Hi Doc:
I spent my first 37 years in NoVa. Here’s a few favorites.
The museum Trainnut has circled is the Natural History museum. The one you want is to the left. Has a nice collection of old cars near the train. At Dulles Airport is the new air and space annex. It houses an SR-71, Concord, Shuttle Enterprise, and a DC-3. Think there are also some cars there as well. If you're arriving or departing from Dulles i'd definitely schedule four hours there. The Smithsonian is HUGE so definitely scope it out on line. My personal favorites are the train and pendulum at American History, early man and dinosaurs’ exhibits at Natural History, Dali’s crucifixion at the Art Gallery, the east wing just for the building, the kinetic art in the Hirshorn, and the IMAX and lunar lander in the Air and Space. I haven’t been back since the Native American museum opened but would like to see that too. A lot of folks like the Holocaust Museum but I had moved away before it opened and haven’t been to it yet. The Renwick Gallery used to have some great glass on exhibit.
The monuments each have their own special character and speak to each of us in their own way. My favorites, in no particular order, Lincoln – go up and sit on the steps first thing in the morning and watch the sunrise over the Washington monument. Jefferson, very pretty setting, quite a man. Roosevelt, this one is a surprise. It just keeps drawing you in and each part is different from the one before. Does a good job of helping you understand just how great an impact he had. There’s a nice monument to Albert Einstein on the north side of Constitution Avenue just after you come into the city from Virginia. It’s a fun statement on his character. And shortly there after is the Vietnam memorial on the south side. There’s nothing quit like it. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a special place. Try and arrive there on the hour to observe the changing of the guard.
There’s not a lot of railroading in DC. Union Station is an impressive building. The yard in Alexandria has a fair amount of activity. Definitely ride the Metro rail. It can make getting around the city SO much easier and the stations are unique. It stops at National Airport, Ronald Regan now.
There’s a bunch of other stuff in the area to do of course. Look into the schedule of events and see what you can find. Watch your time. It’s very easy to spend a day in each of the Smithsonian buildings.
Regards,
Ted