Tuesday, August 12, 2014

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

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By Tanisha Berg


The American capital is one of the most visited cities in the country. It's not surprising, considering that here you'll find national museums, memorials and sites where history was made. There are many ways to go sightseeing here but if you'd like to avoid rushing from sight to sight, Washington DC audio walking tours are just the thing for you. They give you the inside scoop that a tourist guide could give but you get to explore independently.

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.

Intersecting with the National Mall at the site of the US Capitol is a famous DC street, Pennsylvania Avenue. It's several miles long but the most significant stretch is the mile and a bit northwestwards from the Capitol. Among the sights here are the FBI headquarters and the Department of Justice headquarters. It's also the street along which US presidents travel from the Capitol to their residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, better known as the White House.

Washington DC has played a central role in American history and an important historical event was the Civil War. A fascinating tour for history buffs is one with a Civil War theme that starts at the Capitol and ends at the White House. Along the way you'll see sites such as Ford's Theatre, where President Lincoln was assassinated, as well as the office of pioneering nurse Clara Barton.

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.

To find an audio walking tour that will appeal to you, simply look online. There is a wide variety of options available for download to an MP3 player, iPod or iPhone. Best of all is that several of these are free.




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