Saturday, August 9, 2014

Explore The Capital Of The USA With Washington DC Audio Walking Tours

By Tanisha Berg


One of the top tourist destinations in the USA is the nation's capital. After all, this is where history is made every day. The city has a huge variety of sights to see and different ways to do it. If you don't like sightseeing as part of a tour group, though, you may want to consider Washington DC audio walking tours. This way you can explore at your own pace but still get the fascinating background information on the sights that a tour guide would have given you.

To see the main sights in DC, you don't need to bother too much with transport. Almost everything is contained within a small area that you can easily navigate on foot or by bicycle. Moreover, the city is very pedestrian and bike friendly.

For starters, it's a good idea to explore the National Mall and the nearby sights. The National Mall is a long and narrow park where most of DC's iconic sites are located. These include the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the US Capitol, the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and several of the Smithsonian Institution's fascinating museums.

Another interesting tour is to stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue, particularly the 1.2 miles that link the US Capitol with what is arguably the most famous house in the world, the White House. It is down this stretch that newly inaugurated presidents parade and among the landmarks along the way are the headquarters of the Department of Justice and the FBI.

A landmark event in the USA's history was the American Civil War and DC played a significant part in this. If you're interested in history, a must is an audio tour that takes you to Civil War sites in the city. You'll get to see places like the site where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the office from which Clara Barton did her pioneering work as nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, as well as stunning architecture of the era.

If you love architecture, head to the part of Massachusetts Avenue that is known as Embassy Row. The name comes from the many embassies along this section. Some are housed in stately historic mansions while others, such as the Embassy of Brazil, boast stunning modern designs. You'll also find statues of international statesmen such as Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela here.

A lovely stroll on a sunny morning is through Arlington National Cemetery. It's located just outside DC's borders, in Virginia across from the National Mall. President John F. Kennedy is buried here, as are his brothers Robert and Ted and his wife Jackie. There is a memorial to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger and one to the Buffalo Soldiers, among other memorials. There are graves of famous people but also of ordinary soldiers with fascinating stories.

There are many different audio walking tours available. Some are free. All you need to do is to search online and download them and play them on a device such as a mobile phone as you walk.




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