Previously recognized as a lesser-known treasure of Washington D.C., Dupont Circle boasts an array of must-see hotspots for its guests. From the renowned Willard Hotel to the iconic National Zoo, this neighborhood has something to captivate all who visit.
You can find everything from restaurants to bookstores in this tucked-away corner of Washington. In addition to being a central part of the community, the Dupont Circle is also a great place to sit back with a book, or simply people-watch.
And if you’re interested in history and architecture, why not visit the Heurich House Museum or the Larz Anderson House? This is an excellent way to spend an afternoon.
Here’s our list of favorite things to do in Dupont Circle, Washington
The 96 Most Popular Things To Do In Dupont Circle
96. The White House
3.8 (4 reviews)
Credit: National Photo Company, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 456 1111
Web Address: https://whitehouse.gov/
95. Laogai Museum
3.5 (10 reviews)
Credit: dbking, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: First & Second Floor 1901 18th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 408 8302
Web Address: https://laogairesearch.org/contact-us/
94. Chinese American Museum DC
4.5 (15 reviews)
Credit: David, License, Flickr
Location: 1218 16th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 838 3180
Web Address: http://chineseamericanmuseum.org/
93. Sonny Bono Park
3.6 (18 reviews)
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Location: 1362 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington D C DC
92. Perry Belmont House
4.9 (24 reviews)
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Location: 1618 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington D C DC
Web Address: http://ihbelmontevents.com/
91. Daniel Webster Memorial
3.7 (30 reviews)
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Location: 1301 Bataan Street NW Washington D C DC
90. The L. Ron Hubbard House Museum
4.7 (39 reviews)
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Location: 1812 19th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 234 7490
Web Address: http://lrhindc.org/
89. Mahatma Gandhi Statue
4.7 (49 reviews)
Credit: Christopher D. Brown, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 2100 2120 Q Street NW Washington D C DC
88. Museum of the Palestinian People
4.7 (55 reviews)
Credit: Kurt Kaiser, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 1900 18th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 290 3684
Web Address: http://mpp-dc.org/
87. Foundry United Methodist Church
4.6 (57 reviews)
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Location: 1500 16th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 332 4010
Web Address: http://foundryumc.org/
86. Taras Shevchenko Statue
4.7 (72 reviews)
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Location: 1512 22nd Street NW Washington D C DC
Web Address: https://dc.gov/
85. Folger Shakespeare Library
4.4 (78 reviews)
Credit: Folger Shakespeare Library, Google Maps
Location: 201 E Capitol Street SE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 544 4600
Web Address: https://folger.edu/
84. Founding Church of Scientology
3.8 (102 reviews)
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Location: 1424 16th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 797 9826
Web Address: https://scientology-washingtondc.org/
83. Freer Gallery of Art
4.7 (191 reviews)
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Location: 1050 Independence Ave SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: http://asia.si.edu/
82. The Society of the Cincinnati
4.7 (224 reviews)
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Location: 2118 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 785 2040
Web Address: http://societyofthecincinnati.org/
81. Anacostia Community Museum
4.6 (228 reviews)
Credit: Jessica Simpson, Google Maps
Location: 1901 Fort Pl SE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 4820
Web Address: http://anacostia.si.edu/
80. Theodore Roosevelt Island
4.7 (229 reviews)
79. Stead Park
4.4 (259 reviews)
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Location: 1625 P Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 673 4465
Web Address: https://friendsofsteadpark.org/
78. Washington Union Station
3.8 (268 reviews)
Credit: David, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 50 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington D C DC
Web Address: https://unionstationdc.com/
77. Smithsonian Institution
4.5 (287 reviews)
Credit: David, License, Flickr
Location: 600 Maryland Ave SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: http://si.edu/
76. Carlyle House Historic Park
4.7 (311 reviews)
Location: 121 N Fairfax Street Alexandria VA
Tel: 703 549 2997
Web Address: https://novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park
75. The Yards
4.7 (312 reviews)
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Location: 1300 First Street SE Washington D C DC
Web Address: http://theyardsdc.com/
74. National Museum of Health and Medicine
