Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the 1,754-acre Rock Creek Park is a true urban oasis. An incredible retreat from the city, the park offers visitors a variety of ways to enjoy the greenery, from tennis and hiking to kayaking and horseback riding. Traverse trails, some of which are paved, or bike from the Lincoln Memorial all the way up to Maryland. The park is also home to the National Park Service’s only planetarium, as well as an 18th century mill.

Often called “America’s front yard,” the National Mall contains some of the oldest protected park lands in the National Park Service, including the Washington Monument, WWII, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Lincoln Memorials, 156 reservations, circles, fountains, and more. Stretching from the Capitol building and the Potomac River, a stroll along the Mall allows you the opportunity to explore many historic sites and monuments.

Just a short walk from the Mall, Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site memorializes the day President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, preserving the site of assassination, the Star Saloon, and the Peterson House (where Lincoln passed away). Join a ranger-led program for an in-depth look at the site’s history, tour the theatre’s museum to see rare artifacts, or take a walking tour around the neighborhood. Restored in 2009, you can even catch a performance at the theatre!

Frederick Douglass was a courageous, inspiring, and dynamic figure who spent his life fighting for justice and equality. Visit Douglass’s D.C. home, the beautifully preserved Victorian mansion Cedar Hill, and peruse a collection of thousands of original objects that belonged to the Douglass family. Small group tours must be reserved online and are the only way to see the interior of the home.

Often called the “Father of African American History,” Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s work and legacy is preserved and celebrated at this park, which preserves his “office-home” in D.C. A champion of women and mentor to many, Dr. Woodson was one of the earliest and most lettered scholars of African American history, and it was in this home that he established Negro History Week in 1926, the precursor to today’s Black History Month. Tour groups are small, so reserve your spot in advance!

Just a stone’s throw from the U.S. Capitol, this unassuming brick house served as an epicenter for the struggle for women’s rights for nearly 90 years as the headquarters of the National Woman’s Party (NWP). It was here that the NWP developed innovative strategies in their work to gain equality for women, including working toward the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, passed by Congress in 1972. Stroll the hallways of the house, bedecked with women’s suffrage banners, artifacts, and more.

Once the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women and a refuge for escaped enslaved people and freedmen during the Civil War, the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site interprets the life and legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune, a prominent civil rights activist and organizer who used the power of education, political activism, and civil service to stand against racial and gender discrimination.