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This large club overlooking Washington Channel is the place to be for African-Americans and Latinos. It’s far from segregated: if you can dance, you’re welcome.

Marvelous drinks, food, and snacks in an intimate club setting featuring today’s best jazz and cabaret performers.

The dance hall is packed with patrons working out to salsa, merengue, and tango music.

The local establishment of the chain of comedy clubs books some outstanding talents. The restaurant serves a full menu.

The most elegant and familiar of all the world’s political residences, the White House has witnessed some of the most consequential decisions of modern history .

The National Gallery’s vast collection makes it one of the greatest art museums in the world.

The Hirshhorn exhibits the most varied modern and contemporary art in Washington, D.C.: its Directions gallery is known for displaying the newest – and sometimes the most controversial – work in the city. The lower level features a selection of items from the permanent collection, while large temporary shows are housed on the second floor, along with modern European sculpture. The third floor displays innovative paintings and sculptures up to the present day.

George Washington’s estate and mansion is a perfect example of the gentleman-farmer roots of many of America’s founders.

Called “Charm City” by its residents and promoters, Baltimore offers museums of art, industry, baseball, science, railroads, and marine trade along with historic sites from every American period. Its phenomenal National Aquarium is among the finest in the world. The historic Lexington Market, established in 1782, is still going strong with over 140 food vendors.

This enticing city on the Chesapeake Bay is one of the great sailing centers on the East Coast as well as being home to the US Naval Academy. It has a bustling business district and numerous historic houses, such as the home of William Paca, the governor who signed the Declaration of Independence.

This city on the Rappahannock River offers colonial homes, moving Civil War sites, and a downtown filled with shops and restaurants. A marked walking tour lays out milestones in the city’s history.

Magnificent trees, including ancient oaks, soar above the park and gardens surrounding this historic Federal-style house. Designed by Beatrix Jones Farrand, the gardens range from formal to more casual settings. From March to October they are ablaze with wisteria, roses, lilies, perennial borders, and chrysanthemums. Pools and fountains tie the verdant ensemble together (see Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Gardens).

The French sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), also created this reflection of belle époque majesty. The 30-ft (9-m) sculpture’s three caryatids support a circular basin surmounted by three tritons. A small garden surrounds the fountain like the setting for a gemstone.

Canalboats on this 184-mile (295-km) waterway, dating back to the early 19th century, carried cargo between Maryland and Georgetown for 100 years before the railroad put it out of business. The canal is now a National Historical Park, a haven for walkers and cyclists along its towpath and for canoeists and boaters in its waters. Catch a mule-drawn boat ride at Georgetown or Great Falls.

This “rooftop” garden is inspired by the culture on display beneath it in the Smithsonian Museums. The Island Garden beside the Sackler Gallery reflects the Asian world, with its moon gate, pools, and cherry and beech trees. The Fountain Garden, next to the Museum of African Art, sets a Moorish tone, with cascading waters and shaded seats.

This vast national park meanders with its namesake creek, offering something for everyone: woodland trails, 30 picnic areas, 25 tennis courts, a golf course, playing fields, and nature programs for kids and adults (see Rock Creek Park Nature Center).