1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  Williamsburg is a treat for both adults and kids. Walking its cobbled streets, you might have an impromptu discussion with “Thomas Jefferson” or the rabble-rousing “Patrick Henry”; attend the trial of a pig thief; or follow the town’s Fife & Drum Corps parading down Main Street. Tour the Georgian-style Governor’s Palace or the Courthouse of 1770 with its pillories and stocks out front. Stop for a tipple and traditional alehouse fare at any of the four historic taverns.

  The elegant 1937 Regency-style Williamsburg Inn has hosted notables from presidents to queens (Queen Elizabeth II stayed here in 1957 and 2007). The inn is now a full-service upscale resort, with a lavish spa using colonial-era herbs like pennyroyal and angelica, and the nearby Golden Horseshoe Golf Club (including the Gold Course, considered one of Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s finest). Simple accommodations are also available in 26 restored 18th-century buildings scattered across town.

  It’s only 3 miles south to Williamsburg Winery, one of the largest in the state and an important player in Virginia’s flourishing viticultural scene. You can also pick up the 24-mile Colonial Parkway, a winding wooded road that connects Williamsburg with the other two towns that make up Virginia’s “Historic Triangle”: Jamestown, founded in 1607 and the original capital of colonial Virginia, and Yorktown, one of the colony’s major ports in the 18th century and the site of the last battle of the American Revolution.

  Interpreters portray real and imagined colonial figures.

  WHERE: 150 miles south of Washington, D.C. Tel 800-447-8679 or 757-220-7645; www.colonialwilliamsburg.com. WILLIAMSBURG INN & COLONIAL HOUSES: Tel 800-447-8679 or 757-220-7978; www.colonialwilliamsburg.com. Cost: Inn from $320 (off-peak), from $450 (peak); houses (1 to 8 bedrooms) from $240. WILLIAMSBURG WINERY: Tel 757-229-0999; www.williamsburgwinery.com. BEST TIMES: mid-May for Drummers Call weekend; late Nov–early Jan for Williamsburg’s exceptional Christmas decorations; early Dec for the Grand Illumination.

  “It is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent Intentions.”—CHARLES DICKENS

  WASHINGTON, D.C.

  District of Columbia, U.S.A.

  While Washington is all about politics all the time, it’s also a spectacularly beautiful city of monumental museums, parks, and broad boulevards. French planner Pierre L’Enfant divided the city into quadrants centered around the U.S. Capitol; he also created the city’s open grid of lettered and numbered streets, intersected by diagonal avenues named for states. These factors, along with the city’s height limit on buildings, add up to Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a city crisscrossed by “light and airy” thoroughfares.

  TOP ATTRACTIONS

  HISTORIC GEORGETOWN—Georgetown has hosted D.C.’s social and diplomatic scene since the early 19th century. Its brick sidewalks are lined with historic Georgian and Federal homes and tidy Victorian-era row houses; come in late April or early May for house and garden tours that allow an inside look. The oldest building in the District, the Old Stone House, from 1765, is a snapshot of colonial middle-class life. Up the hill, the 1920 Federal-style house known as Dumbarton Oaks is where diplomats met in 1944 to plan the United Nations; its formal gardens are a highlight. To the west is the turreted campus of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the country. OLD STONE HOUSE: Tel 202-426-6851; www.nps.gov/olst. DUMBARTON OAKS: Tel 202-339-6401; www.doaks.org. GEORGETOWN HOUSE AND GARDEN TOURS: www.georgetownhousetour.com, www.georgetowngardentour.com.

  NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART—Founded in 1937, the National Gallery enjoys a dual personality. In John Russell Pope’s original Neoclassical West Building, the European and American art ranges from early Italian altar panels to works by Dutch masters and French Impressionists, plus the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the New World. I. M. Pei’s modernist East Building, opened next door in 1978, houses gems by Calder, Matisse, Picasso, Pollock, and Rothko, while a masterwork-studded 6-acre sculpture garden awaits just outside. INFO: Tel 202-737-4215; www.nga.gov.

