Washington, D.C

Parks and Recreation

The Washington, D.C., area has thousands of acres of parkland. East and West Potomac Parks, located on either side of the Tidal Basin, are famous for their cherry trees, which bloom in early spring every year. Altogether, the two parks have more than 3,000 of these trees. The parks also offer facilities for hiking, bicycling, tennis, golf, swimming, and picnicking. Located in West Potomac Park are the Lincoln, Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Korean, and Vietnam memorials, a reflecting pool, and a small island inhabited by ducks.

The 708-hectare (1,750-acre) Rock Creek Park, also located within the District of Columbia, stretches from the Potomac River to the Maryland border. The park offers hiking trails, a variety of sports facilities, playgrounds, an amphitheater, and a nature center. Another outdoor venue popular with Washington's residents and visitors is Theodore Roosevelt Island, a wilderness preserve covering 36 hectares (88 acres). The C&O Canal features a 296-kilometer (184-mile) towpath and is used by walkers, joggers, cyclists, picnickers, and boaters.

In addition to its parks, Washington's scenic attractions include several exceptional gardens that are open to the public. The Enid A. Haupt Garden has two underground museums and features elaborate plantings of trees and flowers. The historic United States Botanic Garden, planned by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison and opened in 1820, offers greenhouses, a conservatory, and other buildings. The 180-hectare (444-acre) United States National Arboretum, geared primarily toward education and research, includes the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum featuring miniature trees from Japan; the nation's largest planting of azaleas; a Japanese garden; and an herbarium and herb garden.