The National Mall (The Mall) is home to dozens of Washington, D.C.'s most popular tourist attractions and museums. It was officially established as a park and part of the National Parks System in the year 1965. Many of the nation's largest free speech events and protests have been held here. It is here that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his renowned "I have a Dream Speech'' from atop the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
In the center of the Mall is the Reflecting Pool that is bordered by the Lincoln Memorial on one side and the Washington Monument on the other. Other monuments found here include the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Constitution Gardens.
The National Mall (The Mall) is visited by some 25 million people every year. It stretches from the Capitol Building complex past the Washington Monument. The Mall is about 6 miles long in all. Behind the Mall lies the Tidal Basin and the Potomac River which separates the District of Columbia from the Sate of Virginia.
Along the Tidal Basin and spilling as far north as the Washington Monument, are Yoshino Cherry Trees one of the 2 most dominant of the 12 varieties of Cherry Trees that have continued to be propagated and spread here since 3,020 were first planted in 1912 when they were given as a gift of friendship by Japan.
Ten of the Museums of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. are located on or adjacent to The Mall including part of the National Air and Space Museum and the Museum of the American Indian, among others.
The 2 buildings of the National Gallery of Art and its adjoining Sculpture Garden are also located here. Several other art galleries are also located on The Mall. There is no admission to any of these federally run and maintained attractions or to the mall itself, making this an extremely popular area for tourists.
The National Museum of African Art and the National Museum of Natural History are found here as well as the National Botanic Gardens of the United States.
Between late March and late November Park Rangers lead a guided bike tour form 1pm to 4 pm of the Mall and other Memorial Parks in the nation's capitol. The tours begin on The National Mall (The Mall) at the base of the Jefferson Memorial.
Tourists and dignitaries alike make this park and its numerous attractions a central part of their sightseeing time in the nation's capital city as so many activities are concentrated into this space that center on culture and commemorate the history of the country. The mall extends in the space between the White House and the Capitol Building.
