When it comes to memorials, no other American city can top Washington, D.C., which is home to dozens of national memorials, monuments, statues and other landmarks, many of which are spread out on the perimeter of the National Mall. While no tour group has time to visit all of them, here are some memorials most travelers try to see before leaving town.
War Memorials
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a wall inscribed with the names of those killed in the Vietnam War. The Marine Corps War Memorial features a larger-than-life statue that depicts the Marines raising the American flag over Iwo Jima, Japan. The National World War II Memorial, dedicated in 2004, features 56 pillars and a fountain.
Leaders Memorials
Some of Washington’s most memorable memorials are dedicated to extraordinary single leaders. The Lincoln Memorial is perhaps the most famous, with a 19-foot-tall sculpture of a seated Lincoln overlooking a long reflecting pool and facing the Washington Monument at the other end. The Jefferson Memorial sits on the banks of the Potomac River and features a 19-foot-tall bronze sculpture of the third president. And the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, unveiled in 2011, is centered around a 30-foot-tall granite relief of King with a line from his “I Have a Dream” speech.