  THE NATIONAL MALL—Washington’s centerpiece, a two-mile greensward running west from the U.S. Capitol, holds some of the nation’s most important monuments. The Washington Monument, the first presidential memorial, is at its center and offers a spectacular view from the top. To the west is the Neoclassical Lincoln Memorial, where Daniel Chester French’s massive sculpture of the brooding president sits, the wrenching words of his Gettysburg Address etched behind him. To feel its power, visit at night, when the monuments are illuminated and the crowds have thinned out. The elegant Thomas Jefferson Memorial is on the south side of the Tidal Basin; the third president’s bronze likeness stands beneath a Pantheon-inspired dome. The memorial dedicated to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1997 comprises four outdoor galleries, one for each of the president’s terms in office. Northeast of the Lincoln Memorial, the riveting Vietnam Veterans Memorial consists of a simple V-shaped wall of polished black granite inscribed with the names of almost 60,000 soldiers who died in action. Nearby is the evocative Korean War Veterans Memorial and on the east end of the Reflecting Pool is the stately National World War II Memorial. The Mall is spectacular in early spring, when thousands of Japanese cherry trees burst into bloom around the Tidal Basin. INFO: www.nps.gov/nama.

  In springtime, cherry blossoms surround the Washington Monument.

  THE NATIONAL ZOO—Giant pandas have made their home at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo ever since President Nixon was given two by China following his 1972 goodwill trip there. They are part of the zoo’s new Asia Trail. Another recently added highlight is the Elephant Trek, where you’ll meet the zoo’s three Asian pachyderms, Shanthi, Ambika, and Kandula. All told, some 2,400 animals roam these leafy grounds. INFO: Tel 202-673-4800; www.nationalzoo.si.edu.

  THE NATION’S MEMORY—Between them, the Library of Congress and the National Archives preserve the documents that created this country and the printed and digital matter that chronicles its history. The LOC is the country’s official library and the world’s largest—it contains close to 30 million books, including a Gutenberg Bible, and millions of photographs, maps, and recordings. The star attraction: the Main Reading Room of the Jefferson Building, topped by an ornate 160-foot dome. In the rotunda of the Archives, display cases hold the original handwritten copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: Tel 202-707-5000; www.loc.gov. NATIONAL ARCHIVES: Tel 866-272-6272; www.archives.gov.

  SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS—Most of the 19 national museums that make up the Smithsonian Institution line the National Mall, holding some 137 million objects. The two most popular are the Air and Space Museum, with everything from the Wright Brothers’ glider to the Apollo 11 command module, and the century-old Museum of Natural History with its dinosaurs and diamonds, such as the 45½-carat dark blue Hope Diamond. The American History museum includes as much pop culture as serious history. One of the newest additions is the gallery that holds the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the national anthem, but you’ll also find here an original Kermit the Frog Muppet, a sampling of First Ladies’ inaugural gowns, and Julia Child’s kitchen. SMITHSONIAN INFO: Tel 202-633-1000; www.smithsonian.org.

  U.S. CAPITOL—At the east end of the National Mall is the Capitol Building, one of the first structures conceived by city planner Pierre L’Enfant; George Washington laid the cornerstone in September 1793. Guided tours include the Rotunda, under the building’s dome; in the dome itself, an 1865 fresco depicts the first president rising into the heavens. The Capitol’s south and north wings contain the House and Senate chambers, where visitor galleries are open to anyone who obtains a gallery pass in advance from their senator or congressperson. INFO: Tel 202-225-6827; www.aoc.gov.

  WHITE HOUSE—The exterior of this grand Neoclassical building is still as architect James Hoban designed it in 1792. Visitors lucky enough to join a tour (make advance arrangements through your congressperson) can see a number of rooms inside the exec
utive mansion, including the State Dining Room (once Thomas Jefferson’s office); the Blue Room, with furniture selected by James Monroe after the British torched the house in the War of 1812; and the East Room, where seven presidents have lain in state. INFO: Tel 202-456-7041; www.whitehouse.gov/history/tours.

  Many famous speeches, most notably Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, were delivered at the Lincoln Memorial.

  OTHER MUST-DOS

  AMERICAN ART—Of course America’s capital showcases American art. D.C.’s oldest museum, founded in 1869, is the Corcoran Gallery. Its collection includes works from 19th-century greats such as Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent as well as modern and contemporary artists like Edward Hopper and Jacob Lawrence. Three other American-oriented museums are part of the Smithsonian constellation. The Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum share a historic 1836 building; the former owns the famous “Lansdowne portrait,” Gilbert Stuart’s full-length painting of George Washington, while the latter encompasses the largest collection of American art in the world. Finally, the Renwick Gallery holds the premier collection of American craft objects and decorative arts. CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART: Tel 202-639-1700; www.corcoran.org. AMERICAN ART MUSEUM: Tel 202-275-1500; www.americanart.si.edu. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY: Tel 202-275-1738; www.npg.si.edu. RENWICK GALLERY: Tel 202-633-2850; www.americanart.si.edu/renwick.

