Cherry blossom season is upon us once more, a time many DC residents dread. The tourists flock in, and the metro system and downtown are impossible to reach. But if you’re seeking to get off campus over these next few weeks, and want to evade those large crowds, you’ll want to look into these interesting sites in the city.
1. O St. Mansion
Have you ever wanted to find your inner Nancy Drew or Hardy Boy? Are you a fan of rock and roll? Do you appreciate the arts? Then this museum was made for you! 32 secret doors hidden behind bookcases, mirrors, walls—and the average found totals only 2. From hidden bedrooms to wine cellars, you can walk all four floors of this mansion for hours and find something new around every corner, even if you had previously walked by that corner. Rosa Parks even lived in the mansion at one point. Everything in museum is for sale as long as you have the cash to pay for it, whether that be Beatles memorabilia or Audrey Hepburn’s ‘My Fair Lady’ dress. If you wanted to, you could stay in the mansion as well, as it serves not only as a museum and exploratory space, but a hotel. For $15, just off the Dupont Metro, you can get lost for hours in a sea of history and creativity.
2. National Arboretum
While hard to get to on public transportation, this site is worth any DC resident’s time. The biggest garden in the city and located in the northwest area of the political capital, the National Arboretum has more political history to it than just its location. It contains the columns of the original Capitol Building, the same columns that saw Andrew Jackson’s inauguration, up until Eisenhower’s. The National Capitol Columns marks a major part of American history that is incredibly deserted compared to most monuments in Washington, and makes for some amazing pictures. On a sunny day, make sure you stop by and wander around the vast expanses of this arboretum.
3. Lincoln’s Cottage
If you love the Lincoln Memorial, and can’t get enough of seeing Lincoln’s top hat in the American History Museum, this site is a no-brainer to visit. Even if you are not a Lincoln fanatic, this is one of the most interesting, hidden places to visit in the city. A bus ride away from the Brookland-CUA metro stop, is the Armed Forces Retirement Home. On this vast property sits a home used by the Lincoln’s during the Civil War. The White House was too vulnerable and the army trained on the lawn, so the First Family lived north of there in a cottage near the Maryland border. Every day, Lincoln would travel on his horse from the cottage to the White House to fulfill his duties, and at the end of the day, he would return to the cottage where Mary and the children were waiting. While the tour is somewhat pricey at $15, you will learn more about Lincoln than you ever thought you would, and you’ll get a nice picture with the statue of him and his horse outside the cottage as well!
4. Frederick Douglass’ House
Hidden in Anacostia lies the home of one of the most famous men in American history. The house, run by National Park Service, is free to visit, and can be entered into with Park Rangers on hourly tours throughout the week. The visitor center even has a statue of him to take a picture with while you wait for the next tour to be led into the house. The home sits on a hill, and before industrialization started to spike, had spectacular views of the hub of Washington from across the Anacostia River. On that hill today, you can still see part of that amazing view to spot the Capitol Building.
5. Roosevelt Island
Back in the fall, I took a friend from out-of-town monumenting, and as we walked through the FDR Memorial, I wished aloud that were one for the first President Roosevelt—Theodore or “Teddy” as he has always affectionately been called. A DC resident passing by shouted that there actually is one, and my curiosity spiked. I looked into it, and on a small island near Rosslyn and Georgetown, lies Theodore Roosevelt Island. It is mostly full of nature trails, perhaps the greatest tribute of all that could be paid to a conservationist President, but in the center of the island, a statue much larger than Thomas Jefferson’s in his memorial, dominates a small, decorative plaza. Roosevelt stands there, one hand in the air, looking determined, and the best part is—the plaza is almost always empty. It is the hidden monument, not far from where Lincoln sits in his large chair and where FDR sits with Fala beside him. A treasure found within nature—fitting for such a nature-loving man.
Washington, DC is a city filled with Smithsonian museums and national monuments—but there is more to see than what is just on the National Mall. There are multiple miscellaneous ‘touristy’ spots, whether it be Woodrow Wilson’s house or the old Washington Coliseum, all just a short ride away from American’s campus.
PC: All photos belong to the author.