4.6 (357 reviews)
Credit: National Museum of Health and Medicine, Google Maps
Location: 2500 Linden Ln Silver Spring MD
Tel: 301 319 3300
Web Address: https://medicalmuseum.health.mil/
73. Tudor Place
4.5 (395 reviews)
Credit: AgnosticPreachersKid, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 1644 31st Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 965 0400
Web Address: https://tudorplace.org/
72. President Lincoln’s Cottage
4.5 (423 reviews)
Credit: Shirin Toychiyeva, Google Maps
Location: 140 Rock Creek Church Road NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 829 0436
Web Address: http://lincolncottage.org/
71. Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
4.7 (426 reviews)
Credit: Samuel Martin, Google Maps
Location: 950 Independence Ave SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 4600
Web Address: http://africa.si.edu/
70. Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
4.7 (452 reviews)
Location: 321 Sherman Dr Fort Myer VA
Tel: 703 235 1530
Web Address: https://nps.gov/arho/index.htm
69. Dumbarton Oaks Museum
4.7 (472 reviews)
Credit: Tim Evanson, License, Flickr
Location: 1703 32nd Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 339 6401
Web Address: http://doaks.org/
68. Tidal Basin
4.8 (491 reviews)
Credit: Elvert Barnes, License, Flickr
67. Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building
4.5 (630 reviews)
Location: 900 Jefferson Dr SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: https://aib.si.edu/
66. African American Civil War Museum
4.7 (652 reviews)
Location: 1925 Vermont Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 667 2667
Web Address: http://afroamcivilwar.org/
65. National Archives Research Center
4.5 (701 reviews)
Credit: David, License, Flickr
Location: 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 866 272 6272
Web Address: https://archives.gov/dc
64. Smithsonian Castle
4.5 (812 reviews)
Location: 1000 Jefferson Dr SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: https://si.edu/museums/smithsonian-institution-building
63. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
4.8 (815 reviews)
Credit: NCinDC, License, Flickr
Location: 1411 W Street SE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 5961
Web Address: http://nps.gov/frdo/index.htm
62. National Gallery of Art – Sculpture Garden
4.7 (871 reviews)
Credit: National Gallery of Art – Sculpture Garden, Google Maps
Location: Constitution Ave NW & 7th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 289 3360
Web Address: http://nga.gov/
61. Glen Echo Park
4.6 (940 reviews)
Location: 7300 Macarthur Blvd Glen Echo MD
Tel: 301 320 1400
Web Address: https://glenechopark.org/
60. National Museum of Asian Art
4.7 (1,012 reviews)
Credit: Hilda Kroll, Google Maps
Location: 1050 Independence Ave SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: http://asia.si.edu/
59. National Museum of Women in the Arts
4.6 (1,207 reviews)
Credit: Luda Golob, Google Maps
Location: 1250 New York Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 783 5000
Web Address: https://nmwa.org/
58. Greenbelt Park
4.3 (1,360 reviews)
Location: 6565 Greenbelt Road Greenbelt MD
Tel: 301 344 3944
Web Address: https://nps.gov/gree/index.htm
57. Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
4.8 (1,399 reviews)
Credit: Sergey Reznichenko, Google Maps
Location: 4155 Linnean Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 686 5807
Web Address: http://hillwoodmuseum.org/
56. Library of Congress
4.8 (1,632 reviews)
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Location: 101 Independence Ave SE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 707 5000
Web Address: https://loc.gov/
55. Constitution Gardens
4.8 (1,802 reviews)
Credit: Elvert Barnes, License, Flickr
Location: Constitution Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: http://nps.gov/coga/index.htm
54. Korean War Veterans Memorial
4.8 (1,806 reviews)
Location: 900 Ohio Dr SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: http://nps.gov/kowa/index.htm
53. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
4.9 (1,846 reviews)
Credit: Elvert Barnes, License, Flickr
Location: 5 Henry Bacon Dr NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: https://nps.gov/vive/index.htm/
52. Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
4.7 (1,879 reviews)
Location: 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: http://nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool.htm
51. Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
4.6 (1,913 reviews)
Location: 1550 Anacostia Ave NE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 692 6080
Web Address: https://nps.gov/keaq/
50. Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
4.6 (2,152 reviews)
Location: 2 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 5555
Web Address: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/
49. The Pentagon
4.0 (2,362 reviews)
Credit: David, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: Washington D C DC
Tel: 703 697 1776
Web Address: https://pentagontours.osd.mil/Tours/
