Washington DC Memorials Along the Reflecting Pool Walking Tour

Sightseeing  :  United States  :  District Of Columbia  :  Washington  :  Walking Tours

Join a licensed D.C. tour guide on a two-hour exploration of the iconic memorials found along the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool, site of the famous Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials—and much more.Who in their right mind would sign on for an underwater walking tour? Yet had you ventured along the acreage covered on this walk during the Civil War years, you would have found yourself submerged beneath the Potomac River. How nineteenth-century silt was dredged and 20th century parkland emerged is one of the revelations of this evening excursion in which water plays a starring role– gliding along as a river, carrying barges through a former canal, flowing from fountains and, as a finale, reflecting one of the capital’s most breath-taking vistas. Interspersed amongst these elements are a series of major monuments to America’s wars in Europe and Asia, evoking the triumph and anguish of warfare. The prelude to this journey is a peaceful one, though, starting at a picturesque island where a little-known memorial commemorates a crucial moment in America’s birth: the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Meet your licensed D.C. tour guide in front of the Organization of American States Building by the statue of Queen Isabela of Spain. From there the walk will proceed to Washington’s famous National Mall and six of its majestic memorials. The two-hour walk travels approximately one mile along level terrain. Each memorial is accessible to visitors of all physical abilities. The walk concludes at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, where participants will find a bathroom and nearby taxi cab stand.