In Washington, DC, you’ll enjoy access to captivating attractions and historic sights...many of which are FREE to the public. Touch a moon rock, marvel at the Hope Diamond, view Dorothy's Ruby Red slippers or explore Native American culture at the Smithsonian Institution's fifteen Washington, DC area facilities. Discover treasures like the Gutenberg Bible at the Library of Congress, the only da Vinci painting in North America at the National Gallery of Art and historic documents like the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives.
Away from these celebrated federal sites, Washington, DC unwinds into a fascinating network of neighborhoods where visitors discover trendy boutiques, hip bars and restaurants. Shoppers love the store-lined streets of Georgetown, while jazz music fans won’t want to miss a trip to U Street, where Duke Ellington played his first notes.
The arrival of several new eateries has made the nation's capital a prime destination for dining out, with many of the city's top tables located in the downtown Penn Quarter neighborhood. DC is also earning new recognition as a thriving performing arts town, with 65 professional theatre companies based in the metropolitan area presenting edgy world premieres and celebrated Broadway musicals throughout the year.
Thanks to DC's pedestrian-friendly streets and its safe, efficient public transportation system—including Metrorail and the new Circulator bus—it’s easy to get from your hotel to Washington, DC's attractions. For more information, visit Convention and Visitors Bureau at (202) 789-700.
Ready to create your own itinerary?
Below are some activities during your stay in Washington, DC. Attendees are encouraged to contact these sites directly for more information.
National Air and Space Museum
Open daily: 10:00 am-5:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-1000
The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics.
Special Opportunity for AHLA Attendees and Their Families: The Air and Space Museum's "How Things Fly" gallery will open at 9:00 am on Tuesday, June 30 for a private viewing, including a Science Demonstration at 9:30 am. This will allow our attendees and their families to view the gallery a full hour before it opens to the public. When the doors open to the public at 10:00 am, you are welcome to stay and enjoy the rest of the Museum. Please note: We need to let the Museum know who is coming, so if you would like to take advantage of this offer, please send an email with the names of the people who will be attending and the ages of the kids.
For more information about this great exhibition, visit the Air and Space Museum's website. |
The Lockheed Imax Theater and Albert Einstein Planetarium shows cost $8.50 for adults and $7.00 for children. Contact the museum for Imax and Planetarium shows.
National Museum of American History
Open daily: 10:00 am-5:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-1000
The Museum collects and preserves more than 3 million artifacts—all true national treasures. We take care of everything from the original Star-Spangled Banner and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat to Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet and Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.” Our collections form a fascinating mosaic of American life and comprise the greatest single collection of American history.
National Museum of Natural History
Open daily: 10:00 am-5:30 pm
Admission is free ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-1000
Whether looking at the history and cultures of Africa, describing our earliest Mammalian ancestor or primate diversity around the world, examining ancient life forms including the ever popular dinosaurs, or exploring the beauty of rare gemstones such as uniquely colored diamonds, the Museum’s temporary and permanent exhibitions serve to educate, enlighten and entertain millions of visitors each year.
The Johnson Imax Theater and Albert Einstein Planetarium shows cost $8.50 for adults. Contact the museum for Imax and Planetarium shows.
Freer Gallery of Art / Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Open daily: 10:00 am-5:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-1000
The Freer and the neighboring Arthur M. Sackler Gallery together form the national museum of Asian art for the United States. Besides Asian art, the Freer houses a collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American art, including the world's largest number of works by James McNeill Whistler. Special exhibitions during Annual Meeting include: “Perspectives: Anish Kapoor,” “The Tale of Shuten Doji,” and “The Tsars and the East: Gifts from Turkey and Iran in the Moscow Kremlin.”
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Open daily: 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-4674
The Hirshhorn presents art in a range of media, including works on paper, painting, installation, photography, sculpture, digital and video art, and works that mix all or some of the above. Our collection of modern art (late-nineteenth century to mid-twentieth century) and contemporary art (from the 1970s to today) includes in-depth holdings by some of the best-known artists of our time, as well as the work of today’s most promising emerging artists.
