SmartHunts® - Best DC Scavenger Hunt

Washington DC offers a variety of historical landmarks!

Blending fun, exploration, and corporate teambuilding, SmartHunts® are an experience that will have your team buzzing with excitement. SmartHunts can customize your event to include much of what Washington DC has to offer, including world-class architectural marvels, top-tier museums, unique food, and drinks, as well as highlighting the features of DC’s mix of modern and historic culture. SmartHunts will take your team on a Washington DC scavenger hunt journey through our Nation’s Capital.

Whether your team is local to the Washington area, or visiting from out-of-town, the SmartHunts team can create a fresh experience for your group. SmartHunts offers a unique corporate DC scavenger hunt adventure tailored just for you and can take your group on any combination of DC’s great landmarks, including:

1. National Mall
   National Mall is a great place for a SmartHunts’ Washington DC scavenger hunt!

   Covering over 140 acres, National Mall is a green space extending 2 miles east to west from the Lincoln Memorial to the United States Capitol Building and north to south from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial.

   In addition to the above iconic historic landmarks, National Mall is home to more than 20 museums and 15 memorials including:

   – The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
   – World War II Memorial
   – Korean War Veterans Memorial
   – Vietnam Veterans Memorial
   – Constitution Garden
   – The Washington Monument
   – The National Museum of African American History and Culture
   – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
   – Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
   – Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
   – National Gallery of Art and Sculpture Garden
   – United States Botanic Garden
   To name only a few! See the following points of interest for more information.
2. Lincoln Memorial
   Located on the west side of National Mall near the Potomac River, the Lincoln Memorial was constructed to honor our 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

   Born in Kentucky in 1809 Lincoln was a self taught lawyer who served as president during the Civil War from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, 6 days after the end of the War.

   In 1867 U.S. Congress authorized the construction of the memorial but the project was delayed by The Reconstruction, design issues and WWI. Ground was finally broken on the project in 1911, 44 years later. The dedication was on Memorial Day in 1922.

   The nearly 100’ tall Lincoln Memorial was designed in the Greek Doric Temple style and is divided into 3 chambers. The center chamber contains the 19‘ tall, 159 ton white marble seated statue of the president. The flanking chambers respectively contain his Second Inaugural Address and Gettysburg Address. The monument is then surrounded by 36 marble columns each 44’ tall.

   The statue was carved by 6 Italian immigrant brothers named Piccirilli then sculpted by Daniel Chester French and shipped in 28 blocks from the Bronx to Washington D.C. where it was assembled.

   A 3 story basement sits beneath the pink Tennessee marble floor and contains 122 enormous concrete pillars used to stabilize the monument on the bedrock below as it was built on reclaimed land from the Potomac River’s tidal flats.

   Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at the base of the Memorial’s steps was built in 1922, is 2,029 feet long and up to 30” deep and is meant to bestow a sense of peace and tranquility upon its observers.
3. Washington Monument
   The Washington Monument, built to honor the first president of the United States, is located in the National Mall, south of the White House within the Washington Monument Grounds. It is visible from the Lincoln Memorial to the west and the U.S. Capitol Building to the east as well as the White House to the north and Thomas Jefferson Memorial to the south.

   The monument is a 555’ tall obelisk with a 55’ wide square base. Constructed of 36,000 granite and marble blocks held together only by friction and gravity, it weighs in at a hefty 91 tons.

   Designed by Robert Mills it was only about a third of the way completed in 1854 when the National Monument Society’s funds were depleted. Eventually the U.S. Government stepped in and the project was then completed in 1884.

   In the lobby on the ground floor there is a statue of George Washington and at 500’ an observation deck that can be reached by elevator. The 896 step stairway was permanently closed in 1976.

   The pyramidion (the uppermost piece or capstone of a pyramid or obelisk) topping the monument affords spectacular panoramic views for nearly 25 miles.
4. The White House
   The White House is situated at the northern end of National Mall in The President’s Park, an 82 acre area that includes Lafayette Square, The South Lawn, The Ellipse, home of the National Christmas Tree and Haupt Fountains. It is flanked by the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to the east and the Treasury Building to the west.

   George Washington selected the site in 1791, construction began in 1792 and the project was completed in 1800. Sadly Washington was the only president to NOT live and run the executive branch of the United States from there as his 2nd term had already ended in 1797 and John Adams was now in office.

   The building has seen many additions and renovations over the years but as it stands today, it includes the Executive Residence, the West Wing and the East Wing. There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a few kitchens and under the East Wing the bunker-like Presidential Emergency Operations Center aka The Situation Room.

   Surrounding the White House in Presidents Park trails lead to numerous historic structures, memorials, monuments, statues, landmarks, fountains and gardens.
5. United States Capitol Building
   Located on the eastern end of National Mall, the U.S. Capitol Building is the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. government and the meeting place of Congress which is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

   The Capitol Building has an impressive 2 mile westward view of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. George Washington himself chose the building’s design in 1793 and soon after construction began. The white domed neoclassical building covers more than 1.5 million square feet and has more than 600 rooms.

   – The U.S. Capitol grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1874 and also include:
   – The United States Botanical Gardens, established in 1820 due to the combined efforts of 3 U.S. Presidents, George Washington (1st), Thomas Jefferson (3rd) and James Madison (4th).
   – First Ladies Water Garden
   – President Ulysses S Grant (18th) Memorial overlooking the Capitol Reflecting Pool.
   – Peace Monument, a memorial to fallen sailors.
   – President James A. Garfield (20th) Monument, assassinated 4 months into his term.

