In 1783 George Washington selected a 10-square-mile area along the Potomac River as the permanent site for the capital of the United States. He argued the region's commercial potential, pointing out that the river provided easy access to Georgetown, a crucial tobacco hub, as well as to the yet untapped "western frontier."

Seven years later Congress conceded Washington's point by hiring Pierre-Charles L'Enfant, an artist, engineer, and revolutionary, to design the layout of the newly incorporated District of Columbia.

L'Enfant strove to create "a city of magnificent distances" via a pattern of avenues radiating from a central area comprised of the Capitol, the Mall, and the White House. Although political strife prevailed at the time, today the mosaic of monuments, buildings, and open spaces retains a coherence to L'Enfant's vision, and each year over 20 million visitors from around the world come to D.C. to experience these living treasures of one of the world's great democracies.

• D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks - Phone: 202-673-7665
• MD State Forest & Park Service - Phone: 877-620-8DNR
• US Bureau of Land Management - Eastern States Phone: 703-440-1700
• USDA Forest Service - Eastern Region Office: 414-297-3600
• National Park Service - D.C. Headquarters: 202- 208-6843
• Virginia State Parks - Phone: 804-786-1712

• Visit the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, open 10 am to 5:30 pm 7 days/week. Guided tours are available to give visitors a greater understanding of the forces that generate, shape, and sustain our natural and cultural diversity.
• Drive 90 minutes southwest of Washington DC to explore the Luray Caverns, the largest and most popular caverns on the East Coast.
• Rent paddle boats on the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park from Mar.-Sept.