParkway, eight miles south of Alexandria; 703-780-2000. The 45-acreestate, home and burial place of George Washington, is open daily 9to 4 November through February, 8 to 5 April through August, 9 to 5in other months. Adults $11, seniors $10.50, ages 6 through 11 $5,under 6 free.

U.S. CAPITOL -- East Capitol Street and First Street NW (Metro:Capitol South, Union Station); 202-225-6827. Open daily from 9 a.m.to 4:30 (closed Sundays, open national holidays) p.m. March throughAugust, 9 to 4:30 September through February. Guided tours offeredfrom 9:30 to 3:30. Free timed tickets distributed at 8:15 eachmorning. The line forms at the southwest corner of the Capitolgrounds. (One ticket per person.) Free admission.

VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL -- 23rd Street and Constitution AvenueNW; 202-634-1568. Free admission. Open 24 hours, staffed from 8 a.m.to 11:45 p.m.

WASHINGTON MONUMENT -- 15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW(Metro: Smithsonian); 202-426-6841. Recently refurbished, this 555-foot-high obelisk offers stunning views of the capital city. Opendaily from 9 to 5. Reservations may be made by calling 800-967-2283or over the Internet at reservations.nps.gov. There is a servicecharge of $1.50 per ticket plus a fifty-cent handling charge perorder. Free tickets will be distributed for that day's visit from thekiosk on the Washington Monument grounds at 15th Street and MadisonDrive (Metro: Smithsonian) on a first-come, first-served basis. Theticket kiosk will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL -- Wisconsin and MassachusettsAvenues NW; 202-537-6200. Open fall, winter, and spring daily from 10to 4:30; May 1 through Labor Day, weekdays 10 to 9, weekends 10 to4:30. Suggested donation $3 adults, $1 children. Guided tours alsoavailable; call for schedules.

WHITE HOUSE -- 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-208-1631 or 202-456-7041 (TDD: 202-208-1636 or 202-456-2121). Tours of the WhiteHouse are open for organized school, military and veterans groupsonly.