Washington Monument

First of all, why are you looking this place up on Unilocal?It’s one of the most famous landmarks on Earth. Stop looking it up on Unilocal and just go!
You can get tickets at the building outside the monument to go to the top. If it’s a long wait, don’t bother the view isn’t anything amazing. Just seeing it and looking around from the base is just as impressive.
It’s also a great area for kite flying!

Upon completion in 1888, this obelisk was the tallest structure on earth. Now, it is merely one of the most meaningful.
Although unintentional, a change in marble color is easily noted about halfway up, due to the marble coming from a different source. Construction was halted from 1854 to 1877 due to the Civil War. The fact that it was completed by 1888 with the differently sourced marble is a testament to the resilience of the American spirit.
The Monument is surrounded by American flags, and a motley crew of tourists like me. During my first visit here, decades ago, I took the ten million steps up to the quartz windows to view the Mall and the surrounding area. It was unforgettable. This time around, although an elevator was available, I stayed ground bound, and simply enjoyed the sight of this iconic structure.
It is always an unexpected pleasure to catch a glimpse of the Monument through the trees when Ubering around the District. It is certainly the most prominent and conspicuous architecture in The District.

The reflecting pool in front of the monument is awesome! The tickets for this monument run out really quickly though, so I didn’t have a chance to go up to the top. I’ve heard the views are really nice though, so maybe next time. Definitely worth a visit, and you definitely won’t miss it since it’s super tall in in the center of a lot of the monuments and museums!

Of course you have to visit the Washington Monument when in DC! I loved running around the grounds in the morning and laying on a bench to look up at the monument.
We also went up in the monument, for which you have to wait in a long line the morning you want to visit to get your tickets. My coworker got us all tickets so we could get the birds eye view of the city. So beautiful!

You can see the Washington Monument from almost anywhere in the Mall.
Does not give you the same chills the Lincoln Monument does but still a must see site.
Hard to get a good picture with it. You either have to be far away or get a partial site picture up close. My favorite view is from Lincoln with the pool.
I know its a national treasure but every time I see it, I think, that toothpick though!

Bottom Line: The effort to get tickets is worth it and the views from the top are better than expected, even on a cloudy day.
Having walked by the Washington Monument countless times and watched about ten documentaries on the obelisk, I was by no means a stranger to this most conspicuous architecture of the Federal City. However, I recently and finally was able to make the trip to the top of the monument.
The three things I enjoyed the most about my tour were the panoramic views from the top, getting brief glimpses of the famous commemorative stones and the friendliness of the Park Rangers and volunteers.
Even though I visited on a cloudy day, the views were spectacular with the views to the West being my favorite. There are two windows looking in each direction and one of the two windows has a step stool so smaller statured guests can enjoy the views from approximately 50 stories over the National Mall. Also, each view has a photo and guide that tells you what you’re seeing below. The 500 foot observation deck, as well as the 490 foot exhibit deck, have some really neat historic photos that reinforce the magnitude of this great engineering feat.
I’ve learned a lot about the various commemorative stones that have been donated to the monument throughout its nearly 170 year history so I was looking forward to seeing those on the descent. The way in which they’re revealed is very cool but it definitely left me wanting more. I’d love to be able to walk back down the monument’s stairs and take a detailed look at the stones. A volunteer noted that within the last six months NPS had run some training on visitors having access to the stairs so hopefully one day that will be a possibility. But for now, everyone has to take the elevator up and down.
I was surprised how many Park Rangers, volunteers and security personnel were on hand to make the tours run efficiently. Additionally, all of the staff members were very friendly and engaging. Instead of letting lost tourists seek them out for help, Park Rangers would proactively greet tourists and make sure they knew where to go.
There is not a ton of history about the Washington Monument presented here, probably because there is neither space nor time, so if you are wanting to learn more about this monument, turn to a bookstore or souvenir shop. But for most people, the basic history and facts discussed here will be sufficient.
As others noted, you can wait in line for tickets in the morning or reserve them in advance on the Internet up to 90 days in advance. We logged on 90 days in advance, at the exact second ticket reservations opened, and were able to get two tickets for a 10am tour but even using this method there were only a handful of tickets available for an April Saturday morning tour.

Visible iconic monument from miles away dedicated to the Nation’s first President and commander-​in-​chief of Continental Army, George Washington.
Best obtained tickets can be found online as the line is first come, first serve. Located on 15^th street is the nearest information booth where tickets can also be purchased. Recommend ordering months in advance for certain reservation.
Symbolizing freedom and sacrifice, this is such a majestic monument with an ethereal vibe. One of a kind experience for locals as well as residents.

