Parks and Nature

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Gardens | Parks | Zoos and Aquariums

Washington is more than marble and limestone buildings. The city is blessed with numerous parks and outdoor attractions that provide a break from the museums and government facilities. Rock Creek Park extends through much of the city; there may just be an entrance to the park nearby your hotel. Other outdoor attractions, such as the Tidal Basin, Potomac Park, and Constitution Gardens, offer a chance to see nature, combined with the beauty of nearby waterways and the majesty of the city’s most beloved monuments, such as the Vietnam Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the FDR Memorial.

Gardens

Constitution Gardens.
Many ideas were proposed to develop this 50-acre site near the Reflecting Pool and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It once held “temporary” buildings erected by the Navy before World War I and not removed until after World War II. President Nixon is said to have favored something resembling Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. The final design was plainer, with paths winding through groves of trees and, on the lake, a tiny island paying tribute to the signers of the Declaration of Independence, their signatures carved into a low stone wall. In 1986 President Reagan proclaimed the gardens a living legacy to the Constitution; in that spirit, a naturalization ceremony for new citizens now takes place here each year. | Constitution Ave. between 17th and 23rd Sts. NW, White House rea | 20024 |
www.nps.gov/coga | Station: Foggy Bottom.

Quick Bites: At the circular snack bar just west of the Constitution Gardens lake, you can get hot dogs, potato chips, candy bars, soft drinks, and beer at prices lower than those charged by most street vendors.

Fodor’s Choice | Dumbarton Oaks.
One of the loveliest places for a stroll in Washington is Dumbarton Oaks, the acres of enchanting gardens adjoining Dumbarton House in Georgetown. Planned by noted landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, the gardens incorporate elements of traditional English, Italian, and French styles and include a formal rose garden, an English country garden, and an orangery (circa 1810). A full-time crew of a dozen gardeners toils to maintain the stunning collection of terraces, geometric gardens, tree-shaded brick walks, fountains, arbors, and pools. Plenty of well-positioned benches make this a good place for resting weary feet, too. You enter the gardens at 31st and R streets and there is a small fee. Dumbarton House houses world-renowned collections of Byzantine and pre-Columbian art. | 1703 32nd St. NW, Georgetown | 20007 | 202/339–6401, 202/339–6400 | www.doaks.org | Gardens: Apr.–Oct. $8, Nov.–Mar. free | Gardens: Apr.–Oct., Tues.–Sun. 2–6; Nov.–Mar., Tues.–Sun. 2–5.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens.
Cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post purchased the 25-acre Hillwood Estate in 1955. Post devoted as much attention to her gardens as she did to the 40-room Georgian mansion: you can wander through 13 acres of them, including a Japanese rock and waterfall garden, a manicured formal French garden, a rose garden, Mediterranean fountains, and a greenhouse full of orchids. The “Lunar Lawn,” where she threw garden parties that were the most coveted invitation in Washington society, is planted with dogwood, magnolia, cherry, and plum trees, as well as azaleas, camellias, lilacs, tulips, and pansies. The estate is best reached by taxi or car (parking is available on the grounds). It’s a 20- to 30-minute walk from the Metro. | 4155 Linnean Ave. NW, Upper Northwest | 20008 | 202/686–5807, 202/686–8500 | www.hillwoodmuseum.org | House and grounds $12 | Feb.–Dec., Tues.–Sat. 10–5 | Station: Van Ness/UDC.

Kahlil Gibran Memorial Garden.
In a town known for its political combat, this tiny urban park is a wonderful place to find some peace. The park combines Western and Arab symbols and is perfect for contemplation. From the Massachusetts Avenue entrance, a stone walk bridges a grassy swale. Farther on are limestone benches, engraved with sayings from Gibran, that curve around a fountain and a bust of the Lebanese-born poet. The garden is near the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory. | 3100 block of Massachusetts Ave. NW, Upper Northwest | Station: Woodley Park or Dupont Circle.

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.
Exotic water lilies, lotuses, hyacinths, and other water-loving plants thrive in this 14-acre sanctuary of quiet ponds and marshy flats. The gardens’ wetland animals include turtles, frogs, beavers, spring azure butterflies, and some 40 species of birds. TIP In July nearly everything blossoms; early morning is the best time to visit, when day bloomers are just opening and night bloomers have yet to close. The nearest Metro stop is a 15-minute walk away. | 1550 Anacostia Ave. at Douglas St. NE, Anacostia | 20019 | 202/426–6905 | www.nps.gov/keaq | Free | Gardens and visitor center, daily 7–4; garden tours daily at 9, 10, and 11 | Station: Deanwood.

