National Mall

The National Mall refers to the nearly 2-mile expanse of public park between the Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial - tree-lined and flat, the Mall is justifiably popular with runners, but most people come to the Mall for any one of the 15+ monuments and Smithsonian museums. Take your pick from world-renowned art galleries, the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of the American Indian and the Washington Monument, just to name a few. Though it would take days just to do a quick run-through of every museum and monument, the wonderful thing about the Mall is that everything is free - you can dip in and out as you like, and that, coupled with a visit to some of the monuments, is easily done in a day and an absolute must for any visitor to D.C.