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

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.

When it comes to handsignals (and colonialism) rock always beats scissors.

A building shaped like the Army Corps of Engineers logo, because why not?

This robust fence in front of a historic Georgetown home is likely made from hundreds of recycled Revolutionary War firearms.

The discovery site of the "Capitalsaurus," the official dinosaur of Washington, D.C.

Home to a vast and influential collection of Shakespeareana.

An easily overlooked memorial to a Ukrainian famine-genocide that killed over 4 million people.

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

This sandwich shop has a century-old elevator behind a sheet of plexiglass.

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.

The most accurate timepiece in the world.

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

A celebrity from the late Cretaceous period.

Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.

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

The house where John Wilkes Booth conspired with his co-conspirators.

An atomic bomb-proof strongbox protects the U.S. Constitution from terrorists and thieves.

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

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

A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.

A nostalgic bibliographic gem.

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.

A painfully obvious spy house sits right across the street from the Russian Embassy.