Historic sites and museums in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.

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	Touring Historic Sites at Virginia
	Colonial Williamsburg
	Jamestown Settlement/Yorktown Battlefield
	Virginia Science Museum
	Virginia Aviation Museum
	Historic Norfolk
	Chrysler Museum of Art
	Mariners Museum
	Nauticus, The National Maritime Center
	The Athenaeum
	Historic Richmond
	Old Town Alexandria
	Mount Vernon Estate
	Natural Bridge
	Jefferson's Monticello
	Arlington National Cemetery
	Iwo Jima Memorial
	Pentagon

Colonial Williamsburg

Visit the historic area of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, sites that played important roles in English colonial America, and offer many unique historic attractions. Journey back in time and discover the restored capital of 18th century England''s largest and most influential colony. From 1699 to 1780, Colonial Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia when the dream of American independence was taking shape. Enjoy a tour of Colonial Williamsburg and see more than 500 restored buildings, historic homes, stores, taverns and gardens and accounts of life in the 17th and 18th centuries. This outdoor living-history museum is brought to life with tradesmen and historical interpreters in period costume. [Top]

Jamestown Settlement/Yorktown Battlefield

Learn about America''s origins at Jamestown Settlement. Through artifact-filled galleries, film and living history, this museum engages you in two centuries of our nation''s history - from America''s first permanent English settlement in 1607 to the Revolutionary War victory in 1781 and the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Relive the adventure of 1607 when 104 Englishmen dropped anchor on the banks of the James River and built America's first English colony in Jamestown. Explore life at the dawn of the 17th century at the recreated colonial fort, three ships and a Powhatan Indian Village at Jamestown Settlement. Learn about the people who founded Jamestown and the Indians they encountered through film, gallery exhibits and living history. Take a guided tour of Yorktown Battlefield, site of the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War, which secured independence for America. Yorktown Victory Center chronicles America''s struggle for independence and the American Revolution with exhibits of the revolutionary era and accounts of "Yorktown''s sunken fleet," lost during the 1781 siege of Yorktown. [Top]

Virginia Science Museum

This exciting Virginia museum deepens our understanding of man and the environment and promotes the knowledge of science and its everyday effect on humanity. The Virginia Science Museum presents innovative hands-on exhibits, interactive demonstrations and labs, and exciting programs that inspire an interest in science. Enjoy live productions in the Carpenter Science Theatre or see breathtaking wide angle, 70mm films inside the dome of the IMAX®DOME. Journey into a five-story DNA strand in the Bioscape, discover the technology of computing in the Computer Bits & Pieces, assemble part of the international space station and Virginia's moon rock at the Space Gallery, or explore how sound is transmitted in the Waves and Patterns exhibits. Visit www.smv.org. [Top]

Virginia Aviation Museum

The Virginia Aviation Museum features a diversity of historic aviation exhibits, artifacts and memorabilia. See the amazing SR-71 Blackbird, 30 vintage aircraft, reproductions of the Wright Brother's gliders and famous 1903 Flyer, a World War II diorama that includes the Tuskegee Airmen and Women''s Airforce Service Pilots, and the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame. Experience the history of historic planes like the luxurious 1936 Vultee V1-AD once owned by William Randolph Hearst, a rare World War I SPAD VII, the plane Charles Lindbergh wanted to fly across the Atlantic, a Navy A-4C Skyhawk or a Virginia Army National Guard UH-1V Huey. Investigate the forces of flight and how jet and piston engines generate power, fly a flight simulator, and take the controls of a real J-3 Cub. Visit http://vam.smv.org/default.asp. [Top]

Historic Norfolk

Norfolk is a charming port city on the Virginia coast with 400 years of history. From its colorful maritime history to its Civil War trails, you'll enjoy historic attractions and museums, including Nauticus National Maritime Center, Chrysler Museum of Art, Naval Station Norfolk, Spirit of Norfolk, and Battleship Wisconsin. Visit www.norfolkcvb.com/.

