District of Columbia Parks and Recreation Areas with Interpretive Programs

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the sacrifice of American military personnel during one of this nation's least popular wars. The memorial consists of three distinct sections. The three service men statue and flagpole and the women in service to the vietnam war statue. The purpose of this memorial is to separate the issue of the sacrifices of the veterans from the U.S. policy in the war, thereby creating a venue for reconciliation.

Phone: 202.426.6841   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: SW Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Vietnam Veterans Memorial

In the midst of Washington, D.C., a city of grand memorials to national leaders and significant events, stands an unassuming building commemorating the daily lives of ordinary Americans who made this city, and this nation, unique. The Old Stone House, one of the oldest known structures remaining in the nation's capital, is a simple 18th century dwelling built and inhabited by common people. read more...

Phone: 202-426-6851   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: The Old Stone House

Thomas Jefferson-political philosopher, architect, musician, book collector, scientist, horticulturist, diplomat, inventor, and third President of the United States-looms large in any discussion of what Americans are as a people. Jefferson left to the future not only ideas but also a great body of practical achievements. read more...

Phone: 202.426.6841   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: SW Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Officially established in 1965, National Mall & Memorial Parks contains some of the oldest protected park lands in the National Park Service. The sprawling lands of the National Mall & Memorial Parks include the Mall, the public promenade extending from 3rd Street near the Capitol to 14th Street. The National Mall is the continuation of that space where congressionally authorized park icons, such as the Washington Monument, WWII and Lincoln Memorials stand.

Phone: 202.485.9880   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: SW Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: State Park   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: National Mall & Memorial Parks

From 1877 to 1895, this was the home of Frederick Douglass, the Nation's leading 19th-century African American spokesman. Visitors to the site will learn more about his efforts to abolish slavery and his struggle for Human Rights, Equal Rights and Civil Rights for all oppressed people. Among Frederick Douglass' other achievements, he was U.S. minister to Haiti in 1889. Authorized Sept. 5, 1962, as Frederick Douglass Home; redesignated Feb. 12,1988 as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.

Phone: 202-426-5961   Price Range: $0 - $2   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Washingto   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Peirce Mill was built in the 1820's, and operated commercially until 1897. The United States Government acquired the mill as part of Rock Creek Park in 1892. Currently the mill is not operating. It is being preserved and ultimately will be made operable again when sufficient funding for repairs is made available. Until then, Peirce Mill remain's open to the public as a museum and ranger contact station. Peirce Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places. read more...

Phone: 202-282-0927   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Hiking, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Peirce Mill

The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865). The Lincoln Memorial was built to resemble a Greek temple. It has 36 Doric columns, one for each state at the time of Lincolns death. A sculpture by Daniel Chester French of a seated Lincoln is in the center of the memorial chamber. read more...

Phone: 202.426.6841   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Lincoln Memorial

Rock Creek Park is truly a gem in our nations capital. It offers visitors an opportunity to reflect and soothe their spirits through the beauty of nature. Fresh air, majestic trees, wild animals, and the ebb and flow of Rock Creek emanate the delicate aura of the forest.

Phone: 202-895-6000   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: NW Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: State Park   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Cross Country Skiing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Rock Creek Park

The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site commemorates the life of Mary McLeod Bethune and the organization she founded, the National Council of Negro Women. read more...

Phone: (202) 673-2402   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Mary McLoed Bethune Council Site

America's transfer from civil war to peace was made more difficult on April 14, 1865, when Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed, just five days after General Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. A well-known actor, John Wilkes Booth, desperate to aid the dying Confederacy, stepped into the president's box. Booth's decision to pull the trigger altered the nation's power to reconstruct after the war. read more...

Phone: 202-426-6924   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Washington   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Ford's Theatre National Historic Site