Tudor Place.
A little more than a block from Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown is this little-known gem, the former home of Martha Washington’s granddaughter. The house has 5.5 acres of gardens that offer impressive replications of Federal-period gardens and include 19th-century specimen trees and boxwoods from Mount Vernon. Make time for a one-hour tour of the house itself, which features many rare possessions of George and Martha Washington. | 1644 31st Pl. NW, Georgetown | 20007 | 202/965–0400 | www.tudorplace.org | $8, garden $3 | House tours: Tues.–Sat. on the hr 10–3; Sun. on the hr noon–3. Garden: Mon.–Sat. 10–4, Sun. noon–4. Closed Jan. | Station: Woodley Park or Dupont Circle.

United States Botanic Garden.
Established by Congress in 1820, this is the oldest botanic garden in North America. The garden conservatory sits at the foot of Capitol Hill, in the shadow of the Capitol building and offers an escape from the stone and marble federal office buildings that surround it; inside are exotic rain-forest species, desert flora, and trees from all parts of the world. A special treat is the extensive collection of rare and unusual orchids. Walkways suspended 24 feet above the ground provide a fascinating view of the plants. A relatively new addition is the National Garden, opened in 2006, which emphasizes educational exhibits. The garden features the Rose Garden, Butterfly Garden, Lawn Terrace, First Ladies’ Water Garden, and Regional Garden. | 1st St. at 100 Maryland Ave. SW, Capitol Hill | 20024 | 202/225–8333 | www.usbg.gov | Free | Botanic Garden daily 10–5; National Garden daily 10–7 | Station: Federal Center SW.

Fodor’s Choice | United States National Arboretum.
During azalea season (mid-April through May) this 446-acre oasis is a blaze of color. In early summer, clematis, peonies, rhododendrons, and roses bloom. At any time of year the 22 original Corinthian columns from the U.S. Capitol, re-erected here in 1990, are striking. The arboretum has guided hikes throughout the year, including a Full Moon Hike at night. Check the website for schedules and to register. For a soothing, relaxing outing, visit the Cryptomeria Walk and Japanese Stroll Garden, which are part of the Bonsai and Penjing Museum. Admission to the grounds is free. On weekends a tram tours ($4) the arboretum’s curving roadways at 10:30, 11:30, 1, 2, 3, and 4. It’s a difficult walk from the Metro so driving or biking in is best. The National Herb Garden and the National Bonsai Collection are also here. | 3501 New York Ave. NE, Northeast D.C. | 20002 | 202/245–2726 | www.usna.usda.gov | Free | Arboretum and herb garden daily 8–5, bonsai collection daily 10–4 | Station: Weekends only, Union Station, then X6 bus (runs every 40 mins); weekdays, Stadium/Armory, then B2 bus to Bladensburg Rd. and R St.

Parks

C&O Canal.
George Washington was one of the first to advance the idea of a canal linking the Potomac with the Ohio River across the Appalachians. Work started on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in 1828, and when it opened in 1850 its 74 locks linked Georgetown with Cumberland, Maryland, 184.5 miles to the northwest (still short of its intended destination). Lumber, coal, iron, wheat, and flour moved up and down the canal, but it was never as successful as its planners had hoped it would be. Many of the bridges spanning the canal in Georgetown were too low to allow anything other than fully loaded barges to pass underneath, and competition from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad eventually spelled an end to profitability. Today the canal is part of the National Park System; walkers follow the towpath once used by mules, while canoeists paddle the canal’s calm waters.

You can glide into history aboard a mule-drawn canal boat ride. The National Park service provides the hour-long rides from about mid-April through late October; tickets cost $5 and are available across the canal from the visitor center, next to the Foundry Building. The schedule varies by season, with limited rides in spring and fall. In summer the boats run at least twice a day from Wednesday through Sunday. Call the visitor center for the exact schedule on the day of your visit. Canal-boat rides also depart from the Great Falls Tavern visitor center in Maryland. | Georgetown Canal Visitor Center, 1057 Thomas Jefferson St. NW, Georgetown | 20007 | 202/653–5190 | www.nps.gov/choh | Visitor center: Apr.–Oct., Wed.–Sun. 9–4:30; Nov.–Mar., weekends 10–4, staffing permitting.

