PARK OVERVIEW
While most people know the National Mall in Washington, D. C., to be the park area between the U. S. Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial, the Memorial Parks portion of the title National Mall and Memorial Parks may not be that familiar. Before explaining this, let’s first define the National Mall. 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. While these are on the Mall, they are not operated by the National Park Service and are therefore not reviewed by National Park Planner other than to say that they are free and certainly worth your time. And if you are wondering how they operate for free, step inside one with a kid and see how many ways they have to get your money.
While in today’s vernacular the land west of 14th Street all the way to the Lincoln Memorial is also referred to as the National Mall, technically this is 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.
All of the parks, monuments, and memorials are open 24 hours a day. If you are an adult or teenager, you can see everything in a day by visiting the Smithsonian museums during business hours and the memorials in the late afternoon and into the night when they are lit up and quite beautiful. However, younger children will be lucky to make it half-way down the Mall, one-way, without complaining. It is approximately a 5-mile round-trip walk from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial if you stop to see all of the monuments, including the Jefferson and FDR memorials located on the Tidal Basin (plan to spend about 4 hours). Heading straight down the middle of the Mall from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial is 2 miles. If you have small children (13 and under), I suggest starting with a tour of the Capitol (which is not part of the National Park system), and then visiting a few of the museums, going no farther than the Washington Monument before returning to the nearest Metro or to you car. See the Washington Monument and the memorials on another day.
To help visitors get around the National Mall and Memorial Parks, the D. C. Department of Transportation runs what is known as the D. C. Circulator. This is a bus service with one line dedicated to circling the Mall, the Memorial Parks, and the Tidal Basin, stopping at all major attractions. The buses come by every 10 minutes. Rides are $1 each (50¢ for seniors and disabled riders, and kids under five ride for free with a paying adult). You can pay with cash (exact change only), your SmarTrip Card, and a $17.50 7-Day WMATA regional bus pass. See the Circulator website for complete information.
Tourists come to the Mall to see the museums and monuments, but never forget that the Mall is a public park and the green spaces are open to all activities common to parks—picnicking on the grass, throwing a Frisbee, playing sports (non-organized), jogging, walking, etc. Areas may be closed for periods of time in order to maintain the grass and landscape, but any area not closed off is open for public enjoyment.
Just off the Mall in West and East Potomac Parks are actual ball fields managed by the National Park Service where sandlot and organized leagues can play. The Mall also includes the East Potomac Golf Course, the East Potomac Tennis Center, and the East Potomac Aquatic Center. All of these are open to the public.
MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS
Visiting and reviewing every piece of land managed by the National Mall and Memorial Parks is beyond the scope of National Park Planner. Reviews are limited to the major memorials on or near the Mall. For photos and a brief description of some of the other memorials you will encounter during your travels throughout Washington, see the Miscellaneous Memorials and Statues web page.
Eleven of the memorials on the Mall are National Park units themselves. This means that if you are attempting to see every National Park in the system, by stopping at the Mall and visiting these eleven monuments you can check off eleven parks from your list—the National Mall also counts as one. You can check off another park by walking from the Capitol to the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, for this section is a National Historic Site that is also managed by the National Mall and Memorial Parks.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
OPERATING HOURS
Except for the interior of the Washington Monument, all memorials and parks that are units of the National Mall and Memorial Parks are open year-round, 24 hours a day. National Park Service Rangers are typically stationed at all major memorials from 9:30 AM to 10 PM to answer questions.
Washington Monument Tour Times
• Daily from 9 AM to 5 PM (last entry at 4 PM)
• Closed on July 4th and Christmas Day
• Ticket office opens at 8:30 AM
Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to check the official Washington Monument Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the latest schedule.
FEES
All museums and monuments on the Mall are free to enter, including the world famous Smithsonian Museums. The exception is a service fee for online reserved tickets for tours of the Washington Monument ($1/ticket). You can get free tickets each day at the Monument, but you must arrive very early and hope tickets aren’t gone before you get your turn at the box office.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on May 4, 2022