A gift from Japan, 17th-century lantern stands among the cherry trees at D.C.'s Tidal Basin.

This statue honors the author's groundbreaking family story.

Home of the physician who set the leg of John Wilkes Booth after the Lincoln assassination.

The Virginia farm where John Wilkes Booth met his grisly end is now largely forgotten.

During the Industrial Revolution this “Temple of Invention” was full of intricate miniature machines and gadgets.

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

This Wall Street bar was once a hub of revolutionary activity where Washington famously bid farewell to his troops.

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

Go take a picture with the inventor of the daguerreotype photographic process.

This Masonic lodge was the first major private building to be constructed in Washington, D.C. after the Civil War.

Over the last century, this elegant columned facade has been home to the headquarters of a bank, several nightclubs, and a restaurant.

Though his role as the inventor of baseball may be up for debate, fans still festoon Doubleday's grave with baseballs.

Soldiers were buried next to Lee's house in the center of Arlington Cemetery to dissuade the general from reclaiming his property after the war.

An oft-overlooked, magically musical monolith that stands majestically between Arlington Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Right next to departures—how convenient!

The romance of early commercial flight still fills this Art Deco destination.

This isn't your average roadway—it's actually a National Park and a transportation pioneer.

This lovely picnic spot featuring thunderous jet landings is an aircraft spotter’s dream.

The national park was once a plantation estate.

Largest Roman Catholic church in North America.

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

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

A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Was there a small "backpack nuke" hidden in the attic? JFK apparently thought so.