Micah Walters

We’ve come to this park several times over the past few years to watch fireworks on July 4th, and it’s always been a great location. We normally park at the Pentagon North Parking lot, and walk over. Leaving can take a while, but it’s definitely easier than trying to navigate downtown DC.

The reflection pool here in front of the capital has always been a great place to hang out after looking at the museums or federal buildings. Our kids always enjoy the water, and this time of year there are plenty of ducks and baby ducklings. It also offers a great view back down the mall and the capital building.

Stopped to view the outside gardens on our walk to the capital, and they were really stunning. The botanical gardens I think are an under appreciated gem in DC, and definitely worth a visit. There is plenty to see both inside and out, and they do a good job of updating the plants to keep the displays fresh.

Definitely plan to come back during Christmas! The model train display is a real highlight.

This was a neat part of the overall Vietnam Memorial that I had missed in previous visits here. The view of the soldiers back over the memorial is sobering, and really helps add a sense of humanity to a profound and moving memorial. We visited over Memorial Day weekend, so there were a lot of tributes in place, and it was a powerful time to visit as a result. We’ve generally avoided coming to the mall over Memorial Day due to the crowds, but this experience makes me likely to come back a future year.

This is one of the best spots to break out of the crowds during the rush with the Cherry Blossoms. Lots of shady, grassy areas to spread out and enjoy the views. The parking lot is closed to traffic, so there’s a lot more room for pedestrians, and they also add portable restrooms in the parking lot area during cherry blossom festival.