Day 3 Start extension in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Museums visitNational Museum of Natural History, National Museum of American History, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Dinner
Details: Arlington National Cemetery & Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) visit
Created on the former estate of the family of Robert E. Lee’s wife Mary Anna Custis Lee (herself a descendant of Martha Washington), the Arlington National Cemetery contains the remains of more than 245,000 persons, mainly comprised of veterans and military casualties from every military incursion—from the American Revolution to the Iraq War. At the cemetery, make sure to visit the Tomb of Unknowns. Comprised of Yule marble quarried in Colorado, the tomb weighs more than 75 tons. And see the eternal flame that marks the grave of President John F. Kennedy.
Details: Smithsonian Museums visit
Choose between visiting the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the American Indian Museum, and the American Art Museum. In a tomb in the Smithsonian Castle lie the remains of John Smithson, an Englishman who left his fortune to the U.S. government in 1829 for the establishment of a museum in his name. (The government was a bit at a loss, given that Smithson had never visited the U.S., had no connections to the U.S., and never told anyone why he was leaving his money to the U.S.) Since then, the Smithsonian Institution has grown into 16 museums, covering everything from art to zoology. See the giant squid and the insect zoo in the National Museum of Natural History, or venture with your Tour Director into the further reaches of this world-class institution.
Details: National Archives visit
Visit the building that houses the most important documents in the history of the United States, including the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
Details: Ford's Theatre visit
Ford’s Theatre may not be the best place to visit if you’re in government—not only was Lincoln assassinated here in 1865, but 22 War Department clerks were also killed when the floor collapsed in 1893. Tour the infamous theater and see how John Wilkes Booth crept up behind the president’s private box, shot him point blank, and leapt down to the stage below (breaking his leg in the process).