Attractions

Most people equate sightseeing in the nation's capital with the National Mall, and that makes sense. After all, of the city's 80-some remarkable attractions, more than one-third lie within the National Mall and Memorial Parks complex, the parkland that extends from the Capitol to the Potomac River. Add those sites that are within a short walk of the Mall and the number rises to 40 or so. Impressive.

Of course, this means that the other half of the capital's major attractions are situated outside of this enclave. You won't want to miss these either. The White House, for instance. The Phillips Collection, full of post-Impressionist and modern art. The National Zoo. The neighborhoods, Embassy Row to the U Street Corridor. And two new attractions, the African American Civil War Museum (actually a larger version and relocation of its tiny predecessor) and the Center for Education and Leadership, a vital addition to the Ford's Theatre campus that examines President Lincoln's legacy.

Heads Up

Security precautions and procedures are a post-9/11 fact of life everywhere in America, but especially in the nation's capital, thanks to the preponderance of federal structures and attractions that are open to the public. What that means for you as a visitor is that you often are going to have to stand in line to enter a national museum, like any of the Smithsonians, or a government building, like the Library of Congress. At many tourist sites, you can expect staff to search handbags, briefcases, and backpacks, either by hand or by X-ray machine. Some sites, including the National Air and Space Museum, require you to walk past metal detectors. During the busy spring and summer seasons, you may be queuing outside as you wait your turn to pass through security. So pack your patience, but otherwise carry as little as possible, and certainly no sharp objects. Museums and public buildings rarely offer the use of lockers.

Call Ahead

Here's a crucial piece of advice: Call the places you plan to tour each day before you set out. Many of Washington's government buildings, museums, memorials, and monuments are open to the general public nearly all the time -- except when they're not.

Because buildings like the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the White House are offices as well as tourist destinations, the business of the day always poses the potential for closing one of those sites, or at least sections, to sightseers. There's also the matter of maintenance. The steady stream of visitors to Washington's attractions necessitates ongoing caretaking, which may require closing an entire landmark, or part of it, to the public, or putting in place new hours of operation or procedures for visiting. Finally, Washington's famous museums, grand halls, and public gardens double as settings for press conferences, galas, special exhibits, festivals, and even movie sets. You might arrive at, say, the National Air and Space Museum on a Sunday afternoon, only to find some or all of its galleries off-limits because a movie shoot is underway. (Have you seen Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, by the way?) Want to avoid frustration and disappointment? Call ahead.

Capital Views

Here are some of the best of the capital's many marvelous views:

• For a bird's-eye view of monumental Washington, take the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument.
• From the Capitol Reflecting Pool, between the Mall and the Capitol, you can get a great look at the Capitol itself.
• Half the height of the Washington Monument, the Old Post Office Pavilion's Clock Tower offers something the monument cannot: a grand look up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House, and beyond.
• One of the most gorgeous views of the city any time of year but especially in spring at cherry blossom time comes from a stroll or bike ride along the paved pathways that run along the Potomac River, winding around the memorials and the Tidal Basin and crossing Arlington Memorial Bridge to continue from the Virginia side of the Potomac River for the grand finale of vistas: the city's landmark-dotted landscape on full display.
• The Lincoln Memorial offers a spectacular view of the entire Mall, all the way to the Capitol in the distance.
• For the highest view of D.C., take the elevator to the Washington National Cathedral's Pilgrim Observation Gallery.