District of Columbia Field Trips

African American Civil War Memorial
In January 1999, the Civil War Memorial Museum opened to the public. Using photographs, documents and state of the art audio visual equipment, the museum helps visitors understand the African American's heroic and largely unknown struggle for freedom. The museum is located two blocks west of the Memorial in the historic Shaw neighborhood. To assist visitors, researchers, and descendants of USCT, the Museum also offers important educational and research tools.

Anacostia Park
Beneath the bustle of Washington, DC, the song of a meadowlark joins the sounds of friends, families, and fun. Authorized almost a hundred years ago as a multiple use park, Anacostia Park serves as a playground while protecting the natural scenery and water quality of the Anacostia River. The park serves as an example of how far-sighted urban planning serves today’s generation as well.

Audubon Naturalist Society School Programs - Washington
Welcome to the Audubon Naturalist Society, the largest and oldest independent environmental organization in the Washington, DC region. A pioneer in linking conservation activities with environmental education, ANS:

C&O Canal National Historical Park
184 1/2 Miles of Adventure Preserving America’s colorful Canal era and transportation history, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is 184.5 miles of adventure. Originally, the C&O Canal was a lifeline for communities and businesses along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, grain and other agricultural products floated down the canal to market. Today millions of visitors hike or bike the C&O Canal each year to enjoy the natural, cultural and recreational opportunities available.

Capitol Hill Parks
Capitol Hill Parks includes those park areas between 2nd Streets NE and SE and the Anacostia River. Included in this group are Folger, Lincoln, and Marion Parks, the Maryland Avenue Triangles, the Pennsylvania Avenue Medians, the Eastern Market Metro Station, the Potomac Avenue Metro Station, Seward Square, Twining Square, Stanton Park, and 59 inner-city triangles and squares.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Preserving America’s colorful Canal era and transportation history, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is 184.5 miles of adventure. Originally, the C&O Canal was a lifeline for communities and businesses along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, grain and other agricultural products floated down the canal to market. Today millions of visitors hike or bike the C&O Canal each year to enjoy the natural, cultural and recreational opportunities available.

Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network
First thoughts of the Chesapeake Bay often bring up images of crabs and oysters. But, as the largest estuary in North America, the Chesapeake Bay has touched and influenced much of the American story – early settlement, commerce, the military, transportation, recreation and more. The Bay and its surrounding 64,000 square mile watershed hold a treasure trove of historic areas, natural wonders and recreational opportunities.

Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network
A system of over 150 parks, refuges, museums, historic communities and water trails in the Bay watershed. Each of these sites tells a piece of the vast Chesapeake story.

Constitution Gardens
Dedicated in 1976, Constitution Gardens serves as an oasis within the bustling city for visitors, residents and wildlife. A memorial island in the middle of an artificial lake has stones bearing the names and signatures of the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Their pledge to freedom exists as a living tribute within this natural setting celebrating the U.S. Constitution.

Ford’s Theatre
Since it reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the April 14, 1865, assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Ford’s Theatre has been one of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital. Ford’s Theatre has enthralled visitors because of its unique place in United States history, and its mission to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the American experience through theatre and education.

Fort Dupont Park
A "park for all seasons" describes the 376 rolling wooded acres that make up one of the largest parks in all of Washington. Picnics, nature walks, Civil War programs, gardening, environmental education, music, skating, sports, and youth programs are among the varied seasonal activities possible at this spacious area east of the Anacostia River. Among the traces of old roadways, oaks, beech, and maples that cover the hillsides. squirrels and rabbits find homes along with the night foragers - raccoons and opossums.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Park
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. These are the words of our 32nd President, a man who truly knew the meaning of the word courage. Despite, at age 39, being stricken with polio and paralyzed from the waist down, he emerged as a true leader, guiding our country through some of its darkest times: the Great Depression and World War II. The FDR Memorial honors this man and his story.

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Dedicated to preserving the legacy of the most famous 19th century African American. His life was a testament to the courage and persistence that serves as an inspiration to those who struggle in the cause of liberty and justice. Visitors to the site learn about his efforts to abolish slavery and his struggle for rights for all oppressed people.

George Mason Memorial
The George Mason Memorial, dedicated on April 9, 2002, honors the little known but widely felt contributions of an important Founding Father. The memorial is located in East Potomac Park near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Born in 1725 George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights and later attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

George Washington Memorial Parkway
This is the “Road to Adventure” – originally designed as a grand gateway and greenway to the Nation’s Capital. Here, you can learn about the First President and the development of America. As an oasis amid urban development, the Parkway has a variety of park sites that provide opportunities for everything from quiet contemplation to nature exploration to active recreation.

Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources
From the Smithsonian - includes both online teaching resources and information for visitors to the museums.
Virtual field trip online

John Ericsson National Monument
During his lifetime, John Ericsson revolutionized several facets of technology. The Swedish-born engineer-inventor is best known for his work during the Civil War when he transformed naval warfare through his design of the iron-plated USS Monitor. The movements of Ericsson’s pencil across his drafting board were as crucial to victory as the movements of Lincoln’s armies across battlefields.

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
Sparkling in the sun on a breezy day, this natural area of Anacostia Park has origins in a 1926 act authorizing parks to preserve forests and natural scenery. The park reflects the history of the nation's rivers and wetlands. Come, join the dance.

Korean War Veterans National Memorial
“Freedom is not free.” Here, one finds the expression of American gratitude to those who restored freedom to South Korea. Nineteen stainless steel sculptures stand silently under the watchful eye of a sea of faces upon a granite wall—reminders of the human cost of defending freedom. These elements all bear witness to the patriotism, devotion to duty, and courage of Korean War veterans.

Lincoln Memorial
“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” Beneath these words, the 16th President of the United States—the Great Emancipator and preserver of the nation during the Civil War—sits immortalized in marble. As an enduring symbol of Freedom, the Lincoln Memorial attracts anyone who seeks inspiration and hope.

National Capital Parks-East
We invite you to journey to parks Beyond the Capital of Washington, D.C. National Capital Parks-East is 13 park sites, parkways and statuary covering more than 8,000 acres of historic, cultural, and recreational parklands from Capitol Hill to the nearby Maryland suburbs.

National Capital Trolley Museum - Colesville
The National Capital Trolley Museum preserves and interprets the heritage of electric and interurban railways of Washington, DC and environs for the benefit of present and future generations, while supplementing its collections with significant national and international objects to enhance its interpretive programs.

National Mall & Memorial Parks
Officially established in 1965, National Mall & Memorial Parks contains some of the oldest protected park lands in the National Park Service. The areas within National Mall & Memorial Parks provides visitors with ample opportunities to commemorate presidential legacies; honor the courage and sacrifice of war veterans; celebrate the United States commitment to freedom and equality.

National World War II Memorial
The National World War II Memorial commemorates the sacrifice and celebrates the victory of the of the WWII generation. Friedrich St.Florian’s winning design balances classical and modernist styles of architecture, harmonizes with its natural and cultural surroundings, and connects the legacy of the American Revolution and the American Civil War with great crusade to rid the world of fascism.

Old Post Office Tower
The Old Post Office, built between 1892 and 1899, is home to the Bells of Congress, which were a present from England on our Nation’s Bicentennial. From the observation deck, located 270 feet above the street level, the visitor can get a spectacular view of our nation’s capital.

Peirce Mill
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. Peirce Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pennsylvania Avenue
Among the world's most famous streets. It is known the world over as the heart of the Nation's Capital. America's history has marched, paraded, promenaded, and protested its way up and down the Avenue. It is no wonder that Pennsylvania Avenue is called the "America's Main Street." The Avenue is more than just another city street; it is, rather, America's Ceremonial Way.

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
Experience the Corridor of Commerce First Imagined by George Washington. The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail is a partnership to develop a network of locally-managed trails in a corridor between the mouth of the Potomac River and the Allegheny Highlands. As of mid-2008, 20 trails have been recognized as segments of the National Scenic Trail.

President's Park
Throughout the years President’s Park has served many purposes from bosk to bivouac, from a field for infantry drills to a place for inaugural celebrations. With the White House as a back drop, President’s Park over time has played host to suffragettes, freedom riders, anti-war protestors, Easter egg rollers, and participants of festivities surrounding the lighting of the National Christmas Tree.

Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is truly a gem in our nation’s 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.

The Old Stone House
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.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial
The words of Thomas Jefferson, some written more than 200 years ago, have shaped American ideals. Today, many of these impressive, stirring words adorn the interior walls of his memorial. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial stands as a symbol of liberty and endures as a site for reflection and inspiration for all citizens of the United States and the world.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Deliberately setting aside the controversies of the war, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors the men and women who served when their Nation called upon them. The designer, Maya Lin, felt that “the politics had eclipsed the veterans, their service and their lives.” She kept the design elegantly simple to “allow everyone to respond and remember.”

Washington Monument
The most prominent, as well as one of the older, attractions in Washington, D.C. 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, 555’ 5/8” high, and averages 30 to 40 miles visibility in clear weather. It was finished on December 6, 1884.

WHAT'S ON - Washington, DC
You're invited! Click any day - through December 2009 - to find tons of free and inexpensive things-to-do that day with special attention to accessibility.