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Chrysler Museum of Art

Housed in an Italianate-style building overlooking the picturesque Hague Inlet of the Elizabeth River in Historic Norfolk, the Chrysler Museum of Art showcases 5,000 years of world art history through a world-class collection of over 30,000 artworks. The Museum features an impressive and comprehensive collection of European and American painting and sculpture, a world-renowned glass collection, a photography program, Art Nouveau furniture, as well as African, Asian, Egyptian, Pre-Columbian and Islamic art. Visit www.chrysler.org. [Top]

Mariners Museum

One of the largest international maritime history museums, Mariners Museum features prized artifacts that celebrate the spirit of seafaring adventure. Located in Newport News, the museum's 60,000 square feet of gallery space presents rare figureheads, handcrafted ship models, Civil War ironclad USS Monitor artifacts, paintings, and small craft from around the world. Visit the International Small Craft Center, which features nearly 150 boats from 36 countries. See the exquisitely detailed miniature ships of August F. Crabtree, and visit the Age of Exploration exhibit, which chronicles 15th through 19th century developments in shipbuilding, ocean navigation, and cartography that made the voyages possible. The state-of-the-art USS Monitor Center is one of the nation''s top Civil War attractions where you can walk on a full-scale replica of the Monitor and a dock between a wooden sailing frigate and CSS Virginia. Visit www.mariner.org. [Top]

Nauticus, The National Maritime Center

Located on downtown Richmond's waterfront, Nauticus is a fun interactive science and technology center exploring the power of the sea. An exciting hands-on science center with a maritime theme, Nauticus features more than 150 exhibits including computer and video interactives, exotic aquaria, giant screen films, touch pools and shark petting. Visit the USS Wisconsin, one of the last and largest battleships built by the US Navy, which is berthed next to Nauticus and open for deck tours. Visit www.nauticus.org. [Top]

The Athenaeum

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Athenaeum is an exquisite Greek Revival building that was constructed in 1851-52 in historic Old Town Alexandria. Named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, The Athenaeum enriches the cultural life of Northern Virginia through the gallery of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association and contemporary art exhibitions. The Athenaeum also presents a variety of dance performances. Visit www.nvfaa.org [Top]

Historic Richmond

Discover over 400 years of history in Richmond, the second successful English settlement, the site of Patrick Henry''s "Give me liberty or give me death" speech and the former capital of the Confederacy. Tour the Virginia State Capitol, the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Tuckahoe Plantation, Thomas Jefferson''s boyhood home, Maymont, a 100-acre Victorian estate, Civil War battlefields, and Museum and White House of the Confederacy, first museum to interweave the Union, Confederate and African American stories of the Civil War, and stroll along Monument Avenue, a National Historic Landmark. [Top]

Old Town Alexandria

Founded in 1749 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Alexandria is home of incredible 18th- and 19th-century architecture, cobblestone streets, historic attractions and eclectic shopping. Step back in time at historic attractions such as The Athenaeum, The Lyceum, Carlyle House, Christ Church and George Washington Masonic National Memorial. Explore the land that George Washington once called home on rustic biking and hiking trails with breathtaking views of the Potomac River. Stroll through art galleries or catch a show at the Birchmere music hall. Learn about the history, people and ghosts of Alexandria on one of the city's water, land, walking and horse-drawn carriage tours. Visit http://visitalexandriava.com. [Top]

Mount Vernon Estate

The most popular historic estate in America, the 500-acre estate, gardens and farm of Mount Vernon is preserved 16 miles south of Washington, D.C., on the Potomac River. Tour the beautiful home and gardens of our nation's first president and see 20 historic structures and 50 acres of gardens as they existed in 1799. Visit the farm where George Washington and his family lived, called the "Mansion House Farm," and get a glimpse of his environment over 200 years ago. The breathtaking grounds of Mount Vernon is a landscape of rolling meadows, serpentine walkways, magnificent gardens, groves of flowering cherry trees, and century-old boxwood hedges - evidence of Washington's passion for gardening. The estate features a museum and the tombs of George and Martha Washington. Visit www.mountvernon.org. [Top]