It’s huge!!! It’s awesome up close but also cool from a far.
I really like it at the end of the Reflecting Pool or even at Lincolns Monument.

Got to see this amazing monument up close and personal during our trip. It was super windy that day — we saw lots of pamphlets go flying, and even saw a stroller get turned over, but luckily the baby wasn’t inside! You can see this monument from all around DC. I was able to grab a great picture of all the flags around the monument flying, with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.
I found out while we were there that you could take rides to the top of the building, but they have limited tickets available each day, and you have to get there early to get them. Maybe next time!

I love when this monument comes into view as you’re walking or driving towards it. The view from the Lincoln Memorial over the reflecting pool is the best. I get the same feeling with this monument as I do when the St. Louis Arch comes into view when I drive to the city. I don’t think either of them will ever get old or routine to me.

The tallest structure in D.C. No building etc etc in D. C is allowed to be over 12 stories (it really isn’t that tall of structure compared to your average NYC building lol).Probably to make sure this structure stand out lol. Which helped me realize if you have too many tall structures, like in NYC :), you might not get to admire and appreciate the sky as much. Everything building and structure being so short makes DC feel so open. Anyhow back to the obelisk I been here a few times it never seemed worthy of another glance, but this last trip I took time to actually appreciate it. It does feel amazing when you come up close to it and stare at the sky. It almost feels like the structure is moving. Really felt extraordinary maybe even magical. There is grass all around to have a picnic on or just to lounge around. I was really impressed with all of the beautiful flowers across the street from the monument. Just feels like a big park.
Is it worth a visit? Yes
Is it the best landmark to see in DC? Not to me but hey judge for yourself:).
Enjoy the pics and Videos!

It has been years since I have been inside the Washington Monument. I love this landmark. It was nice to see the scaffolding come off after the repair work done to the monument.
You can order tickets online at
. I have two issues with doing that. You have to make a reservation months out. I prefer having immediate plans. I also don’t like paying a service fee for a free ticket. It goes against my savings principals.
The park service gives out day of tour passes at Washington Monument Lodge, beside the monument. One person can claim up to six free tickets. TIP: show up by 7:30am in order to increase your chances of getting tickets. I have seen the tickets run out at 8:45am.
Make sure you read the list of «no-​no» before you get in line.

This was one of my stops when I went sightseeing in the D.C. metro area. Located not far from the white house, Lincoln memorial, reflecting pool, Vietnam Veteran memorial this is one of the best photo ops around.
This monument is dedicated to the first president of the United states of America George Washington. It’s befitting of a man that was the first elected leader of our nation. This splendid monument is hundreds of feet tall. It is absolutely huge! To be honest I really didn’t think it would have been that big. But I guess I was wrong.
They do charge you to go up in there, given the fact I had a lot of sight seeing to do I ended up skipping it. But the next time I’m in DC I will definitely make time in order to do it.
Even though I didn’t go in it I took plenty of photos that way I could brag to my friends and family about where I had been that day. So yeah check this place out when your in the District of Columbia.

Simply a stunning view from the Lincoln Memorial to the Jefferson Memorial and all around the Tidal Basic, it’s hard to miss this large monument that towards overhead and basically a recognizable point in the National Mall to let you identify and know where you’re at right away.
It really is a beautiful sight however, when you walk up close to it. There are American flags surrounding all around it and there’s even a tour that you can take as well. Plenty of tourists around this area at all hours of the day. A large grassy area also surrounds the monuments where I saw tourists just walk all over instead of walking around the dedicated ramp area around it to head back down to the sidewalk area.
The best part is seeing the reflection of this monument in the Reflecting Pool and that it helps provide shade shade relief for you from the sun at the exact right angle when you’re walking down Constitution Street from the Smithsonian Museums during the peak sun hours!

I did not know this tour! Awesome! Great new knowledge and fantastic view;)
Price: Free at a ticket shop or $ 1.5 reservation on the phone. I went there around 9:39 on Mon and found the tickets at 13:00 earliest. They open at 8:30. If you don’t have time, make a all to get a spot.
Time: Up to how long you stay there.
Staff: Nice!
Parking lot: Noooo.