East Potomac Park.
This 328-acre finger of land extends south of the Jefferson Memorial from the Tidal Basin between the Washington Channel to the east and the Potomac River to the west. There are playgrounds, picnic tables, tennis courts, swimming pools, a driving range, two 9-hole golf courses, miniature golf, and an 18-hole golf course. Double-blossoming cherry trees line Ohio Drive and bloom about two weeks after the single-blossoming variety that attracts throngs to the Tidal Basin each spring. | Maine Ave. SW heading west, or Ohio Dr. heading south | 20024 | 202/619–7222 | www.npca.org/parks | Ohio Dr. closed to traffic on summer weekends and holidays 3 am–6 pm | Station: Smithsonian.

Pershing Park.
A quiet, sunken garden and fountain honors General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, the first to hold the title General of the Armies, a rank Congress created in 1919 to recognize his military achievements. Engravings on the stone walls recount pivotal campaigns from World War I, when Pershing commanded the American expeditionary force and conducted other military exploits. | 15th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., White House Area | 20004 | Station: McPherson Sq.

Rock Creek Park.
The 1,800 acres surrounding Rock Creek have provided a cool oasis for D.C. residents ever since Congress set them aside for recreational use in 1890. Bicycle routes, jogging and hiking paths, and equestrian trails wind through the groves of dogwoods, beeches, oaks, and cedars, and 30 picnic areas are scattered about. About twice the size of NYC’s Central Park, the park stretches through much of the Northwest part of the city so it’s very easy to enter and exit the park for a short or long exercise excursion.

Nature Center and Planetarium. Rangers at the Nature Center and Planetarium introduce visitors to the park and keep track of daily events; guided nature walks leave from the center weekends at 2. The center and planetarium are open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 to 5. The Planetarium hosts regular shows for children on Wednesday at 4 and weekends at 1 and 4. Adults can also look through the telescope one Saturday night a month. Information on other activities can be found at the Nature Center website. | South of Military Rd., 5200 Glover Rd. NW, Upper Northwest | 20015 | 202/426–6829 | www.nps.gov/rocr/index.htm.

Klingle Mansion. The renovated 19th-century Klingle Mansion is used as the National Park Service’s Rock Creek headquarters. Also in distant areas of the park are Fort Reno, Fort Bayard, Fort Stevens, and Fort DeRussy, remnants of the original ring of forts that guarded Washington during the Civil War, and the Rock Creek Park Golf Course, an 18-hole public course. | 3545 Willliamsburg La. NW, Upper Northwest | 20008 | Station: Cleveland Park.

Meridian Hill Park. Landscape architect Horace Peaslee created oft-overlooked Meridian Hill Park, a noncontiguous section of Rock Creek Park, after a 1917 study of the parks of Europe. As a result, the garden contains elements of gardens in France (a long, straight mall bordered with plants), Italy (terraces and wall fountains), and Switzerland (a lower-level reflecting pool based on one in Zurich). Meridian Hill is also unofficially known as Malcolm X Park in honor of the civil rights leader. On weekends you will find a mix of pick-up soccer games, joggers running the stairs, and the occasional drum circle. Drug activity once made it unwise to visit Meridian Hill alone; it’s somewhat safer now, but avoid the park after dark. | 16th and Euclid Sts., Adams Morgan | 20009 | Station: U St./Cardozo.

Tidal Basin.
This placid pond was part of the Potomac until 1882, when portions of the river were filled in to improve navigation and create additional parkland. The Tidal Basin is the setting for memorials to Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., and George Mason, and can be enjoyed by strolling along the banks or paddling across the tame waters.

Two grotesque sculpted heads on the sides of the Inlet Bridge can be seen as you walk along the sidewalk that hugs the basin. The inside walls of the bridge also feature two other interesting sculptures: bronze, human-headed fish that spout water from their mouths. The bridge was refurbished in the 1980s at the same time the chief of the park, Jack Fish, was retiring. Sculptor Constantine Sephralis played a little joke: these fish heads are actually Fish’s head.

