American Historical Association

LAC: Welcome to Washington, D.C.

The Local Arrangements Committee's guide to what to do while in Washington, D.C.

Washington is one of the best known cities in the United States, if not the world. Many AHA members have visited the District – for conventions (the AHA itself last met here in 1999), for research in its many libraries and archives, or for the obligatory trip with the kids to the nation’s capital. The National Mall, anchored on one end by the U.S. Capitol and on the other by the Lincoln Memorial, is perhaps the single most iconic landscape in America, familiar to even those who have not visited the capital itself. Yet no matter how familiar, the city seldom fails to interest, excite, even amaze all but the most jaded visitor.
The Local Arrangements Committee (LAC), chaired by Robert Griffith of American University and Barbara Franco of The City Museum and Historical Society of Washington, D.C., will provide AHA members with information which we hope will not only help them to plan their trip to the Association’s 118th annual meeting, but will also allow them to take advantage of the city’s incomparable resources.
Planning Your Visit Getting Around What to Do Museums and Galleries The "Real Washington Research and Scholarship Dining Out Washington After Dark
Planning Your Visit When planning your visit, we recommend that you to consult a number of web sites that provide general information about the Washington metropolitan region, including its hotels, restaurants, monuments and memorials, and many historical and cultural institutions. For useful tourist information, see the websites of the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation, the District Government, and the D.C. Visitors Information Center. Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation at: http://www.washington.org Visitor’s Resource Center of the District Government at: http://dc.gov D.C. Visitors Information Center at: http://www.dcvisit.com DC Guide: http://about.dc.gov/index.asp is a GIS-enabled search engine created by the D.C. city government to (just about) anything one might want to know about Washington DC.
Getting Around We urge visitors to familiarize themselves with the Metro, the subway that connects so much of Washington and the surrounding region. You can board the Red Line at the Woodley Park Metro in front of the Marriott Wardman Park conference hotel and travel almost anywhere. Metro maps are ubiquitous, but you can download and print your own from the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) web site. A particularly useful feature is the Metro’s interactive “RideGuide,” which maps the route between any two points served by metro or bus. Visitors arriving in the city by air can use it to plot their route from the airport (Reagan, BWI, or Dulles) to the two convention hotels served by the Woodley Park Metro. And, of course, there is a Metro stop at Union Station, where Amtrak trains arrive and depart. The Washington Post at: http://www.washingtonpost.com The Washingtonian at: http://www.washingtonian.com The Washington City Paper at: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com Cultural Tourism, D.C at: http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/index.htm
What To Do The Washington Post’s web site contains current information on the city’s many museums, galleries, theatres, music venues, sporting events, and much more. So does the web site of the Washingtonian, the District’s glossy and gossipy “city” magazine. The Washington City Paper offers a hip, irreverent view of the city and its attractions. We also recommend that members visit the website of Cultural Tourism, D.C, the nonprofit coalition for Washington’s heritage and arts, which includes information on and links to the District’s many cultural institutions, excellent descriptions of its distinct neighborhoods, and an interactive “itinerary builder” that allows you to better plan your visit.If you are planning to visit any of the City’s historic monuments and memorials, we suggest you consult the web page of the National Park Service for information on operating hours, ticket requirements, and public transit. Please note that tours of the White House and Pentagon are limited to prearranged student groups.Tourmobile Sightseeing (202-554-5100) offers narrated shuttle tours to 25 major sites on the National Mall and to Arlington National Cemetery *The Washington Post* at: http://www.washingtonpost.com **The Washingtonian at: http://www.washingtonian.com The Washington City Paper at: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com Cultural Tourism, D.C. at: http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/index.htm The National Park Service at: http://www.nps.gov Tourmobile Sightseeing** at: http://www.tourmobile.com
