Skip to content
United States National Arboretum, Washington, DC

Photo: APK, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureLocal Gem

United States National Arboretum

Drive or walk 446 acres of gardens in Northeast DC, see the old Capitol columns on a meadow hill and the bonsai museum, all free.

Visitor entrance, 2400 R St NE · Washington, DC

About United States National Arboretum

Congress set up the National Arboretum in 1927, and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service runs its 446 acres with 9.5 miles of roads. On a hill in the Ellipse Meadow stand 22 Corinthian columns that held up the Capitol's East Portico from 1828 to 1958. The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum shows trees in Japanese, Chinese and North American pavilions. Admission is free; the visitor entrance is at 2400 R Street NE and last entry is at 4:30 p.m.

  • #arboretum
  • #gardens
  • #bonsai
  • #capitol columns
  • #walking

What's around here?

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

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Union Market

    No admission fee

    DC's buzziest food hall: dozens of vendors slinging oysters, arepas, pasta, and ice cream in a revived 1930s market.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

    No admission fee

    Walk among ponds of lotus and water lilies and look for herons and beavers in Washington's largest remaining tidal marsh.

    1.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Alethia Tanner Park

    Check prices

    A 2.5-acre community park in the NoMa area of Washington, D.C., with a large lawn, playground, dog park, gardens, and a cafe space.

    1.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    History Buff

    Lincoln Park

    No admission fee

    Stroll Capitol Hill's largest park to see the 1876 Emancipation statue and the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial.

    1.9 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Emancipation Memorial

    No admission fee

    Visit the 1876 Lincoln statue paid for by freed slaves in Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill, and read the debate it still stirs.

    1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Stay
    Family Favorite

    Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC/U.S. Capitol

    $50+

    A 204-room hotel in NoMa next to the Red Line Metro, about a mile from Union Station, with an indoor pool and hot tub.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay