24 Hours in Washington DC: Visiting 17 Attractions in One Day

Washington DC is the national capitol and a fantastic place to explore. You could spend a month in the area and still not see everything. My dad and I only had one day, and we spent it seeing as much as we possibly could for this video. Here is how we spent 24 hours and let me know what you think in the comments

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:48 Founding Farmers
1:23 White House & Lafayette Square
3:23 National Christmas Tree
3:39 Washington Monument
5:18 WW II Memorial
6:35 Korean War Veterans Memorial
6:57 Lincoln Memorial
8:25 Sponsor
9:25 National Museum of American History
11:11 Ben's Chili Bowl
12:31 National Museum of Natural History
14:00 National Gallery of Art
15:00 US Capitol
15:45 US Botanic Garden
16:48 Tidal Basin
17:21 Jefferson Memorial
18:20 FDR Memorial
19:16 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

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[andywalnuts]

I couldn't help but notice your beautiful energy. bless you and your family

[joshnordlund]

Pops is awesome! It's cool to see him get more into the video's lately.

[ThexImperfectionist]

This was interesting to see as a local, and I learned a couple things too. Since you visited Ben's Chili Bowl, I just wanted to mention that the reason it's such a landmark is because it's the only surviving business of its era. U street used to be a hugely important cultural neighborhood (nicknamed "Black Broadway") but most of the surrounding establishments were destroyed in the riots and violence following MLK's assassination. Ben's couldn't have endured as a business if they didn't also serve good food, but its historical significance goes well beyond that.

[illusionsdelusions]

I am a local here is my critique lol:

The summers are really really stinking hot with lots of humidity so that's why there aren't as many tourists as you'd expect. I would suggest coming in the early Fall to see the beautiful foliage and the sometimes mild temperatures or the Spring when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom.

Founding Farmers is really good, especially the Sunday brunch buffet. It is also one of the best options near the Smithsonian's because the top rated food in the city isn't anywhere near that area. So it is great to go before the museums because it is the best in the area, but it is also very overrated. Another great option around the museums is the dining hall at the American Indian Museum. They serve authentic Native American dishes from each of the tribes from a menu prepared by a Native American chef. You are unlikely to find anything like this in most of the country and it is a very unique experience.

Ben's Chili Bowl is a very important place. It was a Green Book destination for African American travelers looking for a restaurant that was friendly to black customers. It was also a center for social activism during the Civil Rights era. It is a destination to see for its history alone, however the food is not the best in the city. Their food is eclipsed by many many restaurants serving gourmet hot dogs with premium meats and toppings and gourmet hamburgers in the city.

If you want really good food in the city go to the neighborhoods of Georgetown, The Wharf, or Shaw. Also scattered throughout the city you can try the various ethnic restaurants. DC is home to one of the most diverse food scenes in the world, with incredible restaurants from every cuisine. For a longer stay, I would also recommend venturing out to Falls Church to the Eden Center to eat some of the best Vietnamese food outside of Vietnam. You can get delicious Pho and Bahn Mi Sandwiches. Or to Annandale Virginia where there is the best Korean food in the country, where you can get very flavorful Dolsot Bibimbap or Bulgogi.

The museums you toured are great. I would also suggest the Spy Museum which was just recently reopened in a new location. It is one of the most cutting edge museums in the world with state of the art displays. The Hirschhorn Museum also is free and has really cool, very large, and sometimes waaaay out there art installations and sculptures, To see their most spectacular limited timed entry events you sometimes need to get to the ticket stand when it opens in the morning or reserve weeks in advance.

[evanwexler]

I enjoyed the palpable sense of respect and awe you had at The Lincoln Memorial and MLK. They're such amazing places. Great video.

[b.abernathy]

Nice to see the relationship you have with your dad. Enjoy it while you can. Build the memories to last a lifetime.

[rrad]

I've been to DC once and will have to go back. You guys accomplished a lot for one day.

