For the Social Scientist

History and politics nerds, rejoice — in Washington, D.C., you can hardly walk a block without happening upon a monument to a forgotten general or a plaque marking a senator’s home. Among D.C.’s most notable landmarks are, of course, the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Memorial; Equally poignant are the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, remembering the civil rights leader in white marble monoliths, and the sunken Vietnam Veterans Memorial. D.C. is equally rich in museums — from the National Museum of American History, featuring the “Wizard of Oz” ruby slippers and the massive American flag that hung during the War of 1812, to Ford’s Theater, the site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and now a museum commemorating his life and death. The National Air and Space Museum, meanwhile, explores the United State’s aeronautical history. But the undoubted highlight of D.C.’s museum scene is the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where visitors move from claustrophobic basement hallways to vaulted ceilings, echoing the journey from slavery’s horrors to Jim Crow oppression to the fight for civil rights. Its upstairs, meanwhile, features art and artifacts of Black excellence. All of D.C.’s Smithsonian museums are free of charge to enter. Further afield is Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate. Nearby Baltimore, Md., offers a rich history, including Fort McHenry, the location from which Francis Scott Key, overlooking battle during the War of 1812, wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Irish Railroad Workers Museum in Baltimore is also worth visiting to take a peek into the lives of turn-of-the-century working-class Baltimoreans. 

For the Art Connoisseur

Not just the star of D.C.’s art museums, the National Gallery of Art holds one of the world’s most impressive art collections. Its stately West Building displays art from — among others — Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso, while its modern wing displays the works of contemporary artists, from Alexander Calder’s mobiles to Mark Rothko’s colorscapes. The National Portrait Gallery, meanwhile, holds photographs and paintings of American icons — daguerreotypes of Frederick Douglass sit alongside oil paintings of the Founding Fathers and photographs and posters of modern politicians such as Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only major art museum in the world devoted to female artists — it holds works by artists such as Mary Cassatt and Frida Kahlo, while the Phillips Collection, nestled among brownstones near Dupont Circle, holds a vast collection including works by Van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet. Finally, the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum’s rotating collection spotlights urban community life in the Anacostia neighborhood’s Black community through its art and artifacts. If visual art isn’t your thing, the Kennedy Center offers programs of music and theater in an iconic venue.

For the Food Critic

The District’s food scene is in many ways the opposite of many other East Coast cities: While New England is known for its clam chowder and Philadelphia, Penn., its cheesesteak, D.C.’s food scene is not marked by one eponymous, must-try dish, but rather by its variety of international restaurants. H Street NE offers Taiwanese/Cambodian fusion at Maketto and Trinidadian food at Cane, while Columbia Heights’ variety of options, from Lao food at Thip Khao to Salvadoran cuisine at Gloria’s, also make it a worthy destination for foodies. The Eden Center in Northern Virginia is the center of D.C’s thriving Vietnamese food scene, while Ethiopian restaurants including Georgetown’s own Das abound and soul food is plentiful along U Street. Ben’s Chili Bowl, with multiple locations but a famed original also on U Street, is a D.C. icon, meanwhile, famed for its chili dogs and half-smokes — a smoked half-beef, half-pork hot dog heaped with chili sauce and onions. All the way near the Red Line’s Shady Grove terminus in Maryland, meanwhile, is Rockville, home of the area’s Chinese community and a number of outstanding Chinese restaurants.

For the Outdoor Lover

If a walk around the National Mall or the Tidal Basin isn’t nature enough, don’t fret — farther from downtown, D.C.’s public parks get steeper and wilder. The massive Rock Creek Park includes secluded trails and acres of forest, while Theodore Roosevelt Island, on the Virginia side of the Potomac River across from Rosslyn Metro station, features the nation’s memorial to the 26th president and hilly trails with river views, and Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, offers waterfalls, statues and woodland. The National Arboretum, meanwhile, offers 446 acres of open space, miles of trails and the former U.S. Capitol columns. And, of course, there’s the National Zoo — while it’s not quite a hiking hotspot, its elephants, small mammals and (coming soon) pandas live among the lush surrounds of Rock Creek. Further afield, Harpers Ferry, W.Va., is home to gorges and ridges, while Shenandoah National Park, the closest national park to Georgetown, hosts Skyline Drive, a winding road with views across mountaintops; Hiking there includes part of the Appalachian Trail.

For the Cinephile

Arguably D.C.’s most famous filming location is Georgetown University itself — our campus featured heavily in “The Exorcist,” based on the novel by graduate William Peter Blatty (C ’50). Between the Car Barn academic building and a next-door home are the vertiginous Exorcist Steps, featured in perhaps the film’s most famous scene. The Watergate Hotel, meanwhile, is host to America’s most famous scandal — both in real life and in the film “All the President’s Men.” Union Station featured in 2001’s “Hannibal,” while the Tidal Basin and Theodore Roosevelt Bridge appeared in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and the National Archives was central to the plot of “National Treasure.” Further away, Steven Spielberg’s award-winning “Lincoln” was filmed exclusively in the state of Virginia, with Petersburg, Va., featuring heavily; Baltimore appears in “House of Cards” as a stand-in for the District and is the setting of the classic police drama “The Wire.”

For the Sports Fan

If Georgetown sports games at Cooper Field, Shaw Field, McDonough Arena or Capital One Arena aren’t enough, don’t worry: D.C. is one of only a few U.S. cities with teams in all of the country’s major sports leagues — the problem is, by and large, they’ve all been struggling as of late. When the men’s basketball team isn’t playing at Capital One Arena, the NBA’s Washington Wizards or NHL’s Washington Capitals are — with the Capitals holding the distinction of being D.C.’s only men’s professional team to make the playoffs in their most recent season. The MLB’s Washington Nationals, featuring young talents like star shortstop C.J. Abrams, play in Navy Yard, while the NFL’s Washington Commanders may be a team to watch this season at Commanders Field in Landover, Md., as second overall draft pick Jayden Daniels makes his debut. MLS’s DC United play at Audi Field in Southwest D.C., a venue they share with the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, at time of writing enjoying a successful season. Finally, WNBA team Washington Mystics play most of their games at Entertainment and Sports Arena in Southeast D.C. across the Anacostia River, with select games at Capital One — including their Sept. 19 matchup with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.