Museums and Galleries The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex. Composed of 14 museums and the National Zoo (located only a few blocks from the convention hotels), the Smithsonian's exhibitions offer a glimpse into a collection of over 142 million objects. Visit the Smithsonian’s web site to learn more about its individual museums and galleries. The National Gallery of Art, closely associated with but administratively separate from the Smithsonian museums that surround it, is one of the world’s preeminent art galleries. This year the National Gallery is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its I.M. Pei designed East Wing. The National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum are currently closed during the renovation of the historic Patent Office Building, which houses both institutions, making this a good time to visit some of the City’s other institutions, such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.The U.S. Holocaust Museum has extended a special invitation to AHA members, who may visit its permanent exhibition, The Holocaust, by showing their meeting badges. Timed passes, advance reservations or tickets will not be required, as is normally the case.For information about Washington’s many other museums and galleries, visit the web page of the Washington Post and click on “museums and galleries.” See, also, the Museums in DC page of the H-DC Washington History and Life web site. The Smithsonian Institution at: http://www.si.edu/ The National Gallery of Art at: http://www.nga.gov/ The Corcoran Gallery of Art at :http://www.corcoran.org/ The Phillips Collection at: http://www.phillipscollection.org/ The National Museum of Women in the Arts at: http://www.nmwa.org/ United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at: http://www.ushmm.org The Washington Post, “Museums and Galleries” at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/eg/section/museums/index.html H-DC Washington History and Life, “Museums in DC” at: http://www.h-net.org/~dclist/museums.html
The “Real” Washington The familiar Washington is well know – the “federal” city, “inside the beltway,” a city of legislators, lobbyists, bureaucrats and journalists. But Washington is also a city where ordinary people live and learn and play though not, unfortunately, vote for delegates to Congress. Historians who wish to explore the “other” Washington, should plan a visit to the new City Museum. For a good introduction to the District’s many distinct neighborhoods, see the web page of DC Cultural Tourism. Historians will be especially interested in the H-DC, Washington, D.C. History and Life. This website and list serv, a part of H-Net, is an incomparable gateway to information about the city’s past and present The City Museum and Historical Society of Washington at: http://www.citymuseumdc.org Cultural Tourism, D.C at: http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/index.htm H-DC, Washington, D.C. History and Life at: http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~dclist/
Research and Scholarship Some members may wish to combine their trip to the convention with a visit to one of the city’s major research institutions, such as the Library of Congress or the National Archives and Records Administration. The Rotunda of the National Archives, which has been closed for renovation, will open in September for visitors who wish to view such historic documents as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Archives II, in College Park, Maryland, is accessible by public transit, as well as a by a staff shuttle. For details, see the NARA web site. The Local Arrangements Committee is working to organize special tours of both the Library of Congress and the National Archives.The Library of Congress and the National Archives, of course, are only the largest of Washington’s many research sites. Members may also be interested in visiting more specialized institutions such as the Folger Shakespeare Library or the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. The Library of Congress at: http://www.loc.gov The National Archives and Records Administration at: http://www.archives.gov The NARA Research Room at: http://www.archives.gov/research_room/index.htm The Folger Shakespeare Library at: http://www.folger.edu/ The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection at: http://www.doaks.org/
Dining Out Washington is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with a broad range of restaurants for every taste and pocketbook. For those who are planning their trip in advance or who may have access to a computer after they arrive, we strongly recommend the restaurant guides maintained by The Washington Post and The Washingtonian. Both guides cross reference restaurants by neighborhood, cuisine and cost. Neighborhoods near the convention hotels include Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Adams-Morgan and Dupont Circle; but given the convenience of the Metro, few neighborhoods are entirely off limits. This includes most of Washington, D.C., as well as suburban neighborhoods in Bethesda, Maryland and Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia, among others. A more detailed guide to restaurants in the vicinity of the convention hotels will appear in the December issues of Perspectives. *The Washington Post* restaurant guide** at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/eg/section/restaurants/index.html The Washingtonian guide at: http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/default.asp
Washington After Dark Washington hosts a dynamic musical culture, spanning almost every genre and taste. It is home to over 40 professional theatre companies and a lively club and bar scene. Nearby the convention hotels, the Adams-Morgan neighborhood alone boasts some forty odd bars and clubs. For details on music, theatre and the club scene, see the web sites of The Washington Post, the Washingtonian andthe City Paper.

Last Updated: February 27, 2008