[annarodriguez]

Thanks for the tour! In 1968 on my 21st birthday my husband and I walked up the stairs in the Washington Monument. There was a cage type elevator and people could see the dedication stones, but we got to see them up close. Unfortunately, we had no camera with us on this adventure and we were totally exhausted by the time we got to the top.
A lot of history has happened between then and now and no one is allowed on the stairs anymore.
My husband was in the army and we lived in Arlington so we did have time to explore the Capital which was my childhood dream.
Thanks again and what a beautiful sunset!

[kellyjohnson]

The man who sculpted the Lincoln memorial was the grandfather of my first grade teacher which is why I remember his last name, French. Apparently he had deaf family. And it was Lincoln who signed the charter for the first and only college exclusively for deaf individuals, now Gallaudet University there in DC. So Abraham Lincolns hands are carve signing an A with one hand and an L with the other. So it was special to me in many ways since I’m a sign language interpreter. DC has so many amazing museums. I’ve been a few times and still hav3 not seen every museum. The holocaust museum is one I’ve been to twice. I went first after it first opened. Second time I went with someone who really wanted to see it too. I only got to see a smattering of the national gallery cuz it was getting ready to close by the time we got there. I’d love to go back one day.

[donnad]

I went to Normandy and that is such a sacred place . You can just feel it. Americans are highly honored there

[sheridegas]

As a parent, the best part of this video is that you call your dad “pops.” ❤

[jalcanites]

I lived and worked in the Washington DC for 30 years before retiring in October 2023. Nice to see my old stomping ground. The apartment building beside Ben's Chili is owned by the company I worked for. It is one of the 70 or so buildings they owned. Happily retired now in SC.

[cgimovieman]

As someone who is really into history, and also love the promise of the ideals of our country, I really have always enjoyed D.C. a lot. I’ve been there about 5 times over the years, and will be back again this fall. I’ve done a tour of the White House in 2015. I think it’s definitely worth doing at least once. You just have to plan ahead, writing your congressman for the tickets, and then expecting going through a LOT of security. I thought it was pretty cool though, how thru had dogs behind a wall you walked by where you couldn’t see them, with a fan that blew your scent to them to detect threats like gunpowder or other things. I still always love the Lincoln Memorial. It’s simple in some ways, but grand and powerful. And as one of my two very favorite presidents, and someone who fought for equality, it has special meaning for me. As the museums go? It’s endless. One of the most powerful is the Holocaust museum. And I can imagine the Museum of African American History is too, which I plan to visit this fall, having just missed its opening by months in fall of 2015.

[margaretr.]

So impressive! Excellent job showing us the things to see in DC. I really hope to get to visit it one day with my kids

[robertgordon]

Thank you for making one heck of a video of my city you have so much more to see so if you ever come back by all means reach out for some other destinations to experience especially food. Your cinematography is on point by far one of the best videos i have watched. Someone mentioned thanks for not mentioning steaks so many folks go to the wrong spots. Anyway again fantastic video.

[tmo]

Nicely done video. Glad that you and your dad had such a good time. Best wishes from the San Francisco Bay Area.

[coolbuffdad]

Got to visit DC twice in my youth, loved the Smithsonian museums. Really want to take my son one of these days as I feel it's important for every American to visit at least once.

[showdown]

I'm impressed how much you both got through in a day. I was there recently for 4 days and still wasn't enough time to cover what we wanted to, but still got in plenty of stuff to see.

[jonathantitus]

Another great overview of a great location. Thanks for these insightful videos.
AS a teacher and as a veteran, I firmly believe every American should visit DC. I have been 5 times and have still NOT seen it all. At the top of my yet to see list are the National Gallery, so thanks for wetting my appetite, and the new WWI Memorial. And I am also adding a food stop for a little chili!

[iamcoreilly]

The national Christmas tree died last year and was replaced after the first of the year. Impressive that they were able to plant such a large one. I've always wanted to visit DC but I follow a vlogger around who shows all the monuments as well as the chaos and noise, protests and constant motorcades!