Pennsylvania Avenue
The 1.2-mile straight between the White House and the Capitol is where the US stages every parade, procession, and protest march.
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Designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant as one of Washington's earliest streets, the Capitol-to-White House stretch forms the basis for the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site. It is sometimes called "America's Main Street." From 1862 to 1962, streetcars ran its full length from Georgetown to the Anacostia River.
What to look for
- The diagonal geometry cutting across the city's grid — L'Enfant's axis runs ruler-straight from the Capitol to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
- The ceremonial mile as the live stage for official parades, processions, and protest marches — the source of the avenue's federal recognition and its nickname.
- The John Philip Sousa Bridge, where the avenue crosses the Anacostia River southeast of the Capitol grounds.
Walk the ceremonial mile between the Capitol and the White House; the avenue continues northwest another 1.4 miles, ending at M Street N.W. in Georgetown.
Pennsylvania Avenue is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Washington, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Washington pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Washington
- White HouseBritish forces torched it in 1814. It has been the U.S. president's home and office ever since.
- The PentagonDesigned and built in 16 months during World War II — 17.5 miles of corridors, a five-acre central courtyard, and a 9/11 memorial at the exact point of impact.
- United States CapitolEvery street address in Washington DC radiates outward from this building — it is literally the zero point of the city.
- Washington MonumentThe faint color seam partway up the shaft marks where construction stopped for 23 years.
- Smithsonian InstitutionBritish scientist James Smithson left a bequest that became 157 million objects, 21 museums, and a zoo — almost all free to walk into.
- Arlington National CemeteryThe ground holding 400,000 graves was seized from Robert E. Lee's own family over an unpaid tax bill in 1864.