Natural Bridge

A natural wonder and a Virginia Historical Landmark, Natural Bridge is a live geological formation in the mountains of Shenandoah Valley, in which Cedar Creek carved out a gorge in the limestone terrain, forming an arch 215 feet high and 90 feet wide. This natural wonder of horizontal limestone strata is the remains of the roof of a cave or tunnel through which the creek once flowed. Cross the bridge and see where it was intitalized by George Washington. Explore the spectacular landscape of Natural Bridge Caverns, the deepest on the East Coast, as you descend on a journey 34 stories into the earth. Step back in time at the Native American Village, visit the Toy Museum, or experience the night lighting and music spectacle of Drama of Creation, when the night transforms Natural Bridge into a marvel of living stone. The historic bridge was a sacred native site of the Monacan Indians. Visit www.naturalbridgeva.com. [Top]

Jefferson's Monticello

Home to President Thomas Jefferson, Historic Charlottesville, Virginia is rich in culture, history and beauty. Whether you love history, arts, or the great outdoors, Charlottesville is an alluring vacation destination with magical scenery and historic sites, such as the University of Virginia, which Jefferson founded and designed, Jefferson's Monticello, James Madison's Montpelier, and James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland. Just outside Charlottesville, Monticello was the mountain estate of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence. Explore the magnificent house, gardens, and 5,000-acre plantation of Jefferson's Monticello, an architectural masterpiece and a World Heritage Site. The gardens at Monticello were a botanic showpiece, a source of food, and an experimental laboratory of plants from around the world. Jefferson and his family are buried at Monticello, and his grave is marked by an obelisk inscribed with his own epitaph. Tour the house and terraces, the Dependencies, Mulberry Row and the breathtaking gardens and vineyards - Jefferson's true passion. [Top]

Arlington National Cemetery

Tour America's most sacred burial ground, Arlington National Cemetery, a hallowed resting place to more than 300, 000 of our nation's honored dead and is a cherished chronicle of our country's history and character - from the Civil War to conflicts we fight today. Among thousands of white headstones of our nation's heroes are the graves of remembered Americans including President John F. Kennedy, President William Taft, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Joe Louis, and the infamous Tomb of the Unknowns. Visit www.arlingtoncemetery.org. [Top]

Iwo Jima Memorial

Located in Arlington, the Marine Corps War Memorial is a powerful reminder of the honored dead of the U.S. Marine Corps. Based on the Pulitzer-winning photograph and sculpted by Felix de Weldon, the stunning sculpture depicts the raising of the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima in 1945. While the statue illustrates one of the most celebrated victories of World War II, the memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have fallen in defense of this country since 1775 - listing the Marine's major battles since the Revolution. The memorial grounds offer spectacular vistas of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and US Capitol. Visit www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/usmc.htm. [Top]

Pentagon

Headquarters of the Department of Defense and center for command and control, the Pentagon is an international symbol of military might, and one of the largest and most extraordinary structures in the world - with 17.5 miles of corridors in its five rings and 23,000 employees. Explore this American landmark on the 90-minute, 1.5 mile Pentagon Tour, which features displays and highlights of important moments in US military history, as well as interesting commentary about the Pentagon and the mission of the DOD. A highlight of this guided tour is the Hall of Heroes, honoring individuals who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Visit http://pentagon.afis.osd.mil/index.cfm. [Top]

Our Hotels in Virginia

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From the inspiring monuments and memorials of Washington, DC to the famed Pentagon in Virginia to the home of the "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic region offers a diversity of vacation retreats and family-friendly hotels near America's most legendary historic sites and landmarks. Whether you are looking for a sightseeing trip in our nation's capital, a relaxing getaway by the beach or a hiking adventure on the Appalachian Trail, the Ramada Hotels of the Mid-Atlantic offer beautiful accommodations, impressive services and deluxe lifestyle amenities everywhere you play in Virginia, Maryland and the Washington, DC Area.

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