9 Unskippable Memorials in Washington DC

Washington DC has over 160 monuments and memorials, so deciding which ones to see can be a little overwhelming! Among all the famous memorials and many not-so-famous ones, here are some favorites based on the historical stories they tell and their artistic merit. What a country chooses to memorialize says a lot about it. These memorials will take you on an adventure through American history and culture.

Many things make the Vietnam Veterans Memorial worth a visit. The most compelling aspect is how Maya Lin’s design upended how memorials are designed worldwide. Before the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, memorials focused on the grandeur of a person or military victory. Lin’s design, though, turned that convention on its head and created a memorial that centers on the Americans who lost everything in the Vietnam Conflict.

You won’t see the memorial at first if you approach the memorial from the street. The black granite wall is tucked into the earth. When you walk along the pathway, rather than a grand statue like you will see elsewhere in DC, you will see the 58,318 names of the people who died in combat or are missing in action during the Vietnam Conflict.

Because this commemorates a relatively recent conflict, it is not unusual to see family members paying their respects by leaving meaningful objects with the names of their loved ones on the wall.

2. Vietnam Women’s Memorial

Eight of the well over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial were women. Women served in various roles, such as nurses, doctors, and air traffic controllers. At the time, women were not permitted on the front lines, but in a war that often lacked a concrete “front line,” they were in harm’s way as they fulfilled their duties.

Glenna Goodacre’s design includes four figures among the sandbags ubiquitous in photographs of the conflict. Three women, unofficially named Faith, Hope, and Charity, try to save a soldier’s life. Charity provides lifesaving care to the wounded soldier. Hope looks to the sky, searching for an expected med-i-vac helicopter, and Faith kneels, staring at an empty helmet, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task at hand.

It is typical to see flowers picked from nearby blooming trees placed in the soldier’s hand. These are often gifts left by school children moved by the memorial and searching for a way to connect to the overwhelmed and injured figures through time and space.

For anyone familiar with American history, it can be easy to get caught up in the minutia of significant historical events like Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the impact of the American Civil War. The Lincoln Memorial forces the viewer to step back in astonishment at how far the United States has come.

While the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the preservation of the Union of the American States are awe-inspiring in themselves, what really makes this memorial worth seeing is the symbol it has become since then.

The ending of legal slavery in the United States did not, in and of itself, create the equal society promised by America’s Founding Fathers. The activism of the Civil Rights era by leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the continued work being done today is also a part of the story of the Lincoln Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial was the site of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” Marion Anderson’s groundbreaking performance, as well as more modern activism.

4. Korean War Veterans Memorial

Cooper-Lecky Architects had the difficult job of including many disparate structures created by separate artists while making the memorial feel meaningful and cohesive. The most striking part of this memorial is the 19 larger-than-life stainless steel statues sculpted by Frank Gaylord. These 7-foot-tall statues depict service members from across the military branches and races in the United States. What sets this apart from other similar pieces of art, though, is that no matter where you stand, at least one of the statues seems to be looking at you, reminding you to remember what happened on the Korean peninsula in the early 1950s.

The memorial includes a wall with pictures from the war sandblasted in, a space for reflection, and a remembrance of all the countries that participated in the Joint UN action on the peninsula.

When nearing the end of his life, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the longest-serving US president who had led the country through the monumental changes of the Great Depression and WWII, was asked what he wanted his memorial to look like. He insisted that if a memorial was to be built to honor him, it should be in front of the National Archives and no larger than his desk.

It is appropriate, then, that his memorial does far more than celebrate him. Through the four rooms, each representing a term in office, his memorial celebrates the American people who survived the Great Depression, the horror of war, his struggle with disability, the leadership of his wife, Eleanor, and, just for fun, his dog Fala.

The sheer breadth of this memorial makes room for twenty-two quotations and heart-wrenching depictions of suffering and hope. Give yourself some time to truly explore this one and allow it to place you in that monumental moment that was FDR’s presidency.

6. MLK Memorial

This relatively new memorial to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. acts as an anchor between the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall and the Jefferson Memorial on the far side of the tidal basin. Its location ties together the story of Jefferson, who declared that “All men are created equal,” Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery, and Dr. King, who worked to end segregation in the American South.

The memorial is based on a quote from Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech,” in which he said, “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

The memorial depicts a mountain with a relief of Dr. King emerging from it. Along a wall behind Dr. King are quotes from his various speeches outlining the philosophy and goals for his work.

Dr. King is a relief, rather than a statue, to encourage viewers to recognize that his work remains unfinished.

With so many memorials in DC focused on serious topics like war and civil rights, it is nice to have one celebrating science.

The Albert Einstein Memorial is a great place to let off steam, especially if you have children along for the ride. Guests are permitted (even encouraged) to climb on Einstein and share pictures of their antics. The memorial is across the street from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Academy of Sciences grounds.

This larger-than-life Einstein sits on a bench containing several quotes from him and a paper in his hand with mathematical equations written on it. On the ground in front of him is a star map accurately depicting the positions of the stars, planets, and other notable interstellar objects on the day of the memorial’s dedication.

8. Slave Labor Commemorative Marker

This small, unassuming memorial sits tucked away in a corner of the Capitol Visitor Center, overshadowed by larger and more dramatic memorials. It is all the more powerful for its simplicity.

Before it was designated as the Capital of the United States, Washington DC didn’t exist. Years of backbreaking work went into building the famous government buildings we know today, and since this was Virginia and Maryland in the late 18th century, much of that work was done by enslaved people.

When the modern visitor center was under construction, this sandstone block was removed, revealing the marks from the building’s construction. The block was turned around and displayed to honor the enslaved people who built the capital city.

Viewing this memorial requires a walk across the grounds of the Pentagon, the United States Armed Services home, but it is well worth the discomfort. Once you walk from the metro or walk through the tunnel from the Pentagon City Mall, you arrive at a sea of benches, each one representing a life lost on September 11, 2001. On that fateful day, Flight 77, departing from Dulles Airport just outside DC, was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon building, killing everyone on board and many people inside the building itself. Thankfully, that wing was recently renovated, so most people had not moved back into their offices yet.

The benches are placed in order of each victim’s date of birth, and depending on how the bench is situated, it shows whether the victim was on the plane or in the Pentagon. Each bench also includes a reflecting pool that is lit at night.

Please note that while photographs of the memorial are encouraged, any pictures of the Pentagon building are not and will be removed from your camera by nearby guards.