48. Arlington National Cemetery
4.8 (2,472 reviews)
Credit: Washington Area Spark, License, Flickr
Location: Arlington VA
Tel: 877 907 8585
Web Address: https://arlingtoncemetery.mil/#/
47. National Geographic Museum
4.3 (2,545 reviews)
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Location: 1145 17th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 857 7700
Web Address: https://nationalgeographic.org/society/visit-our-museum/
46. National Archives Museum
4.7 (2,608 reviews)
Credit: White House Photographic, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 701 Constitution Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 357 5000
Web Address: https://museum.archives.gov/
45. Smithsonian American Art Museum
4.8 (2,639 reviews)
Credit: Thomas Cizauskas, License, Flickr
Location: G St Northwest & 8th St NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: https://americanart.si.edu/
44. Meridian Hill Park
4.5 (2,738 reviews)
Credit: Elvert Barnes, License, Flickr
Location: 16th Street NW & W Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 895 6000
Web Address: https://nps.gov/places/meridian-hill-park.htm
43. National Building Museum
4.3 (3,186 reviews)
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Location: 401 F Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 272 2448
Web Address: https://nbm.org/
42. ARTECHOUSE DC
4.1 (3,274 reviews)
Credit: ARTECHOUSE DC, Google Maps
Location: 1238 Maryland Ave SW Washington D C DC
Web Address: http://artechouse.com/location/dc
41. Rock Creek Park
4.7 (3,378 reviews)
Credit: License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 5200 Glover Road NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 895 6000
Web Address: http://nps.gov/rocr
40. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
4.8 (3,574 reviews)
Location: 1551 Trap Road Vienna VA
Tel: 703 255 1800
Web Address: http://nps.gov/wotr
39. Brookside Gardens
4.8 (3,713 reviews)
Location: 1800 Glenallan Ave Wheaton MD
Tel: 301 962 1400
Web Address: https://brooksidegardens.org/
38. Eastern Market
4.5 (3,731 reviews)
Credit: Tim Evanson, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 225 7th Street SE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 698 5253
Web Address: http://easternmarket-dc.org/
37. US Marine Corps War Memorial
4.9 (3,853 reviews)
Location: Arlington VA
Tel: 703 289 2500
Web Address: https://nps.gov/gwmp/learn/historyculture/usmcwarmemorial.htm
36. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
4.9 (3,867 reviews)
Location: 400 Michigan Ave NE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 526 8300
Web Address: https://nationalshrine.org/
35. Torpedo Factory Art Center
4.6 (3,885 reviews)
Location: 105 N Union Street Alexandria VA
Tel: 703 746 4570
Web Address: https://torpedofactory.org/
34. Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
4.7 (3,975 reviews)
Credit: Constantine Yefimov, Google Maps
Location: 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue NW #1 Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 7970
Web Address: https://americanart.si.edu/visit/renwick
33. United States Capitol
4.6 (4,072 reviews)
Credit: Elvert Barnes, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: First Street SE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 226 8000
Web Address: https://visitthecapitol.gov/
32. Washington National Cathedral
4.8 (4,507 reviews)
Credit: dbking, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 537 6200
Web Address: https://cathedral.org/
31. Hirshhorn Museum
4.5 (4,559 reviews)
Location: Independence Ave SW & 7th Street SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: https://hirshhorn.si.edu/
30. United States National Arboretum
4.7 (4,878 reviews)
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Location: 3501 New York Ave NE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 245 2726
Web Address: https://usna.usda.gov/
29. Ford’s Theatre
4.7 (5,500 reviews)
Location: 511 10th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 347 4833
Web Address: https://fords.org/visit/welcome-back/
28. Union Market
4.5 (5,649 reviews)
Credit: Nick Seanguan, Google Maps
Location: 1309 5th Street NE Washington D C DC
Web Address: http://unionmarketdc.com/
27. Georgetown Waterfront Park
4.7 (6,199 reviews)
Credit: Peter Fitzgerald, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 3303 Water Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 895 6000
Web Address: https://nps.gov/places/georgetown-waterfront-park.htm
26. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
4.9 (6,782 reviews)
Credit: Elvert Barnes, License, Flickr
Location: 1964 Independence Ave SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: https://nps.gov/mlkm/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm
25. National Museum of the American Indian
4.5 (7,590 reviews)
Location: 4th Street SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: https://americanindian.si.edu/
24. Thomas Jefferson Memorial
4.8 (8,222 reviews)
Location: 16 E Basin Dr SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: http://nps.gov/thje/index.htm
