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Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Photo: Cris Godfrey / CC BY-SA 4.0

🎡 Attractions

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Washington, DC · National Mall

About

Maya Lin's black granite wall descends into the earth and rises again, carved with more than 58,000 names in the order they were lost. Walk the slope and the polished stone hands your own reflection back to you, set among the names and the trees behind you. It is open day and night, free to all, and a few steps west of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.

Highlights

The Wall: two polished black granite panels carved with 58,000+ namesThe Three Servicemen bronze statue and flag at the entry plazaThe Vietnam Women's Memorial honoring nurses and women who servedFree and open 24 hours, just west of the Lincoln Memorial

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.