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John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln in a balcony box here on April 14, 1865 – a tragic event that has made Ford’s Theater one of America’s best-known historical sites. A museum contains Booth’s .44 caliber Derringer pistol and other objects and information giving insights into Lincoln and the assassination plot. The restored building also houses theater productions. Directly across 10th Street is Petersen House, where Lincoln died after being carried from the theater.

While the MCI Center is principally a sports arena, it has also become an unofficial community center. It draws crowds night after night with college and professional sports events, big-name concerts, circuses, figure skating performances, and other events (see MCI Sports Center).

The FBI tour has been a favorite with visitors since it was launched in 1937. Visitors on the one-hour tour learn about the history and goals of the bureau, pass through working laboratories analyzing forensic evidence, then watch a demonstration of officers training in the use of firearms. Although tours by members of the public are no longer allowed at the time of writing, this situation is expected to change in 2006. If you would like to visit, call ahead to make inquiries.

This grand structure would be a fabulous place to visit even if it was empty. Its eight massive interior columns are among the largest in the world, and its immense interior space has beautiful natural light. The museum itself is dedicated to documenting and displaying important themes in the art and craft of building structures. It has permanent exhibitions on the city of Washington and on art created from tools, and mounts a stream of temporary exhibitions on topics such as the growth of urban transit and the development of architectural and construction methods. Other exhibits highlight the work of individual prominent architects.

The collection of works by female artists here is among the world’s best, ranging from Lavinia Fontana’s Portrait of a Noblewoman (c. 1580) to Brazilian artist Frida Baranek’s bristling 1991 Untitled

One of the oldest aquariums in the world (1873). Sharks, alligators, piranha, and nearly 300 other species are housed here, and there are preservation programs that help other fish in the wild.

Chinese culture abounds here, with an array of restaurants and shops. A Chinese arch was funded by Beijing and constructed in 1986, with seven pagoda-style roofs ornamented with 300 dragons.

A glorious center of historic and political Washington. Every US president, beginning with Franklin Pierce in 1853, has stayed as a guest or attended functions here. When Lincoln was inaugurated in March 1861, there were already assassination threats. Detective Alan Pinkerton smuggled him into the Willard, and presidential business was conducted before the fireplace in the lobby.

This handsome building was dedicated in 1972 as a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. and as a public library. In the lobby is a mural by Don Miller depicting the life of Dr. King and the civil rights movement.

The centerpiece of this delightful public space is a granite floor – a huge map of the world surrounded by fountains. A statue, dubbed “The Lone Sailor,” overlooks the expanse. A free film shows daily at noon.