The National Cherry Blossom Festival: Each Spring, the cherry trees bloom and a fluffy cloud of pink cherry blossoms encircle the Tidal Basin, creating one of the most picturesque images in Washington, D.C.

The Pentagon: Presently houses approximately 25,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel dedicated to protecting our national interests.

Did You Know?... The Pentagon has 17 ½ miles of corridors.

The National Gallery of Art: Home to the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in North America.

The Holocaust Museum: South of the Mall presents a sobering recollection of the terrible effects of the 1933-1945 persecutions in Europe.

Did You Know?... The White House was burned by British troops in 1814. Before she fled, First Lady Dolley Madison managed to save many notable documents from the fire, as well as the well-known portrait of President Washington by Gilbert Stuart that today hangs in the White House East Room.

Shopping: The Georgetown District, northeast of the mall, is a great place to go shopping in trendy boutiques or to go eat in fashionable restaurants.

Battlefields: Outside of the city, there are many civil war battlefields within a short drive; and President Washington's home at Mount Vernon is just south of DC. The port city of Baltimore and Annapolis, home of the US Naval Academy, are within an hour drive. Even Philadelphia and New York City are within a half-day drive.

Did You Know?... Abraham Lincoln is related through his mother to Tom Hanks and Mrs. Bill Cosby and through his father to Elvis Presley.

Trips: You can see Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam memorial, the Korean War memorial and the Battle of Iwo Jima memorial. You can even spend several days touring the many parts of the Smithsonian Institute, one of the largest and finest collections of museums in the world. None of it will cost anything!

Did You Know?... Washington is a city planned by a French engineer.

Film Facts: Movies such as: A Few Good Men, An American President, Forrest Gump, Contact, Wag the Dog, and Thirteen Days were all filmed in Washington, DC.

Tipping is voluntary: gratuities are not automatically added to the bill. Servers are usually given 15% of the bill Taxi drivers usually receive 15% of the fare, and doormen and porters are usually tipped $1 per bag.

FBI: The FBI Building on E street north of the Mall features free tours of its criminal laboratories including a demonstration firing of a Thompson sub-machine gun.