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Washington D.C. Outdoor Activities

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You could easily spend all of your time in DC shuttling from one monument to the next, hoping to get everything in. If you have time, however, slow down and relax at one of Washington’s appealing outdoor activities. Washington has a substantial amount of green space where you can run, relax, read, and people watch.

While you’re downtown, make sure to spend some time at the National Mall and Constitution Gardens. The National Mall is the long green space between the Washington Monument and the Capitol and on warm days, it is filled with joggers, readers, softball games, and Congressmen. On the other side of the Washington Monument is the long reflecting pool (which leads up to the Lincoln Memorial) and the Constitution Gardens.

North of the Lincoln Memorial, Rock Creek Park moseys past Georgetown and Embassy Row. Other popular parks include West and East Potomac Parks, which encompass the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin, and Theodore Roosevelt Island State Park, a small natural preserve in the Potomac River.

The most scenic drive in DC is the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which lines the southern bank of the Potomac. Just west of the parkway is Arlington National Cemetery, which is well worth an afternoon or a day. Within the cemetery is The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the grave of President Kennedy, as well as the final resting places of thousands of American soldiers. If you continue south on the parkway past Arlington, you’ll soon come to Mount Vernon, where you can stroll the grounds and view the Potomac through the eyes of George Washington. As the joke goes, George Washington used to throw a silver dollar across the Potomac (money went farther in those days).

Another great way to experience the Potomac River, however, is on the river itself; take a cruise down the river. If you’re still in a water mood, rent a bike and pedal along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Whether walking, riding, or driving, an outdoor diversion gives you a glimpse of a different side of Washington.

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