  HILLWOOD ESTATE, MUSEUM & GARDENS—Among the city’s unsung gems is the Georgian mansion of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the late cereal heiress and socialite. Set on 25 acres, the home holds Post’s important cache of Russian porcelain and icons (plus the Catherine the Great Easter Egg by Fabergé), which she acquired when the Soviet government endorsed the selling off of Russia’s imperial art treasures. INFO: Tel 202-686-5807; www.hillwoodmuseum.org.

  PHILLIPS COLLECTION AND HIRSHHORN MUSEUM—The Phillips was the country’s first museum to pay homage to the world of modern art and is known for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including Renoir’s monumental Luncheon of the Boating Party. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, unmistakable for its resemblance to a large cylindrical tank, is part of the Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall. Its collection includes works by Picasso, Giacometti, de Kooning, Pollock, Warhol, Rodin, and hundreds of others. PHILLIPS COLLECTION: Tel 202-387-2151; www.phillipscollection.org. HIRSHHORN MUSEUM: Tel 202-633-4674; www.hirshhorn.si.edu.

  HOLOCAUST MUSEUM—Between 1939 and 1945, Europe saw the slaughter of 6 million Jews, 1.9 million Poles, and 500,000 others. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is dedicated to not letting us forget: Its permanent exhibit follows the Nazis’ rise to power and the subsequent genocide they perpetrated, with a haunting collection of photos, reconstructions, and personal effects of the doomed prisoners. INFO: Tel 202-488-0400; www.ushmm.org.

  THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM AND THE NEWSEUM—The only thing more thrilling than reading about spies is learning how to be one. The Spy Museum leads visitors through spy school, where they learn the history of espionage and how spies function in the 21st century—complete with displays of miniature cameras, lipstick-tube pistols, and a shoe-phone with heel transmitter (courtesy of the KGB). The Newseum celebrates both the news itself and American journalism’s role in covering it. A 90-foot wall flashes the day’s events, and objects on display include sections of the Berlin Wall, the Unabomber’s cabin, and a remnant of the World Trade Center. SPY MUSEUM: Tel 202-393-7798; www.spymuseum.org. NEWSEUM: Tel 888-639-7386 or 202-296-6100; www.newseum.org.

  UNOFFICIAL MONUMENTS—The largest railroad station in the world when it opened in 1907, Washington’s Union Station has been meticulously restored, and while it is still an active railroad and Metro station, it is now studded with shops and restaurants. The National Building Museum celebrates American architecture; its spectacular home is the old U.S. Pension Building, whose Great Hall flaunts double loggias, a central indoor fountain, and eight colossal Corinthian columns supporting its 159-foot ceiling. Its museum gift shop has been called the best in the country. You can visit the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a play, the opera, or the symphony orchestra, or you can take a daytime tour. The center is a “living memorial” to the assassinated 35th president. UNION STATION: Tel 202-289-1908; www.unionstationdc.com. NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM: Tel 202-272-2448; www.nbm.org. KENNEDY CENTER: Tel 202-416-8727; www.kennedy-center.org.

  DAY TRIPS

  ARLINGTON CEMETERY—With more than 300,000 white marble headstones, this is the final resting place for American military personnel, from the Revolutionary War to the war in Iraq. Graveside services are held every day—your visit may be punctuated by the crack of a rifle salute and the sound of “Taps.” The most visited grave is that of President John F. Kennedy, with its eternal flame; his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, lies next to him. Atop the hill is Arlington House, Robert E. Lee’s mansion. WHERE: in Virginia, directly across Arlington Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial. Tel 703-607-8000; www.arlingtoncemetery.org. ARLINGTON HOUSE: Tel 703-235-1530; www.nps.gov/arho.

  MOUNT VERNON—George Washington himself designed his Georgian-style plantation home on the banks of the Potomac River. Ongoing restoration has uncovered the original, surprisingly lively interior wall colors, and restored the first president’s whiskey distillery. You can also see quarters for the 316 slaves he owned at the time of his death in 1799, along with his grave and that of his wife, Martha. Arrive at Mount Vernon the way Washington’s friends often did—from the river. Spring through fall, Spirit Cruises offers passage from D.C.’s southwest marina. WHERE: 16 miles south of D.C. in Virginia. Tel 703-780-2000; www.mountvernon.org. HOW: Spirit Cruises, tel 866-211-3811; www.cruisetomountvernon.com.

  OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA—The historic heart of this 18th-century Potomac River port town has lots of 18th- and 19th-century buildings plus lively streets lined with shops, art galleries, antiques stores, and restaurants. The Founding Fathers frequented Gadsby’s Tavern, a circa 1785 building that is now both a museum to eating and drinking in colonial America and a restaurant housed in the original dining room. WHERE: 8 miles south of Washington in Virginia. www.alexandriava.gov. GADSBY’S TAVERN MUSEUM: Tel 703-548-1288; www.gadsbystavern.org. Cost: dinner $45.

  WHERE TO STAY

  FOUR SEASONS—At the entrance to Georgetown, this hotel’s discreet brick façade does not hint at what awaits within: arguably the most luxurious digs in town. Amenities are top-of-the-line, including the power dining at Michael Mina’s handsomely appointed Bourbon Steak restaurant. INFO: Tel 800-332-3442 or 202-342-0444; www.fourseasons.com. Cost: from $595 (off-peak), from $795 (peak). BOURBON STEAK: Tel 202-944-2026; www.michaelmina.net. Cost: dinner $75.

  THE HOTEL GEORGE—This Kimpton hotel—convenient to Union Station, the Capitol, and the National Mall—is distinguished by a modern décor that blends a dash of glitz with a heaping dose of wit. Chef Jeffrey Buben’s in-house Bistro Bis offers a French menu, a comfortable bar, and the chance to glimpse Capitol Hill bigwigs at the next table. INFO: Tel 800-546-7866 or 202-347-4200; www.hotelgeorge.com. Cost: from $179 (off-peak), from $300 (peak). BISTRO BIS: Tel: 202-661-2700; www.bistrobis.com. Cost: dinner $55.

  HAY-ADAMS HOTEL—If your invitation for a night in the Lincoln Bedroom didn’t come through, stay right across Lafayette Square at the Italian Renaissance–style Hay-Adams Hotel, a favorite of diplomats and visiting heads of state. INFO: Tel 800-853-6807 or 202-638-6600; www.hayadams.com. Cost: from $330 (off-peak), from $525 (peak).

  THE JEFFERSON—A 2009 overhaul turned the cozy 90-room Jefferson, up the street from the White House, into a real jewel, with the well-turned-out Plume restaurant, the more casual Greenhouse for lunch and brunch, and a new spa with treatments based on the botanicals Thomas Jefferson grew in his Monticello gardens. Exquisite details are matched by flawless service. INFO: Tel 202-448-2300; www.jeffersondc.com. Cost: from $375 (off-peak), from $450 (peak); lunch at Greenhouse $40. PLUME: Tel 202-448-2322. Cost: dinner $65.

 
HOTEL TABARD INN—The Tabard Inn, named for the inn in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, has 40 rooms in three attached Victorian town houses near Dupont Circle. The parlor leads to The Restaurant, a venerable, modern-American favorite with a busy bar and a roaring fire. It is filled with locals for dinner and especially for weekend brunch. INFO: Tel 202-785-1277; www.tabardinn.com. Cost: from $165; dinner at The Restaurant $50.

  WILLARD INTERCONTINENTAL—Abraham Lincoln held staff meetings in the voluptuous lobby here before his inauguration—and paid his hotel bill with his first presidential paycheck. Presidents Grant and Hayes spent the night too. You’ll learn this and more in the “museum” at the back of the lobby, which is as much a history of Washington as of the Willard. The lobby, folklore has it, is also where lobbyists got their name. The K Street bunch still hangs out in the storied Round Robin Bar. INFO: Tel 866-487-2537 or 202-628-9100; www.washington.intercontinental.com. Cost: from $349.

  EATING & DRINKING

  CENTRAL MICHEL RICHARD—After enjoying immediate success with Georgetown’s innovative, French-flavored Citronelle, chef Michel Richard created the more casual Central, a New American–French brasserie serving comfort food with playful twists. INFO: Tel 202-626-0015; www.centralmichelrichard.com. Cost: dinner $50.

  CITY ZEN—Iowa native Eric Ziebold is known for experimenting with New American cuisine, and the results have foodies filling this exquisite spot in the Mandarin Oriental hotel by the Maine Avenue marina. The menu might promise mille feuille of prime beef or buttered Maine lobster. INFO: Tel 202-787-6006; www.mandarinoriental.com. Cost: 3-course prix-fixe dinner $80.