Complete information about visiting the National Mall and Memorial Parks in now on National Park Planner!
The National Mall and Memorial Parks is a National Park unit that refers to two distinct areas. The first is the National Mall of the park’s title. Technically, as of 2011, the National Mall is the rectangular park with an eastern boundary of 3rd Street near the Capitol and a western boundary of 14th Street. The northern boundary is Pennsylvania Avenue from 3rd Street to Constitution Avenue, and then Constitution to 14th Street. The southern boundary is Maryland Avenue from 3rd Street to Independence Avenue, and then Independence to 14th Street. Within this area are all of the world famous Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery of Art.
With that said, in today’s vernacular the National Mall also refers to the land west of 14th Street all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. However, this is technically part of the Memorial Parks, as is the Tidal Basin area and West and East Potomac Park where you will find the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. In fact, the Memorial Parks include more than 150 parks and traffic circles within Washington where you will find fountains, statues, and sculptures. If you are standing at an intersection and see a piece of land that is too small to be useful, but on which sits a statue of someone you’ve never heard of, that’s probably a Memorial Park.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL
DIRECTIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
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Last updated on March 23, 2019
