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Library of Congress

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith / Public domain

🎡 Attractions

Library of Congress

Washington, DC · Capitol Hill

About

The world's largest library hides one of the most jaw-dropping rooms in Washington behind a Beaux-Arts facade across from the Capitol. Climb to the second-floor overlook and you are staring down into the Main Reading Room, a domed octagon ringed with marble columns and reader tables fanning out under a 160-foot ceiling, while the Great Hall below holds a 1455 Gutenberg Bible and Thomas Jefferson's own surviving library. Admission is free, though the Thomas Jefferson Building now runs on free timed-entry passes, so reserve one before you go.

Highlights

Free admission with timed-entry passMain Reading Room overlookGreat Hall and Gutenberg BibleThomas Jefferson's original libraryBeaux-Arts Thomas Jefferson Building

Getting there

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Washington D.C. Attractions23 places

Washington D.C. Attractions

No city packs more world-class attractions into a walk than Washington, and most of it is free. The Smithsonians line the National Mall like a museum mile, from the moon lander hanging in Air and Space to the Hope Diamond and the Wright Flyer. Between them stand the monuments and memorials: Lincoln gazing down the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument over the Tidal Basin cherry trees, the marble halls of the Capitol and the Library of Congress. Bring good shoes and a full day, and you still will not see it all.