By Erin Carlson Mast
This is the 3rd installment of “100 Things to Know about President Lincoln’s Cottage.” Today’s list focuses on nearby attractions. Previous lists covered basic information and the cottage architecture.Checked-in for your tour and have some time to kill? Finished your tour and itching to see more of this part of DC? It can be hard for tourists and newcomers to DC to figure out what’s in this part of the city, especially considering most tourist maps end at Florida Avenue NW (“Boundary Street” in Lincoln’s time) well south of our location.
What follows is a list of 10 sites, parks, and museums that are within a 2 mile radius of President Lincoln’s Cottage with 2 exceptions: Woodrow Wilson House (approx. 3 miles) and Decatur House (approx. 3 miles) were included as the only other 2 National Trust Historic Sites in the District of Columbia.
- Rock Creek Church Cemetery (established in 1719, one of Washington’s “Most Beautiful” cemeteries)
- US Soldiers’ & Airmen’s Home National Cemetery (predecessor of Arlington National Cemetery)
- US African American Civil War Memorial (along historic U Street NW)
- Fort Stevens (where Lincoln came under enemy fire)
- Howard University (established in 1867 with support from the Freedman’s Bureau)
- Catholic University of America/Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (many visitors ask about the Basilica’s large blue, gold, and red dome visible nearby)
- Rock Creek Park (oldest natural urban park in the National Park System)
- Smithsonian National Zoological Park (in Woodley Park NW)
- Woodrow Wilson House (fellow National Trust Historic Site near Embassy Row in NW)
- Decatur House (fellow National Trust Historic Site on Lafayette Square near the White House)
Please Note Well:
This is a list of nearby attractions that have been visited at least once by at least one staff member. This list is not all-inclusive. This list is not an endorsement of any of the above sites. We are not affiliated with any of these sites except Woodrow Wilson House and Decatur House, fellow National Trust Historic Sites.
We do not monitor traffic conditions around, construction on, or operating hours for any of these sites.
If you choose to visit any of these sites, it is your responsibility to map your route and estimate travel time. Though we’d love to help, our staff is too small and too busy to act as personal travel agent to each visitor. We have provided hyperlinks to each organization’s website so that you can look up the details on your own if and when you choose to visit them.
If you are visiting these sites before your tour at President Lincoln’s Cottage, please remember to be at the Visitor Education Center when your tour starts. If you miss your tour, we cannot guarantee a spot on a later tour. Remember, tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Ms. Mast is the Curator at President Lincoln’s Cottage.
Categories:Archive, Visitor Tips
Tags:D.C., President Lincoln's Cottage, Tourism, Washington
