Off The Beaten Path

While most attractions in Washington, DC do not draw long lines, there are some interesting places that may escape the notice of most tourists. This is a selection of sites that give you history and perspective on our nation.

American Red Cross National Headquarters
(202) 303-4233
430 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006

Hours and Admission
Open for tours Wednesday and Friday at 10am and 2pm.
No admission charged, reservation required

The American Red Cross National Headquarters is located right in the heart of DC and was designated as a national historic landmark in 1965. It houses a collection art and artifacts from world-renowned artists, a collection that has been acquired by the Red Cross since its formal beginning in 1881. Most notable are the Tiffany windows designed by the famous studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany, commissioned in 1917 and quilts signed by Helen Keller and President Theodore Roosevelt.

The Awakening (Sculpture)
National Harbor, MD 20745 (Prince George's County, MD) Off National Plaza street, near the Marina

This 100-foot statue of a giant embedded in the earth, struggling to free himself, was created in 1980. It was part of the International Sculpture Conference Exhibition.

Congressional Cemetery
(202) 543-0539
1801 E Street SE, Washington DC 20003

Hours and Admission
The Cemetery is always open during daylight hours for self-guided walking tours. Free, docent-led tours are held every Saturday, April-October at 11am. Docent-led tours begin at the cemetery's front gate. No admission charged

This cemetery is the final resting place for 19 senators and 71 representatives with monuments honoring 120 other Members who died in office. Also buried at the cemetery: longtime FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover; composer John Philip Sousa; Civil War photographer Matthew Brady; the designer of the Washington Monument, Robert Mills; former DC “Mayor For Life” Marion Barry and several Native American chiefs. The website lists a number of self-guided tours that can be taken at the cemetery, including Civil War, Native Americans and noteworthy women.

Department of State Diplomatic Rooms 
U.S. State Department 
2201 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20520 
(202) 647-3241

Hours and Admission
Tours conducted Monday-Friday at 9:30am; 10:30am; and 2:45pm.
Make reservations by calling the number above or through the tour website. Reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance.

The 45-minute tour covers the Diplomatic Reception Rooms used by the Department of State for official functions. The renovation of the modern glass and wood rooms took place in the early 1960s, and provided a remarkable transformation into an area that has hosted dignitaries and world leaders from around the globe. The rooms hold a premier collection of 18th century American furniture, paintings and decorative arts. The tour is recommended for those over the age of 12. 

National Public Radio (NPR) 
1111 North Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Hours and Admission
Tours begin each day at 11am
Advance registration required through NPR's website.
Closed on national holidays
No admission charged

National Public Radio, or NPR, is one of the most recognizable names in radio broadcasting today. Since its founding in 1970, the media organization has served as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. The world headquarters, located in Washington D.C., offer free one hour guided tours of the newsroom and studios while teaching about the history and mission of the organization.

Drug Enforcement Administration Museum & Visitors Center
(202) 307-3463
700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202

Hours and Admission
10am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday 
Closed Federal Holidays
No admission charged

Opened in 1989, the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum and Visitors Center opened to highlight the history of the DEA. The museum tells the story of the DEA's critical role in the history of drugs and drug law enforcement of the United States.

Sewall-Belmont House 
(202) 546-1210 
144 Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Hours and Admission
Tours of the museum are offered Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
Visitors can pre-register for a tour at the Sewall-Belmont House website.
No admission charged, but donations accepted.

The Sewall-Belmont House, designated as a national monument by President Obama in April of 2016, was the home of Equal Rights Amendment author Alice Paul and served as the headquarters for the historic National Woman's Party. It is the only museum in DC dedicated to exhibits that show the fight for the American woman's right to vote. It is located on Capitol Hill next to the Senate Hart Office Building.

U.S. National Arboretum, including National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
(202) 245-2726
3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC

Hours and Admission
Arboretum
Open daily 8am-5pm 
Closed December 25
Visitors Center Open Daily 8am-4:30pm, except for federal holidays November through February 

Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Open daily 10am-4pm, except for federal holidays November through February
No admission charged to any museum.

Over 14,000 different species, varieties and cultivars are displayed on this campus in northeast Washington, D.C. You will find Asian plant collections, dogwoods, holly, magnolia, bonsai, azaleas and many other varieties. You can walk, bike and drive through the 446-acre site.

U.S. Naval Observatory 
(202) 762-1467 (Fax)
Massachusetts Avenue at Observatory Circle, NW

Hours and Admission
Tours offered at the discretion of the U.S. Naval Observatory. Check website for current tour status.

The residence of the Vice President is located on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory. Until 1974, Vice Presidents and their families lived in private homes, but the cost of securing those homes grew over the years until it became advisable to select a permanent Vice Presidential residence. The residence is not open for public tours.

The oldest scientific agency in the country offers limited public tours. The tour takes you through the USNO's unique library and gives you a perspective on the timekeeping responsibilities entrusted to the agency. You may even have the opportunity to view celestial objects with the 12-inch Alvan Clark refractor telescope.

Please be aware that the U.S. Naval Observatory is a military installation. Public access is limited to the designated tour nights and tours may be suspended at any time and with little notice by military security and/or other considerations.

Voice of America 
(202) 203-4990
330 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20237

Hours and Admission
Monday-Friday at noon
No admission is charged
While walk-in tours are available, reservations are encouraged by visiting Voice of America's website.

The Voice of America is an international broadcasting service that provides more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational and cultural programming each week to a worldwide audience that exceeds 115 million people. Those broadcasts are conducted in more than 40 languages. The studio tour is a behind-the-scenes look at live broadcasting in radio, television and the Internet in several of the languages in which VOA broadcasts; a "Kid's Version" of the tour is also available. The tour lasts 45 minutes. You can make arrangements for a tour online through the link above.

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