Natural, History: Green Washington, D.C.

02.04.2024 - 21:47 / lonelyplanet.com / Theodore Roosevelt

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Visitors flock to Washington, D.C., for its iconic monuments, expansive museums, and corridors of power, but that’s not all this capital city offers. Designed with European flair, it boasts hundreds of city parks, more than a dozen public gardens, and miles of bike lanes, paths and woodsy trails – not to mention, the famous cherry blossoms that burst around the Tidal Basin every spring. From vast Rock Creek Park to rose-filled neighborhood gardens, D.C. provides a bevy of natural, sweet-smelling escapes. Here are some of the best:

This linear park may sprawl just four miles north of the White House, but its 1,754 acres are a world away. The namesake creek burbles through a scenic leafy canyon, crossed by bridges and edged by paved trails. From there, dirt trails popular among hikers, runners, and horseback riders snake beneath a refreshing canopy of oaks, maples, dogwoods, and tulip poplars. Weekend revelers fill picnic tables for birthday celebrations and work outings. At America’s oldest urban national park, you’ll find the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 19th-century Peirce Mill, and the Rock Creek Park Planetarium. No wonder President Theodore Roosevelt brought his kids to this sublime green oasis for Sunday hikes – and today, more than two million visitors a year enjoy its peaceful tranquility.

Insider tip: Portions of narrow, twisting Beach Drive are closed to cars, offering a glorious stretch of road for cyclists and hikers.

Over in Northeast D.C., you’ll find 451 stunning acres of trees, plants, and flowers. Established by an act of Congress in 1927 for the purpose of botanical research, the Arboretum is divided into different collections, including Japanese Woodland, trail-laced Fern Valley, and the National Grove of State Trees. Come mid-April through May for azaleas, while early summer brings clematis, peonies, rhododendrons, and roses. Any time of year, the Capitol Columns – 22 original Corinthian columns brought here from the U.S. Capitol in 1990 – are photogenic draws. But that’s not all. The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is renowned for its collection of impossibly miniature plants that have been pinched, pruned, and wired in the ancient Chinese way to create realistic depictions of nature. You can drive (or bike) 9.5 miles of quiet roads; several short pathways allow you to get closer to dwarf pines, sunny prairie, and flowering dogwoods, overlooking the Anacostia River.

Insider tip: Check the website for special events including forest bathing.

Step inside this iron-and-glass conservatory on the U.S. Capitol grounds and you’re transported into a verdant world of more than 4,000 seasonal, tropical, and subtropical plants, all within 10 garden rooms and two courtyards. You’ll find