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Lafayette Square, Washington, DC

Photo: Cliff from I now live in Arlington, VA (Outside Washington DC), USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingIconicHistory Buff

Lafayette Square

Stroll the seven-acre park facing the White House's North Portico, ringed by statues, St. John's Church and historic houses.

H St NW, across Pennsylvania Ave from the White House · Washington, DC

About Lafayette Square

Lafayette Park is a seven-acre square directly north of the White House, named for the Marquis de Lafayette. At its center stands Clark Mills' 1853 equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, the first bronze statue cast in the United States, and statues of four foreign heroes of the Revolutionary War fill the corners. Stephen Decatur's house, Dolley Madison's house and St. John's Church, called the Church of the Presidents, still face the park. It is part of President's Park, there is no fee, and it has long been a place for protests and celebrations.

  • #park
  • #white house views
  • #statues
  • #historic district
  • #free

What's around here?

The closest stops to Lafayette Square, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    The White House

    No admission fee

    Tour the State Floor rooms of the president's home, including the Blue, Red and Green Rooms, on a free tour requested ahead of time.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    Steps awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Renwick Gallery

    No admission fee

    See American craft and decorative art in a National Historic Landmark building steps from the White House.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Admiral David G. Farragut Memorial

    No admission fee

    Stop at the center of Farragut Square to see Vinnie Ream's bronze admiral, cast from the propeller of his flagship USS Hartford.

    0.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    McPherson Square

    No admission fee

    A 1.66-acre downtown park centered on a Civil War statue of General James B. McPherson.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Farragut Square

    Check prices

    A downtown Washington square centered on a monument to Admiral David Farragut, a Civil War naval commander.

    0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    First Division Monument

    No admission fee

    See the gilded Victory atop a granite column beside the White House, with a bed of red flowers shaped like a giant 1.

    0.3 mi awayMore like this

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