Designed in the 18th-century as a grand promenade for the capital of the new American nation, the National Mall is an elegant and dramatic backdrop for the icons of US power. The Capitol, the White House, and the Washington and Lincoln Memorials are all seated close by. It is also a wide-open space perfectly-formed for gathering the American people, in times of protest and times of party. Fireworks and parades, rallies and concerts – all take place on the National Mall's well-manicured greens, affectionately referred to as 'America’s front lawn'.
The Mall runs east-west along a three kilometres strip, from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, with the white spike of the Washington Memorial at its heart. But put those well-known marbled icons, and their amazing photo-opportunities, to one side. The tree-lined strip of the National Mall is also fronted by some of the most fascinating and important cultural centres in the nation. A long procession of museums covers the artistic, technological and historical in spectacular style.
The National Museum of Natural History is great place to start. It details the diverse drama of America's landscapes, and the wildlife – past and present – that crawls, flies or swims through them. Sitting about half-way down the Mall, it houses 126 million specimens and is the most visited museum in the world. If technology’s more your thing, the National Air and Space Museum is packed full of the technical aerial achievements of the US. The National Museum of American History covers much of the rest, putting America's technological prowess into a social perspective with some illuminating exhibits.
The history of the original Americans is insightfully covered in the National Museum of the American Indian. And the art-lover is spoilt for choice at the Mall. There are a large number of art galleries and museums, including the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of African Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. So a walk down the Mall can be taken as a pleasant half-hour's sight-seeing stroll. Or it can be seen a days-long education, American-style.
