Lincoln Memorial - Washington D.C. Attractions

Here's a local secret: if you're ever stuck in a thunderstorm while wandering around the Mall, make a dash for the Lincoln Memorial. Thunder seems to rumble like clockwork nearly every 4th of July, and everyone in the know takes shelter under the marble dome, crouching near the foot of the enormous chair in which a gigantic Lincoln holds court.

In a city of icons, the Lincoln Memorial is truly a highlight. It's the classicism evoked by the Greek temple design, or the way the memorial so perfectly anchors the Mall's west end, or maybe just the stony dignity of Lincoln's gaze and the power of his speeches engraved in the wall. Nonetheless, a visit here while gazing over the 600m Reflecting Pool is a defining D.C. moment.

For these are the steps where lovers kiss, protesters gather, and Martin Luther King Jr’s "I Have a Dream" speech seared itself into the national conscience. This stunning location is also a favorite spot for Hollywood fimls.