National Portrait Gallery
Open daily: 11:30 am-7:00 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-8300
Generations of remarkable Americans are kept in the company of their fellow citizens at the National Portrait Gallery. Through the visual and performing arts, we celebrate leaders such as George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr., artists such as Mary Cassatt and George Gershwin, activists such as Sequoyah and Rosa Parks, and icons of pop culture such as Babe Ruth and Marilyn Monroe. There will be two special exhibitions during the Annual Meeting:
“Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture” and “Reflections/ Refractions: Self-Portraiture in the Twentieth Century.”
Renwick Gallery
Open daily: 10:00 am-5:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-1000
The Renwick Gallery, a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, features one of the finest collections of American craft in the United States. Its collections, exhibition program and publications highlight the best craft objects and decorative arts from the 19th century to the present.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Open daily: 11:30 am – 7:00 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 633-5285
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation's first collection of American art, is an unparalleled record of the American experience. The collection captures the aspirations, character and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries
Capitol Visitor Center
Open Monday – Saturday, 8:45 am-4:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 226-8000
The CVC officially opened on December 2, 2008. This date was selected to coincide with the 145th anniversary of placing Thomas Crawford's Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol building in 1863, signifying the completion of construction of its dome
International Spy Museum
Open daily: 9:00 am-7:00 pm
Admission is $18.00; children are $15.00; children under 5 are free
Metro accessible
(202) 393-7798
The International Spy Museum is always a hit with older children and parents alike. It explores the history of espionage with interactive exhibits and a new hour-long program for visitors ages 12 and up. Operation Spy, which combines live-action video characters, special effects and hands-on activities, makes for an intrigue-filled adventure based on an actual case drawn from the files of U.S. intelligence.
National Archives
Open daily: 10:00 am-7:00 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 357-5450
The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom is the permanent home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights. These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries.
Arlington National Cemetery
Open daily 8:00 am-7:00 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(703) 607-8000
For the almost four million people who visit annually, Arlington National Cemetery represents many different things. For some, it is a chance to walk among headstones that chronicle American history; for many, it is an opportunity to remember and honor the nation's war heroes; and for others, it is a place to say a last farewell during funeral services for a family member or friend.
The Capitol
Open Monday – Saturday, 8:45 am-3:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 226-8000
Guided tours of the Capitol begin at the Orientation Theaters on the lower level of the Capitol Visitor Center. “Out of Many, One,” a 13-minute film, illustrates how this country established a new form of government, highlights the vital role that Congress plays in the daily lives of Americans, and introduces you to the building that houses the U.S. Congress.
Tours may be booked in advance online through the office of your Senators or Representative, or through the Office of Visitor Services. There are also a limited number of passes are available each day at the tour kiosks on the East and West Fronts of the Capitol or at the Information Desks in Emancipation Hall on the lower level of the Visitor Center.
Library of Congress
Open Monday – Saturday, 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 707-9779
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.
Mt. Vernon
Open daily 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Admission is FREE
(703) 780-2000
Mount Vernon was the beloved home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799. He worked tirelessly to expand his plantation from 2,000 acres to 8,000 and the mansion house from six rooms to twenty one.
National Zoo
Open daily 6:00 am - 8:00 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible and walkable from the Hotel
(202) 633.4800
The National Zoo is a 163-acre zoological park set amid Rock Creek Park in the heart of Washington, DC Open to the public 364 days a year, we are home to 2,000 individual animals of nearly 400 different species. Our best known residents are our giant pandas, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and their cub, Tai Shan. The Zoo is right up the street from the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.
