Virtual Tours

America’s Main Street: Pennsylvania Avenue and the White House

America’s most famous avenue, connecting the White House and US Capitol, hasn’t always been a grand thoroughfare. Pennsylvania Avenue and the surrounding neighborhood has been renovated, re-imagined and revitalized over and over again. From Murder Bay, a center of crime, gambling, and prostitution, to the stately boulevard of Presidential inaugurations, hear the story of metamorphosis along America’s Main Street.

Highlights include:

Millionaires Row to Embassy Row: Washington in the Gilded Age

Washington’s movers and shakers once strolled the streets of Dupont Circle, where Massachusetts Avenue was the city’s premier residential address. Heiresses, industrial magnates, newspaper tycoons and political elites built opulent mansions along the avenue, all to impress Washington society. After the Great Depression, many of these magnificent mansions were converted into embassies, social clubs, and offices. Hear the stories of the Capital’s ruling class and learn about the history of Washington’s premier promenade.

Highlights include:

Monumental Core: The Evolution of the National Mall

Over nearly 250 years, the National Mall has evolved as the center stage of our Nation’s Capital. The founding fathers envisioned the District of Columbia as a shining beacon of democracy for a newly independent nation, with the National Mall as its core. Progress, however, was slow and laborious. Less than 40 years after the establishment of Washington, Charles Dickens described the underwhelming capital as a “City of Magnificent Intentions”. From pasture lands to military training grounds and from mud flats to grand monuments, hear the tumultuous and lesser known history of our most enduring national landmarks.

Highlights include:

– The L’Enfant Plan
– United States Capitol Building
– Washington Monument
– The White House
– National WWII Memorial
– Vietnam Veterans Memorial
– Lincoln Memorial

The Smithsonians: Tracing the Arc of American Architecture

Our “Nation’s Attic,” the Smithsonian Institution has shaped the character of the National Mall since 1855. Washington’s most beloved museums trace the arc of American architecture, from the Gothic Smithsonian Castle to the modern Museum of African American History and Culture. Romanesque to Victorian, neoclassical to Brutalist, each unique building is an architectural study all its own. Learn about the style, design, controversy, construction, and fascinating backstory behind these celebrated museums. 

Highlights include:

– Smithsonian Castle & Garden
– Arts and Industries Building
– National Museum of Natural History
– Freer Gallery of Art
– Hirshhorn Museum
– National Air and Space Museum
– Museum of the American Indian
– National Museum of African American History and Culture

Deep in the District: Washington’s Hidden Neighborhoods

There is a distinction in the Capital City often made by locals between Washington and DC. “Washington” is the federal city– grand government buildings, monuments, memorials, and the famous icons of our Nation’s Capital.  But “DC” is where the real soul of the city lives. The District’s diverse neighborhoods each have their own unique character, from the well preserved colonial streets of Georgetown to the drastically (and tragically) altered Southwest Waterfront. Explore far off the Mall and learn about the real history of the District. 

Neighborhoods include: