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Get The Inside Scoop With Washington DC Audio Walking Tours

By Tanisha Berg


Every year, millions of people visit the USA's capital. There are many famous sights to see here but it's also a city where history continues to be made. A great way to explore is with the different Washington DC audio walking tours. These allow you to see the sights on your own schedule but they give you the background information to make sightseeing a truly fulfilling experience too.

One of the great things about sightseeing in Washington DC is that the most famous sights are all concentrated in a relatively small area. This means that you don't have to worry too much about transportation from one sight to the next. Rent a bicycle or, better yet, put on some good walking shoes and sunscreen, pack some water and go exploring on foot.

A great tour to start with is of the National Mall and surrounding areas. It's really a strip-like park lined with some very famous landmarks. Among these are the US Capitol, where decisions are made that impact on the entire world; the Washington Monument with the reflecting pool in front of it; the Lincoln Memorial; poignant war memorials such as those for veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars; as well as several museums, including those of the Smithsonian Institution.

Another interesting tour is to stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue, particularly the 1.2 miles that link the US Capitol with what is arguably the most famous house in the world, the White House. It is down this stretch that newly inaugurated presidents parade and among the landmarks along the way are the headquarters of the Department of Justice and the FBI.

The Civil War was a major event in US history and Washington DC has several interesting Civil War-related sites. Among them are Ford's Theatre, site of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. A Civil War tour will also take you to the office of Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross, and you'll have the opportunity to admire architecture from the era too.

Some of DC's most beautiful buildings now house the embassies of other nations. Particularly one stretch of Massachusetts Avenue is worth exploring. Because there are so many embassies here, it's called Embassy Row and you'll see a wonderful mix of heritage buildings and modern architectural marvels. Embassy Row is also home to several statues of national heroes of other countries, such as Mahatma Gandhi from India, Winston Churchill from Britain and Nelson Mandela from South Africa.

Although it's not technically in DC, you may want to cross the Potomac into Virginia and visit the Arlington National Cemetery too. Among the famous people buried here are Presidents Taft and Kennedy, as well as Kennedy's brothers Robert and Edward and his widow Jackie. General George Patton and actor Lee Marvin are buried here too and there is a headstone to bandleader Glen Miller, whose body was never found. There are graves of ordinary soldiers with extraordinary stories too, including John Raymond Rice, who was refused burial in Sioux City because he was Native American. There are several memorials in the cemetery too, among them one to the Buffalo Soldiers and one to the crew of the Challenger space shuttle.

There are many different audio walking tours available. Some are free. All you need to do is to search online and download them and play them on a device such as a mobile phone as you walk.




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