   Just outside the Capitol grounds lie the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.
6. The Smithsonian Institution
   Located within the National Mall:
   – Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – 655 Jefferson Drive, SW
   – National Museum of Natural History – Constitution Avenue NW and 10th Street
   – Smithsonian Institution Building aka The Castle – 1000 Jefferson Drive SW
   – National Museum of American History – 1300 Constitution Avenue, NW
   – Arts and Industries Building – 900 Jefferson Drive, SW
   – National Museum of the American Indian – 4th Street at Independence Avenue
   – National Museum of African Art – 950 Independence Avenue, SW
   – National Museum of African American History and Culture – 1400 Constitution Ave
   – Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden – Independence at 7th Street, SW
   – Arthur M. Sackler Gallery – 1050 Independence Avenue, SW
   – Freer Gallery of Art – Jefferson Drive at 12th Street, SW
   – National Museum of Asian Art – 1050 Independence Avenue, SW

   Located elsewhere in Washington, DC:
   – Smithsonian American Art Museum – 8th and G Streets, NW
   – National Zoo – 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
   – National Portrait Gallery – 8th and G Streets, NW
   – National Postal Museum – 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
   – Renwick Gallery – Smithsonian American Art Museum – 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
   – Anacostia Community Museum – 1901 Fort Place, SE
7. Air & Space Museum
   Located on the National Mall, the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum was established by an act of Congress in 1946 and opened its current building on Jefferson Drive in 1976. Pre-Covid-19 the museum saw more than 6 million visitors per year making it the second most visited museum in the country.

   Sadly it is now closed for renovations while all 23 exhibitions are redesigned.

   In the fall of 2022 the museum hopes to open the first of eight galleries followed a little later by the Planetarium.

   The museum houses over 60,000 artifacts and more than 16 tons of archival materials.

   Upon its reopening we expect to find it remains home to such National treasures as:
   – The Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia
   – Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis
   – Wright Brothers’ Wright Flyer
   – Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 “Landed on the moon!” Pressure Suit

   And much much more! We’ll keep you posted!
8. Navy Yard
   Navy Yard is a 339 acre district SE of the National Mall on the Anacostia River.
   Located within, Washington Navy Yard is situated on the east side of Navy Yard and was formerly the shipyard for the U.S. Navy. It was established in 1799 and is still in use today as an administrative and ceremonial center.

   The U.S.Navy Museum offers nautical history on display from the American Revolution to today and the Cold War Gallery Museum offers post WWII nautical history specific to the Cold War.

   The Yards Park is located on the southern border of Navy Yard on the Anacostia River. Covering more than 5 acres it is a popular destination for both locals and visitors.

   Relax in the River Street Gardens then enjoy a stroll on the boardwalk section of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail System past the 60’ Light Tower sculpture to the Overlook. Dip your toes in the wading pool at the Canal Basin and Waterwall under the sculpturesque Yards Park Bridge that connects the Overlook to the Great Lawn, then enjoy spectacular views along the Riverwalk Trail Bridge.
   Now that you’ve worked up an appetite and a thirst, head back up past the Dancing Fountains to an impressive selection of eateries and watering holes!
9. Dupont Circle
   Dupont Circle has a bit of everything and consequently something for everyone! Located NW of the White House, this circle is where Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Avenues meet and is a popular destination for locals and residents to eat, shop and party.
   Dupont Circle refers not only to an actual traffic circle with a park and a fountain in the center, but also to the surrounding residential and commercial neighborhood.

   Considered one of the more hip and trendy areas of the city, Dupont Circle is home to museums, coffee shops, book stores, boutiques and cafes. Shop ‘til you drop on Connecticut Avenue and then take advantage of the extensive selection of restaurants, pubs and bistros serving American, Italian, Seafood, Sushi, Mediterranean, Thai and more!
   Fine dining or fun dining, it’s a great place to eat.

   Embassy Row is located in this area and many of the historical buildings now house foreign embassies as well as American organizations, institutions and private social clubs.

   Some of the more interesting landmarks include: – Perry Belmont House – Walsh-McLean House – Clarence Moore House – Woodrow Wilson House – Heurich House Museum aka Brewmaster’s Castle – – – – Thomas T. Gaff House – The Phillips Collection Art Gallery
10. National Zoo
    The National Zoo, technically known as The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, is located up Connecticut Ave NW from the White House in Rock Creek Park. Covering 163 acres It is one of the oldest zoos in the U.S. and as part of the Smithsonian Institution it is free to all.

    It all began in 1886 when William Temple Hornaday from the Smithsonian Institute became aware and appalled that the American Bison was nearly extinct and set about to save endangered species’. He was made the first head of the Department of Living Animals and soon 15 North American animal species were living on the National Mall.
    In 1889 The National Zoological Park was established by President Grover Cleveland and Congress and designed by

    Frederick Law Olmsted “for the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the people” and to get the animals out of the National Mall!

    In the mid 1970’s National Zoo expanded when the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, a 3,200 acre research and conservation facility, was founded in Virginia to further the study of animal reproduction and behavior.
    Today the National Zoo has over 1500 animals representing some 300 species and continues on its mission to save endangered species