Once you cross the bridge, continue along the Tidal Basin to the right. This route is especially scenic when the cherry trees are in bloom. The first batch of these trees arrived from Japan in 1909. The trees were infected with insects and fungus, however, and the Department of Agriculture ordered them destroyed. A diplomatic crisis was averted when the United States politely asked the Japanese for another batch, and in 1912 First Lady Helen Taft planted the first tree. The second was planted by the wife of the Japanese ambassador, Viscountess Chinda. About 200 of the original trees still grow near the Tidal Basin. (These cherry trees are the single-flowering Akebeno and Yoshino variety. Double-blossom Fugenzo and Kwanzan trees grow in East Potomac Park and flower about two weeks after their more famous cousins.)

The trees are now the centerpiece of Washington’s two-week Cherry Blossom Festival, held each spring since 1935. The festivities are kicked off by the lighting of a ceremonial Japanese lantern that rests on the north shore of the Tidal Basin, not far from where the first tree was planted. The once-simple celebration has grown over the years to include concerts, martial-arts demonstrations, a running race, and a parade. Park Service experts try their best to predict exactly when the buds will pop. The trees are usually in bloom for about 10–12 days in late March or early April. When winter refuses to release its grip, the parade and festival are held anyway, without the presence of blossoms, no matter how inclement the weather. And when the weather complies and the blossoms are at their peak at the time of the festivities, Washington rejoices. | Bordered by Independence and Maine Aves., The Mall | 20024 | Station: Smithsonian.

West Potomac Park.
Between the Potomac and the Tidal Basin, West Potomac Park is best known for its flowering cherry trees, which bloom for two weeks in late March or early April. During the rest of the year, West Potomac Park is just a nice place to relax, play ball, or admire the views of the water and the memorials that surround it. | 20024.

Zoos and Aquariums

National Aquarium.
The aquarium has an incongruous location inside the lower level of the Commerce Department Building, near the massive Ronald Reagan Building. Established in 1873, this is the country’s oldest public aquarium, with more than 1,200 fish and other creatures—such as eels, sharks, and alligators—representing 270 species of fresh- and saltwater life. Affiliated with Baltimore’s National Aquarium, the Washington aquarium is operated by a nonprofit organization. However, it does not receive federal funding. As a result, the exhibits appear somewhat dated, but the easy-to-view tanks, accessible touching pool (with crabs and sea urchins), low admission fee, and absence of crowds make this a good outing with small children. The Aquarium’s cafeteria is also a great place to stop for a snack. | 14th St. and Constitution Ave. NW, White House Area | 20230 | 202/482–2825 |
www.nationalaquarium.com | $9; children $4.50 | Daily 9–5, last admission at 4:30; sharks fed Mon., Wed., and Sat. at 2; piranhas fed Tues., Thurs., and Sun. at 2; alligators fed Fri. at 2 | Station: Federal Triangle.

Fodor’s Choice | National Zoo.
Since 2000, the giant pandas, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, have been the zoo’s most famous residents. Fans were concerned the adorable couple would be returning to China in 2011 when their contract ended, but a new agreement guarantees that Mei and Tian will stay in Washington until December 2015. This raises the possibility of another baby panda watch. In 2005 the pandas had their first cub, Tai Shan, who was moved to China in 2010.

The National Zoo has much to offer in addition to the pandas. Carved out of Rock Creek Park, it contains 2,000 animals, representing 400 species. The zoo is a series of rolling, wooded hills that complement the many innovative compounds showing animals in their native settings. Step inside the Great Flight Cage to observe the free flight of many species of birds; this walk-in aviary is open from May to October (the birds are moved indoors during the colder months). Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day you can catch the orangutan population traveling on the “O Line,” a series of cables and towers near the Great Ape House that allows the primates to swing hand over hand about 35 feet over your head. One of the more unusual and impressive exhibits is Amazonia, an amazingly authentic reproduction of a South American rain-forest ecosystem. You feel as if you are deep inside a steamy jungle, with monkeys leaping overhead and noisy birds flying from branch to branch. Exciting new exhibits are always being added, such as the new Asia trail featuring sloth bears, fishing cats, red pandas, a Japanese giant salamander, clouded leopards, and other Asian species.

Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Zoo was created by an Act of Congress in 1889, and the 163-acre park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed the U.S. Capitol grounds and New York’s Central Park. Before the zoo opened in 1890, live animals used as taxidermists’ models were kept on the Mall. | 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Upper Northwest | 20008 | 202/673–4800, 202/673–4717 | nationalzoo.si.edu | Free, parking $16 | Apr.–Oct., daily 6 am–8 pm; Nov.–Mar., daily 6–6. Zoo buildings open at 10. | Station: Cleveland Park or Woodley Park/Zoo.

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