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The United States Botanic Garden is a living plant museum. It is open daily, free of charge, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibits interpret the role of plants in supporting earth's diverse and fragile ecosystems and in enriching human life. Public displays are located in the Conservatory, on the surrounding terrace gardens, and in adjacent Bartholdi Park. Established by Congress in 1820, the U.S. Botanic Garden is one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America. The garden's first greenhouse was constructed in 1842; since 1849 the Garden has been located at the eastern end of the Mall. The Garden has been administered through the Office of the Architect of the Capitol since 1934. The U.S. Botanic Garden Web site (see below) provides detailed information about visiting the U.S. Botanic Garden and about the Garden's functions, facilities, exhibits, events, services, and educational offerings.
Other Web Resources
Because the
city was built from scratch, Washington's
regular town plan is easy to grasp. Centered
on Capitol Hill and its governmental
monoliths, the District is divided into four
quadrants - northeast, northwest, southeast
and southwest. Dozens of broad avenues , all
named after states, run diagonally across a
standard grid of streets , meeting up at
monumental traffic circles like Dupont
Circle. North-south streets are numbered,
east-west ones are lettered. There's no J
Street, an intentional slight to early
Supreme Court Justice John Jay, or X, Y or Z
Street. I Street is often written Eye
Street. Be sure to note the relevant
two-letter code in any address (NW, NE, SW,
SE), which shows its quadrant; 1600
Pennsylvania Ave NW is a long way from 1600
Pennsylvania Ave SE.
Once in the
city, stop at the
DC Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center ,
Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania
Ave NW (Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm; tel
202/328-4748), which can help with maps,
tours, bookings and citywide information.
Look for visitor information desks at the
airports and Union Station.
The White House Visitor Information Center
, 1450 Pennsylvania Ave NW (daily
7.30am-4pm; tel 202/208-1631), supplies free
maps and handy guides to museums and
attractions; the most useful is the free
Washington DC Visitors Guide .
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