Things to Do

Congressional Cemetery

Discover the history of US politics.

Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock

Why you might roll your eyes:

From a distance, this feels like a cemetery that could as easily be in Buffalo or Seattle.

Why you’ll love it:

A stroll along the pathways offers a 35-acre who’s who of US historyin gravestone form. You’ll find markers or cenotaphs for John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, John Philip Sousa, and Mathew Brady, along with scores of former congressmen (until the 1830s, almost every member of Congress who died in Washington was buried here). Where else can you find J. Edgar Hoover within a brief walk of Marion Barry?

Tours April through October. 1801 E St., SE; 202-543-0539.

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