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Washington, D.C.

Monumental D.C.

Program No. 12392RJ

Explore Washington, D.C., with experts and learn the stories behind the monuments, memorials and historic sites that pay testament to our national identity.

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5 days

4 nights

10 meals

4B 3L 3D

Check-In, Orientation, Welcome Dinner, National Mall Lecture

Virginia

Mount Vernon, Holocaust Memorial Museum, White House

Virginia

Arlington National Cemetery, Memorials

Virginia

Masonic History, Tidal Basin Memorials, Big Three Memorials

Virginia

Program Concludes

Virginia

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At a Glance

The capital of the United States is truly “monumental” as you’ll discover in this exciting experiential learning program with Road Scholar. Explore major monuments, memorials, museums and historic sites on and off the National Mall. Learn what Washington’s monuments tell about those who created them, the people and events they memorialize, their eras and how our nation’s sons and daughters are remembered. Daily discussions and field trips provide keen insights into historic and current issues.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking 2-3 miles per day during field trips over level terrain; extended standing. Monuments accessible by elevator.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

Delve into George Washington's life as a pioneering farmer, businessman, fearless soldier and leader at Mount Vernon.
Witness the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington Cemetery and visit the grave of President John F. Kennedy.
Enjoy the vibrant cultural and dining scene.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Judy Scott Feldman

A native Washingtonian, art historian and educator, Judy Scott Feldman is a founder of the National Mall Coalition and has served as the Chairman of the Board since 2000. She has been a guest on numerous show including The News Hour and CBS Sunday Morning and received several awards for her mall advocacy. Dr. Feldman holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in art history from Pennsylvania State University, as well as a doctorate in art history from The University of Texas at Austin.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Judy Scott Feldman View biography

Akram Elias View biography

Akram R. Elias has been a Mason since 1996, when he was initiated into Freemasonry at Potomac Lodge No. 5, F.A.A.M. in Washington, D.C. Elias has been the head of several Masonic lodges in Washington, DC, and was installed as Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia on December 8, 2007, and completed his term in office on December 13, 2008. The Grand Master oversees all Masonic lodges within a Masonic jurisdiction.

Steve Flynn View biography

Steve Flynn was raised in Oregon. He pursued graduate work in intercultural studies and has extensive experience leading educational groups for students and adults both within and outside the U.S. A current resident of Washington, D.C., he has spent his professional career working in international student exchange programs for the University of North Carolina system.

Ella Schiralli View biography

Ella Schiralli is a certified D.C. group leader with a passion for sharing the culture, history, and modern vibrancy of our nation’s capital. She graduated from George Washington University with a B.B.A. and E.M.B.A. Ella values diversity and is passionate about leadership. She has had the opportunity to work and volunteer in organizations that range from advanced homeland security solutions and public policy advocacy, to women’s military achievements, the performing arts, and children’s advocacy.

Tim Phillips View biography

Tim Phillips hails from a background in libraries and public speaking. Originally from the Kansas City area, he developed a love of reading, history, and travel. This eventually culminated in a new career that allows him the best of all worlds, combining his love of travel, education, and engaging in new experiences with people from all over the world. Tim lives outside Washington, D.C. in West Virginia with his wife and three dogs.

Suggested Reading List (10 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

Search for a Title

Monumental D.C.

Program Number: 12392

The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital

by David Ovason

Today, there are more than twenty complete zodiacs in Washington, D.C., each one pointing to an extraordinary mystery. David Ovason, who has studied these astrological devices for ten years, now reveals why they have been placed in such abundance in the center of our nation's capital and explains their interconnections.

Carefree Black Girls

by Zeba Blay

In 2013, film and culture critic Zeba Blay was one of the first people to coin the viral term #carefreeblackgirls on Twitter. As she says, it was "a way to carve out a space of celebration and freedom for Black women online." In this collection of essays, Blay expands on this initial idea by delving into the work and lasting achievements of influential Black women in American culture—writers, artists, actresses, dancers, hip-hop stars—whose contributions often come in the face of bigotry, misogyny, and stereotypes.

Mount Vernon Love Story

by Mary Higgins Clark

When originally published in 1969, Ms. Clark chose Mary Ball Washington's family motto, ""Aspire to the Heavens"" as the title for this, her first novel. All events, dates, scenes and characters in this novel of George and Martha Washington's love story are based on historical research.

Classical Architecture and Monuments of Washington, D.C.: A History & Guide

by Michael Curtis

For architecture aficinados and historians, this comprehensive view of the statues, monuments and architectural plans of Washington DC provides an exciting insight into our federal city.

The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes

by Langston Hughes

Here, for the first time, are all the poems that Langston Hughes published during his lifetime, arranged in the general order in which he wrote them. Lyrical and pungent, passionate and polemical, the result is a treasure of a book, the essential collection of a poet whose words have entered our common language.

50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple's Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany

by Steven Pressman

Based on the acclaimed HBO documentary, the astonishing true story of how one American couple transported fifty Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Austria to America in 1939—the single largest group of unaccompanied refugee children allowed into the United States.

The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret

by Mary V. Thompson

In "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret," Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, offers the first comprehensive account of those who served in bondage at Mount Vernon. Drawing on years of research in a wide range of sources, Thompson brings to life the lives of Washington’s slaves while illuminating the radical change in his views on slavery and race wrought by the American Revolution.

Murder in the White House

by Margaret Truman

A lawyer with ties to the President must investigate the murder of the Secretary of State under mysterious circumstances, in this first book in Margaret Truman's New York Times bestselling Capital Crimes series.

Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation's Capital

by Elizabeth Rule

The first and fullest account of the suppressed history and continuing presence of Native Americans in Washington, DC.

The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro

by Zachary M. Schrag

In the first comprehensive history of the Metro, Zachary M. Schrag tells the story of the Great Society Subway from its earliest rumblings to the present day, from Arlington to College Park, Eisenhower to Marion Barry.

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