As a federal government contractor, I’m in the DC area from time to time. I haven’t been to the area since my 6^th grade field trip! We were able to get out at a reasonable hour the other day, and went for a leisurely stroll by the White House, Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. Absolutely stunning views and bringing back so many good memories, looking forward to seeing the Smithsonian museums soon and the White House tours —
Best,
Charlie

Superbly scenic to look at from a good distance.
I was enjoying the beautiful scenery of this surrounding from the top steps of the Lincoln monument!
Leisurely stroll as well to go walking by it!

I’ve been to DC before, I’ve been to the Washington Monument before however I’ve never taken the tour. This time, while out walking from my Hotel, I decided to get a ticket — free. I was able to get a walk up ticket for an 11:30 tour time. NICE!
I whiled away my hour wait by wandering around and then got to the monument and in line. I went through the check in process and into the little house at the bottom, it was nice to look around at the ornate tile work and the statue of President Washington housed here.
The elevator ride up the 500 feet was inconsequential, it went rapidly and yes, my ears popped, but it was really cool to step out and be able to go to the compass points and look out the windows in the cap. The view of the city was incredible! From the Lincoln Memorial, to the white house, to the Capital Building to the water’s edge, you get a panoramic view of DC.
And don’t forget to pay attention on your way down after viewing the exhibits. You’ll learn why the blocks are rough hewn when they didn’t need to be. But I’m not going to give that away here. :)

Now that is one large phallic symbol of Murrica’s freedom!
As far as a monument goes this one is just ok when compared to the others in the area.
The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate our first President and overall bad-​ass military leader George Washington who led our ragtag militia to an ass beating of the British monarchy and paved the way for American freedom. The father of our country would be proud of this erect symbol shooting into the sky.
Lit up at the base at night with the circle of American flags around it is quite a sight.
Murrica!

Seeing the Washington Monument up close is awesome! It’s an iconic structure that can be seen from many places throughout DC but up close, it is just massive.
I loved how American flags circle the monument. And looking down at the Lincoln memorial in one direction and the White House in another direction, I was struck by the sheer beauty of D.C.
As we walked from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, I kept wanting to turn around to see the Washington Monument. Even from a distance it’s beautiful.

Este monumento realmente me encanta; es un lugar enorme, hermoso y tranquilo. He tenido la oportunidad de ir dos veces a este monumento y es que la televisión hace de las suyas al vendernos la idea de que todo es hermoso. En este caso no se equivocan porque es realmente impresionante este lugar.
Ya había visto muchísimas veces este lugar en películas y tenía unas ganas enormes de conocerlo. El obelisco es gigante y de noche luce precioso, su alrededor es ideal para ir a correr y hacer pierna. Si no vas a correr por lo menos ve a echarte un taco de ojo que te aseguro no te vas a arrepentir. Hasta cuenta con baños públicos, limpios y de muy buena calidad por si andas con la vejiga llena. En el área de la enorme piscina te recomiendo que si vas en verano durante el día lleves gorra, bloqueador solar, lentes de sol y muchos líquidos porque el calor es intenso. Si piensas ir en la noche es mucho más fresco pero las fotos no se ven tan padres como en el día.
Una de las cosas que me sorprendió es que la piscina si mucho tendrá como 30 centímetros de profundidad y el agua está bastante sucia. Se ve muy padre como brilla el agua con la luz del sol pero deberían de darle una limpiadita más seguido.
Sin duda un hermoso lugar que debes visitar.

Der unübersehbare Obelisk des Washington Monuments liegt in der direkten Sichtachse zum Capitol, Lincoln Memorial und Weißem Haus. Zu den historischen Fakten verweise ich auf die diversen Vorberichte.
Umkreist wird der Turm von einer Parade der amerikanischen Flagge an hohen Masten. Das ergibt ein beeindruckendes Bild und ist damit gefragtes Fotoobjekt. Der Turm steht erhöht auf einem Hügel und ragt somit noch mehr aus seinem Umfeld. Ein Besteigen bzw. Hochfahren ist möglich und kostenfrei. Allerdings braucht man dafür Tickets, die am Fuß des Hügels in einem kleinen Infohäuschen erhältlich sind. So steuert man den Besucherstrom, denn das Fassungsvermögen des Obelisken ist begrenzt. Hier unten gibt es übrigens auch Restrooms.
Beim Betreten des Turms erfolgt zunächst eine strenge Sicherheitskontrolle wie auf einem Airport. Dann geht es zügig mit einem Fahrstuhl hinauf, wobei der Fahrstuhlführer bereits einige interessante Informationen von sich gibt. Oben angekommen ist es zunächst einmal eng! An vier Seiten des Turms sind sehr kleine Fenster, von
denen man einen weiten Blick auf Washington und Umgebung hat — wenn man denn endlich an die Fenster rankommt, was ja alle hier oben wollen. Aus dieser Sicht wird einem so richtig bewusst, wie klein das Weiße Haus doch ist — im Vergleich zu den vielen Repräsentationsgebäuden in Washington.
Die Fahrt wieder hinab (zu Fuß geht es nicht, die Treppe ist für die Öffentlichkeit gesperrt) geht es deutlich langsamer, da der Fahrstuhl an zwei Stellen die Fahrt verlangsamt, das Licht ausmacht, so dass man durch die Glaswände auf die beleuchteten Innenwände des Turms schauen kann: Reliefe und Namen von Sponsoren zeugen von den Donations, die den Bau des Turms möglich machten. Der Fahrstuhlführer, ein Ranger, gibt dazu wertvolle Zusatzinformationen.
Das Washington Monument ist eines der sogenannten Besuchs-​Pflichtplätze. Rechtzeitiges Sichern von Tickets ermöglicht dann auch die Umsetzung.

