Before Clara Barton became a battlefield nurse and founded the American Red Cross, she devoted herself to finding soldiers lost in the Civil War. She set up her offices in her boarding house in today’s Penn Quarter neighborhood – all of which was lost and forgotten until a few years back, when her belongings were discovered in the attic by chance. Today the rooms where she lived and worked have been restored, providing fascinating insight into the "Angel of the Battlefield."

The 20th-century suffragettes picketed and marched demanding their right to vote – and in 1917 some were thrown in jail at the Occoquan Workhouse, a minimum-security prison located about 20 miles southwest of Washington. On November 14, 1917, many of the imprisoned suffragettes were tortured by prison guards in what has been dubbed the "Night of Terror." Among them was Lucy Burns, a National Women’s Party leader, after whom a new museum in the Workhouse Arts Center is named.

The neoclassical ceremonial wall standing at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery isn’t just a wall. It’s a memorial honoring servicewomen from all wars and occupations, complete with a modern education center, theater, and computerized register of military women. Its exhibits cover the roles of military women from the Revolutionary War (where some women were spies and others fought dressed as men) to the present day. A major draw are the views you get from the roof.

The organization may be a tad fusty, but you can’t deny the Daughters of the American Revolution is one of the world’s largest women’s groups. Founded in 1890 in DC, all members trace their lineage back to the Revolutionary War and are devoted to historic preservation to this day. That’s why this museum, housed in the DAR’s enormous neoclassical building across from the White House, is so fascinating: its 31 meticulously decorated rooms tell the story of the American home from the 1600s to now.

In this stately brick house, just blocks from the US Capitol, you’ll find Susan B. Anthony’s desk, Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s chair, and a slew of other fascinating artifacts. Socialite-activist Alva Belmont purchased the house in 1929, and it served as the headquarters of the National Women’s Party for more than 60 years.

The world’s only major museum devoted to women’s artistic achievements occupies a classic revival Masonic Temple downtown – itself a sight to behold, mostly notably for the chandeliered marble ballroom. Delve further inside and you’ll discover a wealth of art by famous and non-famous female artists over the centuries and from around the world. For starters, look for works by Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt, and Georgia O’Keeffe.

A sedate row house on Logan Circle comes to life with the stories of its formidable one-time resident, Mary McLeod Bethune. Born in 1875 as the 15th child of former slaves, Bethune believed in the power of education. After obtaining her own formal education, she founded a private school for African-American girls. She went on to advocate for girls, education, and civil rights; advise four presidents; and establish the National Council of Negro Women, headquartered in the Logan Circle house.