Founded in 1862, the Bureau of Printing & Engraving is the U.S. Government’s security printer. Throughout the agency’s history, BEP has been responsible for printing everything from U.S. paper currency to postage stamps, passports, money orders, and Treasury Department bonds. Today, BEP continues to produce a variety of secure documents for the federal government, but is most known for their role in designing, engraving and printing U.S. currency.
The Bureau of Printing & Engraving prints U.S. paper currency at facilities in Washington DC and Fort Worth, Texas. Tours of the Washington DC production facility are held Monday through Friday between 9:00-10:45 a.m. and 12:30-2:00 p.m. Located at 14th & C streets, Southwest the Bureau of Printing & Engraving is accessible via the Smithsonian metro station.
The United States’ official memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum functions as a living memorial, inspiring citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Since opening in 1993, the museum has welcomed more than 34 million visitors, including 91 heads of state, and continues to operate one of the leading online recourses on the Holocaust, making available archival research performed at the museum.
The museum is open 363 days a year, closing for Yom Kippur and Christmas. Regular operating hours are from 10:00 a.m.to 5:20 p.m. During peak tourist season (March to August), timed passes are required to enter the permanent exhibition and can be procured in advance. Admission to the museum is free.
Steeped in history, rich with tradition, the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a living plant museum that informs visitors about the importance, and often irreplaceable value, of plants to the well-being of humans and to earth’s fragile ecosystems. Established by Congress in 1820, the U.S. Botanic Garden is one of the oldest botanical gardens in North America and fulfills George Washington’s vision for the city of Washington to include a national garden.
The U.S. Botanical Gardens offers free admission and is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day of the year, including weekends and holidays. The closest metro station is Federal Center Southwest. USBG also offers a variety of group and private tours, including a self-guided cell-phone tour.
Transcending conflicts, service branches and generations, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial is intended to express America’s gratitude to the men and women whose lives have changed in service to our nation. Through the juxtaposition of granite and glass, the Memorial will convey the interplay of strength and vulnerability, loss and renewal. The focal point will be a star-shaped fountain, its surface broken by a single ceremonial flame.
The memorial was designed by Michael Vergason Landscape Architects and opened to the public in October 2014. Located at 2nd and C streets, Southwest, the memorial will be accessible from the Federal Center Southwest metro station.
Created by Congress in 1999, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission is responsible for the creation of a memorial to honor Dwight D. Eisenhower, “the Supreme Allied Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II and the 34th President of the United States.” In 2009 the Commission selected architect Frank Gehry to design the memorial. Gehry’s design has since proven controversial and is still under review. The site selected for the future memorial, Eisenhower Square, is located directly in front of the Lyndon B. Johnson Department of Education building in southwest Washington DC.
In addition to the physical memorial, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission has launched a state of the art e-memorial dedicated to the interactive commemoration of pivotal moments in Eisenhower’s careers as Supreme Allied Commander and U.S. President. Launched in July 2012, the first phase of the e-memorial highlights archival resources, video, and audio related to the D-Day invasion.
U.S. General Services Administration