23. Museum of the Bible
4.7 (8,972 reviews)
Credit: Matt Harton, Google Maps
Location: 400 4th Street SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 866 430 6682
Web Address: http://museumofthebible.org/
22. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
4.8 (10,138 reviews)
Credit: Joe Haupt, License, Flickr
Location: 2700 F Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 467 4600
Web Address: http://kennedy-center.org/
21. International Spy Museum
4.4 (10,236 reviews)
Location: 700 L’Enfant Plaza SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 393 7798
Web Address: https://spymuseum.org/
20. National Portrait Gallery
4.8 (10,345 reviews)
Location: 8th Street NW & G Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 8300
Web Address: https://npg.si.edu/
19. United States Botanic Garden
4.7 (12,032 reviews)
Location: 100 Maryland Ave SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 225 8333
Web Address: https://usbg.gov/
18. Nationals Park
4.6 (12,600 reviews)
Credit: License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 1500 S Capitol Street SE Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 675 6287
Web Address: https://mlb.com/nationals/ballpark
17. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
4.8 (13,625 reviews)
Location: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 488 0400
Web Address: https://ushmm.org/
16. National Gallery of Art
4.8 (13,927 reviews)
Credit: AgnosticPreachersKid, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: Constitution Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 737 4215
Web Address: https://nga.gov/
15. Washington Monument
4.7 (17,071 reviews)
Credit: AgnosticPreachersKid, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 2 15th Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: https://nps.gov/wamo/index.htm
14. Smithsonian National Museum of American History
4.7 (19,886 reviews)
Credit: Herve Boinay, License, Flickr
Location: 1300 Constitution Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
13. National Museum of African American History and Culture
4.8 (22,347 reviews)
Location: 1400 Constitution Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 844 750 3012
Web Address: http://nmaahc.si.edu/
12. Smithsonian National Zoological Park
4.6 (34,124 reviews)
Location: 3001 Connecticut Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 4888
Web Address: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/
11. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
4.8 (36,642 reviews)
Location: 10th Street & Constitution Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 1000
Web Address: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/
10. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
4.7 (36,970 reviews)
Location: 600 Independence Ave SW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 633 2214
Web Address: https://airandspace.si.edu/
9. Lincoln Memorial
4.8 (43,135 reviews)
Credit: Shubert Ciencia, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 426 6841
Web Address: https://nps.gov/linc/index.htm/
Our Top picks
8. Larz Anderson House
4.9 (49 reviews)
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Location: 2118 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 785 2040
Web Address: https://societyofthecincinnati.org/
7. National Museum of American Jewish Military History (NMAJMH)
4.6 (54 reviews)
Credit: Austin Graff, Google Maps
Location: 1811 R Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 265 6280
Web Address: https://nmajmh.org/
6. O Street Museum
4.6 (167 reviews)
Credit: AgnosticPreachersKid, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 2020 O Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 496 2070
Web Address: http://omuseum.org/
5. Heurich House Museum
4.5 (192 reviews)
Credit: Wally Gobetz, License, Flickr
Location: 1307 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 429 1894
Web Address: http://heurichhouse.org/
4. Dupont Underground
4.4 (272 reviews)
Credit: Geoff Livingston, License, Flickr
Location: 19 Dupont Cir NW Washington D C DC
Web Address: http://dupontunderground.org/
3. Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
4.8 (714 reviews)
Credit: APK, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 1725 Rhode Island Ave NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 347 3215
Web Address: http://stmatthewscathedral.org/
2. The Mansion on O & O Street Museum
4.7 (739 reviews)
Credit: The Mansion on O & O Street Museum, Google Maps
Location: 2020 O Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 496 2020
Web Address: http://omansion.com/
1. The Phillips Collection
4.7 (1,426 reviews)
Credit: Esther Bubley, License, Wikimedia commons
Location: 1600 21st Street NW Washington D C DC
Tel: 202 387 2151
Web Address: https://phillipscollection.org/
Final Words:
Thank you for reading our list of the best things to do in Dupont Circle! We hope it helped you plan the perfect itinerary for your next trip to this fantastic destination. Happy travels!
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