Sicherlich eine der Hauptsehenswürdigkeiten Washingtons, man kommt ja auch nicht daran vorbei es zu sehen. Presidents sehen es aus den zum Garten schauenden Räumen des weissen Hauses. Es sieht so ein wenig, wie aus dem Boden hochgeschossen aus, dabei ist es aus 36 000 Granit– und Marmorsteinen zusammengebastelt worden, nach einem Plan von Robert Mills. Zunächst sollte der zu Ehren George Washingtons errichtete Obelisk näher am White House stehen, der Boden erwies sich aber als nicht tragfähig genug, insofern rückte man dann weiter in Richtung Mall und Kapitol. 1848 begann der Bau und man stockte solange Stein auf Stein, bis das Geld alle war. Dann war Pause und erst 1876 ging es weiter bis zur Fertigstellung 1884. Der Baufortschritt bis zur Fortsetzung kann noch heute durch die unterschiedlichen Farben nachvollzogen werden. Die mangelnde Finanzierung veranlasste einige Bundesstaaten Steine zu spenden und die dann auch ndividuell zu beschriften. Kalifornien spendete einen üppig mit Blattgold verzierten Stein, der aber mit Schiff, Mann und Maus in einem Sturm vor der amerikanischen Ostküste sank. Interessanterweise gelang dem Stein noch die eigentlich riskantere Umschiffung von Kap Hoorn, der Panamakanal wurde erst 1914 fertiggestellt. Der Ersatzstein Kaliforniens war dann nüchterner gehalten. Von der Fertigstellung 1884 bis 1889 war der Obelisk das welthöchste Bauwerk. Damit löste das Monument den Kölner Dom ab und wurde dann nach fünf Jahren vom Eiffelturm überholt. Als ich im Herbst 2013 dort war, da war das Monument noch in ein Gerüst eingepackt, das hilft die bei einem Erdbeben im August 2011 entstandenen Schäden zu beseitigen. Daher war auch eine Befahrung des Monuments nicht möglich, die Möglichkeit den Turm per Fuss zu besteigen besteht seit 1976 nicht mehr.

Das Washington Monument befindet sich im Herzen der National Mall zwischen dem Lincoln Memorial und dem Capitol. Der weiße Marmorturm hat die Form eines Obelisken, der sich auf einem Hügel befindet.
Ursprünglich sollte das Bauwerk an einem anderen Standort errichtet werden, der nicht tragfähige Boden in diesem Bereich machte jedoch eine Verlegung des Standortes in Richtung Kapitol erforderlich.
Das Denkmal ist zu Ehren des ersten Präsidenten der USA, George Washington, errichtet worden. Die Bauphase dauerte ca. 36 Jahre. Der Obelisk ist immer gegenwärtig, da man ihn von überall sehen kann. Sehr schön ist die Spiegelung im Reflecting Pool, wenn man vor dem Lincoln Museum steht.
Man kann mit dem Aufzug zu einer Besucherebene mit Fenstern fahren. Hier fährt man an Steinblöcken vorbei, die oft besonders aufwendig gestaltet sind. Es gibt auch eine Treppe mit 897 Stufen. Diese ist aber seit 1976 für Besucher gesperrt.
Das Washington Monument ist schon sehr beeindruckend, wenn man direkt davor steht. Man hat auch einen sehr schönen Blick auf den Ellipse Park und das White House.
Bei einem Besuch Washingtons und der National Mall ein absolutes muss.