Walk four blocks west and tour the White House. Then go south across the green grass of the Ellipse to the Washington Monument; turn west and pass beneath stately trees to the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials.

Another day, walk two blocks south to the Mall and see the American History Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Air & Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art - there is always more to see.

Tour Ford's Theater or the FBI headquarters one block east of the Harrington; five blocks further east brings you to the Pension Building, home of the Building Museum. Look inside to see the most spectacular interior space in Washington. The US Capitol and the Library of Congress are further east, half an hour's walk from the Harrington, or take the Metro, Washington's subway, two blocks north of the Hotel.

The Harrington is a gateway to American past and present.

Guided Tours

Historic Tours of America: (202) 832 - 9800. Three different tours available. Visit http://www.historictours.com for more information and pick up points.

Tourmobile: (202) 554 - 5100. Shuttle tour of 18 historic sights, including White House, Smithsonian museums and Arlington Cemetery.

Major Places of Interest

Bureau of Engraving and Printing: (202) 874 - 3188, 14th and C Sts. SW. Metro: Smithsonian.

Capital Children's Museum: (202) 543 - 8600, 800 Third St. NE. Metro: Union Station.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): (202) 324 - 3447, 10th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Metro: Metro Center, Gallery Place - Chinatown.

Ford's Theatre: (202) 347 - 4833, 511 10th St. NW. Metro: Metro Center.

Library of Congress: (202) 707 - 5458, 10 1st St. NE. Metro: Capital South.

National Archives: (202) 501 - 5000, 7th Street & Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Metro: Archives - Navy Memorial.

National Cathedral: (202) 537 - 6200, Massachusetts Ave & Wisconsin Ave. NW. 14th Century- style Gothic cathedral.

National Shrine: (202) 526 - 8300, 4th St. & Michigan Ave. NE Largest Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Metro: Brookland - Catholic University.

National Zoological Park: (202) 673 - 4800, 3000 block of Connecticut Ave. NW. Metro: Woodley Park- Zoo.

Pentagon: (703) 695 - 1776. 90 min. tour with film. Metro: Pentagon.

Smithsonian Institution: (202) 357 - 2700, The world's largest museum complex with 14 museums and the National Zoo. Free admission. Visitor information Center, 1000 Jefferson Dr. SW. Metro: Smithsonian.

Supreme Court of the United States: (202) 479 -3030, 1 First St. NW. Metro: Capital South or Union Station.

US Capitol: (202) 225 - 6827 (tours), National Mall (east end). Metro: Capitol South.

US Holocaust Memorial Museum: (202) 488 - 0400, 14th and Raoul Wallenberg Place SW. Guided Tours recommended especially for school groups. Advance reservations required. Metro: Smithsonian.

US Navy Memorial: (202) 737 - 2300, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #123. Admission. Metro: Archives Navy Memorial.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Constitution Ave. between Henry Bacon Drive and 21st St. NW.

White House: (202) 456 - 7041, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Metro: McPherson Sq. or Federal Triangle.

Theatre & Stage

Ford's Theater: (202) 347 - 4833

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: (202) 467 - 4600

National Theater: (202) 628 - 6161

Shakespeare Theater: (202) 393 - 2700

Movie Theaters: AMC Union Station 9 (703) 998 - 4262, features and times.

Ticketmaster: (202) 432- 7328

Sightseeing Tips

1. Some of the best times to visit Washington, D.C. are during the months of December, January and February. You will have a much better selection of rooms to choose from at the Hotel Harrington, the weather is usually fairly pleasant, and you will have all of the museums and attractions mostly to yourself.
     
2. Be sure to ask for one of our awesome tourist maps. They are available at our front desk and are free of charge for our hotel guests. The front of this map shows the Hotel Harrington in relationship to all of the most important sights you have come to visit. A map of the Metro Subway System is superimposed over the map to assist you in using that system for the sites that are too far for walking. On the back of the map is a listing of all of the major points of interest along with their addresses and telephone numbers. Also listed on the back are driving directions for those guests planning drive into the city. If you would like to receive a map prior to your arrival in Washington, D.C., just complete the request using the menu button labeled "Send me a Brochure & Map", and we'll have it out in the next day's mail. Also, a copy of our map can be found on this website by clicking on the menu button "Map / Driving Directions".
     
3. Depending upon the length of your visit, you may want to start with a trip on the Old Town Trolley operated by Historic Tours of America. (Please see "Guided Tours" above this area for more information on times and pick up locations.) With your ticket in hand, this tour is good for the entire day. Trolleys start running at 9 AM and are finished for the day around 5 PM. Running on a continuous route, you will view up to 100 different points of interest, and you are free to get off and re-board as many times during the day as you would like at the 17 pre-determined stops. Some people use these trolleys as their personal transportation system for the entire day, others board the trolley and don't get off again until they return to their starting point. Those who stay on for the entire run of the tour tell us they like to have a total overview of the city's tourist district, along with the narration provided by the trolley driver, then they head back to see the particular sights that are of interest to them. If you will be visiting our city for several days, then we suggest you take the Trolley tour on the first or second day of your visit...that way you'll have a feel for how our tourist area is laid out, plus you may well discover there are places you would like to visit you hadn't even been aware of before your arrival in Washington.
      
4. Take the free, National Park Service guided tour up to the observation deck of the Old Post Office Building. The Old Post Office is located just one block from the Hotel Harrington (on Pennsylvania Avenue), and is a spectacular, one-of-a-kind example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture remaining in Washington, D.C.. This grand old building nearly met its match when Congress appropriated funds in 1970 to have the building demolished. But fortunately, a dedicated lady by the name of Nancy Hanks, the politically influential chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, successfully joined the local citizens in a desperate, and ultimately successful, effort to reverse that decision. Now you can ride the glass enclosed elevators up to the 270 foot-high observation deck where you will have a spectacular 360 degree view of Washington, D.C.. You will be able to see how all of the important sights relate to each other: every location from the sight of the U.S. Capitol to the White House to the Museums of the Smithsonian Complex are easily located. This clock tower is also the location of the famous Congressional Bells, one of the largest sets of change ringing bells in North America, and the official bells of the United States Congress. If you plan to be in town on any Thursday evening, try to be near the Old Post Office between 7 and 8PM ...... that is when the bell ringers hold their weekly practice session, and it is a wonderful experience you will certainly enjoy.