The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.

Light bulbs, scrap wood, and tinfoil comprise this homemade throne of the gods.

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."

The oldest building in the District of Columbia was preserved because of a mistaken connection to George Washington.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

The famous abolitionist’s preserved estate is one of Washington's finest monuments to its great Black citizens.

The national park was once a plantation estate.

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.

A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.

A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.

The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.

This tiny, painted door at the base of a tree stump has been a fixture of the Harvard University campus for decades.

The statue of John Harvard isn't actually John Harvard—or even, technically, the founder of the school.

A three-piece musical sculpture installed between the subway tracks at Kendall Station near MIT.

This bridge was the birthplace of a unit of measurement based on a fraternity joke.

Memorial to a beloved puppeteer as well as all street performers.

One of the last remaining movie theatres in the country that features a rear-projection system.

The headquarters of one of the world’s longest-running humor magazines bears a noticeable resemblance to a head wearing a Prussian helmet.

This peaceful Massachusetts graveyard was one of the first "garden-style" cemeteries in America.