Washington Monument
Open daily 9:00 am-4:45 pm
(800) 444-6777
The Washington Monument is the most prominent structure in Washington, DC and one of the city's early attractions. It was built in honor of George Washington, who led the country to independence and then became its first President. The Monument is shaped like an Egyptian obelisk, stands 555’ 5 1/8” tall, and offers views in excess of thirty miles. It was finished on December 6, 1884. Tickets are required and can either be purchased in advance for a fee ($1.50) by calling, or free tickets can be obtained for same day visits from the kiosk at the bottom of the hill from the monument.
Ford’s Theater
(202) 638-294 ▪ (202) 347-4833
June 26 and July 1
History on Foot: Join Detective McDevitt to revisit and reexamine the sites and clues that separate fact from fiction in a first-hand look at the investigation into the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy and the events of April 14 and 15, 1865. Investigation: Detective McDevitt lasts approximately 90 minutes and makes at least eight stops throughout the story. The distance walked is approximately 1.4 miles from Ford’s Theatre to the White House, an easy walk to follow the most exciting night in our nation's history!
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
(202) 467-4600 ▪ (800) 444-1324
June 27
The Royal Ballet - 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Shear Madness - 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm
National Symphony Orchestra - 8:00 pm
June 28
The Royal Ballet - 1:30 pm
The Kennedy Center Chamber Players - 2:00 pm
Shear Madness - 3:30 pm and 7:00 pm
June 29
Shear Madness - 8:00 pm
June 30
The Color Purple - 7:30 pm
Shear Madness - 8:00 pm
July 1
Shear Madness - 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
July 2
The Color Purple - 7:30 pm
Shear Madness - 8:00 pm
July 3
The Color Purple - 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Shear Madness - 8:00 pm
July 4
The Color Purple - 1:30 pm
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
(703) 255-1900 ▪ (877) 965-3872
June 27 and June 28
Riverdance - 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Major League Baseball: The Nationals
(202) 675-6287
July 3
Nationals vs. Atlanta - 7:05 pm
July 4
Nationals vs. Atlanta - 1:05 pm
Major League Soccer: DC United
(202) 587-5000
The schedule has not yet been released. Please contact DC United directly.
FDR Memorial
Open daily
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 426-6841
Holocaust Memorial Museum
Open daily 10:00 am -5:30 pm
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 488–0400
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Open daily
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 426-6841
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Open daily
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 426-6841
Lincoln Memorial
Open daily
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 426-6841
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Open daily
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 426-6841
WWII Memorial
Open daily
Admission is FREE ▪ Metro accessible
(202) 619-7222
Day and Night Segway Tour
(202) 626-0017 ▪ Tickets: $70.00 per person
Our Segway tour is the perfect tour for both those new to the city and those locals looking to experience Washington DC with an effortless glide. For the newbies to DC, this tour will offer you a fantastic orientation and give you an opportunity to see virtually all of the sites you've read about. For the veterans and locals, we're positive you'll learn new facts and stories about Washington that you've never heard. And we're sure you'll both agree that riding a Segway is the best way to see the 'Capital City'.
DC Duck Tour
(800) 868-7482
DC Ducks is the newest, most exciting way to see Washington. Climb aboard an authentic, fully restored 1942 “Duck” and let the adventure begin! From Union Station we will waddle down to the mall where you’ll see the awe inspiring monuments and fabulous Smithsonian Museums. Then at the Potomac River you’ll splash down for a whole different look at the nation’s capital. From the land to the water, it’s all in the same vehicle!
Old Town Trolley Tours
(800) 868-7482
For more than 25 years, Old Town Trolley Tours has provided extraordinary sightseeing adventures to millions of guests allowing them to see the best of Washington DC first. Our friendly conductors take you through our country’s rich past to present day through humorous stories and fascinating trivia, making each tour interesting and fun.
Tourmobile
(202) 554–5100
Get ready for the sights and sounds of the Nation’s Capital. Tourmobile Sightseeing’s narrated shuttle tours take you right where you want to go with unlimited free reboarding. You choose where to stop, stay as long as you want, then reboard and ride to another historic location.