On the Fourth of July this area will transform into a Pompeii-like storm of falling embers and ash.

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

The only Civil War battle in Washington D.C. took place near this highest natural point in the city.

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

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

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.

A portal into the bricked up canal that runs through the heart of Washington D.C.

Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.

The hidden offices underneath Memorial Bridge have been locked up since 1976.

A historic estate packed with George Washington's heirlooms, and its own nuclear bunker.

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

The Pentagon is so large that it was planned like a city, complete with internal highway infrastructure.

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

The sci-fi villain is a little-known inhabitant of the U.S. capital's largest cathedral.

The most accurate timepiece in the world.

The little-known, 300-year history of the area includes former lives as a bustling tobacco port, parking lot, and industrial dump.

Before Metro, Washington had a robust streetcar network—and you see the remains of this infrastructure if you know where to look.

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

At 207 feet, one of the world's longest continuous escalators.

A secretive collection featuring objects that were designed specifically for U.S. intelligence operations.

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

An original apothecary from 1792.

These abandoned waterworks are crumbling into the Potomac River.

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.