Rough Guides - Washington and the Capital Region

GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON DC

One of the countrys premier institutions for art and culture, laid out in spacious, elegant surroundings on the National Mall.

Though now part of Washington, this eighteenth-century neighbourhood long predates the capital and draws visitors with its architecture, dining and shopping.

This reconstruction of colonial America, apothecaries and all, makes for a fun and interesting trip.

Thomas Jeffersons home is as much an architectural icon as it is a symbol of democracy.

A spectacular river canyon with a 1000ft chasm carved in steep-walled limestone cliffs one of the countrys outstanding natural attractions.

Delaware boasts some of the East Coasts greatest, most palatial mansions, like these once owned by the industrialist Du Pont family and now open to the public.

For details on getting to Washington and the Capital Region and travelling across the rest of the USA, as well as information on entry requirements and currency, plus travelling with children, national holidays and sport, turn to the section.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (the boundaries of the two are identical) can be unbearably hot and humid in summer, and bitterly cold in winter. It was chosen as the site of the capital of the newly independent United States of America because of a compromise between the northern and southern states and, basically, because George Washington wanted it there sixteen miles upstream from his Mount Vernon estate. The other side of DC, with a majority black population, is run as a virtual colony of Congress, where residents have only non-voting representation and couldnt vote in presidential elections until the 23rd amendment was passed in 1961 the citys official licence plate reads Taxation Without Representation.

The best times to come are during Aprils National Cherry Blossom Festival and the more temperate months (May, June & Sept). The nations capital puts on quite a display for its guests, and, best of all, admission to all major attractions on the National Mall is always free; the most famous sights include the White House, memorials to four of the greatest presidents and the superb museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Between the Mall and the main spine of Pennsylvania Avenue the route that connects Capitol Hill to the White House the Neoclassical buildings of the Federal Triangle are home to agencies forming the hub of the national bureaucracy. In recent years, even the once-blighted area known as Old Downtown (north of the eastern side of the Mall), has had a dramatic uptick in visitors and nightlife around its Penn Quarter , centred around 7th and F streets. West of the White House, Foggy Bottom is another cornerstone of the federal bureaucracy.