Sightseeing
IconicNational Cherry Blossom Festival
No admission feeAnnual spring celebration around DC's Tidal Basin with cherry blossoms, a parade and cultural events.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Photo: Luigigi6475, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
SightseeingQuirky FunHistory Buff
Zero Milestone
Find the small granite marker south of the White House that was set up in 1923 as the starting point for measuring U.S. road distances.
North edge of the Ellipse, Ellipse Road NW, Washington, DC 20500 · Washington, DC
About Zero Milestone
The Zero Milestone is a granite marker on the north edge of the Ellipse, just south of the White House, inside President's Park. It was dedicated in 1923 as the point from which road distances across the United States would be measured. The stone is about 4 feet high and 2 feet square, with a bronze compass rose on top. Its sides note the first transcontinental motor convoy, which left from this spot in 1919. A visit to President's Park is free, and the marker is an easy stop on a walk past the White House.
- #monument
- #landmark
- #white house
- #national mall area
- #road history
What's around here?
The closest stops to Zero Milestone, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
Right next doorMore like this
- SightseeingHistory Buff
Butt–Millet Memorial Fountain
No admission feeFind the small marble fountain on the Ellipse that remembers two men who died on the Titanic in 1912.
Right next doorMore like this
- SightseeingHistory Buff
First Division Monument
No admission feeSee the gilded Victory atop a granite column beside the White House, with a bed of red flowers shaped like a giant 1.
Steps awayMore like this
- Museums
DAR Museum
No admission feeDecorative arts museum inside the DAR national headquarters, showing objects used and made in American homes.
Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums
- MuseumsLocal Gem
Art Museum of the Americas
No admission feeSee modern and contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art for free in a Spanish Colonial-style house beside the Organization of American States.
0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
- MuseumsRainy-Day Pick
Renwick Gallery
No admission feeSee American craft and decorative art in a National Historic Landmark building steps from the White House.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
