Mexican-born Olivia Cadaval moved to the DC area in 1968 and began collaborating with local educators, artists, and cultural workers in the ‘70s. A pioneering scholar of DC Latino community history, she has worked as a curator at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival since 1988, bringing performers and traditional practitioners from Latin American and US Latino communities to the National Mall in the summer.

1995 A Million Men March on the Mall Minister Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, and the National African American Leadership Summit, founded by civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis, organize the Million Man March on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Its theme is assuming responsibility for self, family, and community. It becomes the largest gathering in history of African American men on the National Mall.

Presented by the National Park Service and National Park Foundation, this tree lighting marks the 100th anniversary of the annual event and features one large tree along with 56 smaller trees representing all of the 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Tickets to this event are distributed via a lottery system which has already occurred. If you don’t score tickets to the actual lighting, you can still visit the tree every day after it is lit on Dec. 2 through Jan. 1.

The first pride marches took place in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. In addition to celebrations, people have come in mass numbers to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Among the demands of the first mass march in D.C. in 1979 were that Congress pass a comprehensive lesbian and gay rights bill and repeal all anti-gay laws.

No trip to Washington, DC is complete without a visit to the National Mall to see the monuments. See the monuments for free by foot or book a tour by Segway, bike, or trolley. The monuments are magical at night so consider visiting after sundown if your kids can stay up past dark.

Why did Smithson leave his estate to a country he had never visited? Perhaps these words provide a clue. “The best blood of England flows in my veins…but this avails me not. My name shall live in the memory of man when the titles of the Northumberlands and the Percys are extinct and forgotten.”​​ Today, the Smithsonian Institution and its 21 free museums, Zoo, and globe-spanning research centers, are the blossoms on the Tree of Knowledge that sprouted from the amazing bequest of James Smithson.

Home to majestic historic buildings 🏛 and the heart of our nation, you must finish your day at the National Mall! You can enter national museums for free 🆓 and take pictures of iconic monuments! Click on "Find out more" to plan your full experience at the National Mall!

Considered “America’s Front Yard,” the National Mall has seen many marches, protests, and movements, and continues to serve as a backdrop for modern movements. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Today, visitors can stand on the spot where he spoke out for a more just, equal future and gaze out onto the reflecting pool where crowds gathered that day.

Considered “America’s Front Yard,” the National Mall has seen many marches, protests, and movements, and continues to serve as a backdrop for modern movements. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Today, visitors can stand on the spot where he spoke out for a more just, equal future and gaze out onto the reflecting pool where crowds gathered that day.

Washington, D.C. is home to one of America's great urban playgrounds, with a collection of outstanding metropolitan parks and memorials within walking distance of each other. This collection of sites include the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, among many others.

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.