Northern Virginia

Arlington, Alexandria, Mount Vernon and Manassas Virginia are excellent daytrips from Washington DC. Some key sights in Arlington are: the Lincoln Memorial, a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln by American sculptor Daniel Chester French; across the Potomac River from the memorial lies Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for hundreds of thousands of US service men and women - the eternal flame burns at President John F. Kennedy's gravesite; near the cemetery is the Marine Corps War Memorial honoring Marines who were killed in the World War II battle for the island of Iwo Jima. Historic buildings line the streets of ...

Arlington, Alexandria, Mount Vernon and Manassas Virginia are excellent daytrips from Washington DC. Some key sights in Arlington are: the Lincoln Memorial, a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln by American sculptor Daniel Chester French; across the Potomac River from the memorial lies Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for hundreds of thousands of US service men and women - the eternal flame burns at President John F. Kennedy's gravesite; near the cemetery is the Marine Corps War Memorial honoring Marines who were killed in the World War II battle for the island of Iwo Jima. Historic buildings line the streets of Alexandria's Old Town District: Gadsby's Tavern built in 1770; Christ Church, which George Washington and Robert E. Lee attended; and the Lee-Fendall house where Lee was born. At Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, many of the Washingtons' original furnishings are on view, including the bed that Washington died in. On July 21, 1861 the Union and Confederate armies met on Manassas Battlefield in the first battle of the Civil War, known to southerners as the Battle of Manassas, in the north as the battle of Bull Run. The Union army expected to win easily; they didn't count on the skill of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his troops. The Confederates won that day and again in August of 1862.

About the Expert

Frances Folsom is the author of CitySpot Palermo, a contributor to the Reiskits guides to Milan and Italy's Lakes Region, and Thomas Cook's Independent Traveller USA.