Step Away from the Beltway – Part 3
Washington for History Buffs
One of the best things Washington, D.C. has to offer is a wealth of attractions for history buffs. There are other attractions besides those in the immediate D.C. area for history buffs to visit. Here are a few of our favorites.
- Harpers Ferry National Historic Park – At the park’s visitor center you can see a film about radical abolitionist John Brown’s 1859 raid on a U.S.
Cannon at Bolivar Heights Battlefield
armory here, an event that was a precursor to the Civil War. Hikers, bikers, kayakers, and tubers pack the park as it offers equal parts history and beauty. Within the park visitors can access a renovated blacksmith’s shop, ready-made clothing store, taverns, a mountain view of three states, and two rivers.
- Civil War Battlefields – With so many battlefields concentrated in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, it’s hard to believe the entire Civil War wasn’t faught there. Fort Ward, Ball’s Bluff, Gettysburg, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Antietam National Battlefield, and Spotsylvania National Military Park offer visitors a plethora of options for visiting historical locations outside of D.C.
- Shenandoah National Park – Though not strictly a historical place, Shenandoah National Park offers a gorgeous view of mountain scenery that could rival most of the views in the eastern United States.
Also read our story about visiting Arlington National Cemetery, a must visit for every first-time visitor to Washington D.C.
However, the visit is not a mere sightseeing. As Americans, our lives are too intimately attached to the 200,000 men and women buried here. Among the iconic sites located in the cemetery’s 612 rolling acres is the Tomb of the Unknowns. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day. The 9/11 Pentagon Memorial and the Air Force Memorial are not far, but you’ll need to take another subway leg to the Pentagon station. The Iwo Jima Memorial and the Netherlands Carillon are about a 20-minute walk from Arlington House, Robert E. Lee’s onetime home (down Custis Walk and through Weitzel Gate). Read more HERE
Picture by Billy Hathorn (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
