THE CAPITOL
CRAWL

1. 📍Start here
2. 🚇 Silver Line · ~55 min · no transferFrom Leesburg, drive to Ashburn or Loudoun Gateway and ride the Silver Line toward Largo straight to Smithsonian. Leave around 11:00 AM.
3. 01
   12:00
   PM

   555-foot pencil, staring at the sky — honoring the president who could not tell a lie.

   ▸ Reveal the spot

   LocationWashington Monument · 5-min walk from Smithsonian station

   Pick your move

   • 📷Group photo at the ring of 50 flags, with the Mall lined up east and west.
   • 🎟️Ride to the top for the best view in the city (book free timed tickets ahead).
   • 🍦Grab a Mall food-truck ice cream and kick off on the lawn.
4. 🚶~6-min walk east to the Castle gardens
5. 02
   12:35
   PM

   Behind the red Castle, neat flowerbeds wait — a hidden Victorian garden just past the gate.

   ▸ Reveal the spot

   LocationEnid A. Haupt Garden · behind the Smithsonian Castle

   Pick your move

   • 📷Photo in the Victorian "embroidery" flower parterre.
   • 🎟️Wander the Moongate Garden and the Moorish fountains for a shady breather.
   • 🎨Slip into the National Museum of African Art, tucked right beneath the garden.
6. 🚶~10-min walk west across the Mall
7. 03
   1:05
   PM

   A short walk west, in stone and slate — fifty-six pillars: find your home state.

   ▸ Reveal the spot

   LocationNational World War II Memorial

   Pick your move

   • 📷Find and photograph your home-state or territory pillar.
   • 🎟️Walk the Freedom Wall and its 4,048 gold stars.
   • 💦Cool off at the Rainbow Pool fountain.
8. 🚶~8-min walk south to the water
9. 04
   1:40
   PM

   A ring of calm water, memorials three — take a paddle boat out, or just wander free.

   ▸ Reveal the spot

   LocationThe Tidal Basin — Jefferson, FDR & MLK Memorials

   Pick your move

   • 📷Waterfront photo with Jefferson's dome across the basin.
   • 🎟️Rent a paddle boat or swan boat on the water (seasonal, weather permitting).
   • 🏛️Loop all three memorials — Jefferson, FDR, and MLK ring the shore.
10. 🚶~12-min walk west to the Lincoln Memorial
11. 05
    2:30
    PM

    Up the long pool and the marble stair — a giant sits thinking in his great stone chair.

    ▸ Reveal the spot

    LocationLincoln Memorial

    Pick your move

    • 📷Reflecting Pool photo with the Washington Monument lined up behind.
    • 🎟️Climb to Lincoln and find the step marking where Dr. King stood in 1963.
    • 🎖️3-min detour to the Vietnam Veterans wall or the Korean War Memorial.
12. 🚶~15-min walk north to Foggy Bottom
13. 06
    3:00
    PM

    North off the Mall when you're ready to dine — a slice too big for its plate, by design.

    ▸ Reveal the spot

    LocationAndy's Pizza · 2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW (Foggy Bottom)

    Pick your move

    • 📷Snap the slice-bigger-than-the-plate shot.
    • 🎟️Order a few 18-inch pies to share, or grab a giant slice to go.
    • ☕Coffee or a sweet treat from the GWU strip next door.
14. 🚇 Red Line · no transferFrom Andy's, a ~12-min walk to Farragut North, then ride the Red Line up to Woodley Park–Zoo — your one Metro hop of the day.
15. 07
    4:00
    PM

    A short ride north where the wild things roam — two bears from China now call it home.

    ▸ Reveal the spot

    LocationSmithsonian's National Zoo · short walk from Woodley Park station

    Pick your move

    • 📷Panda photo at Panda Plaza — Bao Li & Qing Bao.
    • 🎟️See the elephants (new arrival Linh Mai) and the Great Cats.
    • 🎠Ride the Conservation Carousel, or do the Small Mammal & Reptile houses with kids.
16. 🚶~5-min walk back to Woodley Park–Zoo station
17. 08
    6:00
    PM

    Our hunt at its end, by the Metro we'll be — head home with the crew, or stay wild and free!

    ▸ Reveal the spot

    LocationWoodley Park–Zoo Metro station

    Pick your move

    • 📷One last group photo with the newlyweds before you scatter.
    • 🚇Meet at the station to head home together — Red Line to Metro Center, then the Silver Line back toward Ashburn.
    • 🌆Or continue your adventure in the city! (The picks below are a great place to start.)
18. 🎉That's a wrap!

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