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Most Washington , DC , visitor channelize like a shot for the monument and museums at TheNational Mall . plan by Pierre L’Enfant in 1791 , The National Mall produce the primal monumental axis of DC ’s grid - like layout and low building visibility . The maximum building superlative permit in the city is 12 stories , so what feel like sprawling is actually the trace of eighteenth - century urban preparation . The National Park Service even has a niftyQR cod appthat serve nicely as an on - the - go guide .
There are several interesting gardens to see while call , and three of the best are easy to reach by public transportation — they are also within walking length from one another .
United States Botanic Garden : Though it ’s not technically in the National Mall , it is part of the Capitol yard . The main garden areas include a large conservatory , a regional garden , a roseate garden , and a weewee garden .
Bartholdi Park with the Capitol edifice in the background .
Amelanchierand a minuscule pond at Bartholdi Park .
Inside the conservatory .
The most interesting part , though , is across Independence Avenue at Bartholdi Park . coiffe around a large central fountain , the garden declare oneself smaller vignettes , many of which now fulfill theSustainable Sites Initiative(SITES ) guidelines for sustainability , which can be apply to residential gardens .
Fountain at Bartholdi Park with the conservatory in the background .
garden at theNational Museum of the American Indian : Located on the other side of the botanic garden and across Maryland Avenue , this extensive landscape surrounds the undulating museum building and honors North America ’s indigenous estate prior to European colonization . There are realistic wetlands , a hardwood forest , a meadow , an huge waterfall , and croplands . There are 40 expectant boulder or “ Grandfather Rocks ” that represent respect for the country and four Cardinal Direction Markers that pay tribute to native peoples of the North , South , East , and West . The museum and its grounds have been awarded a United State Building Council ’s leading in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEEDS ) Silver military rank for sustainability .
Waterfall at the museum .
body of water feature at the museum .
Hirshhorn Museum ’s Sculpture Garden : For something completely different from the previous two , this sculpture garden is situate a bit further south on the mall ( at 7th Street and Independence Avenue SW , and across the street from the museum and its out-of-door sculpture plaza ) . One of severalSmithsonian Gardens , it first opened in the early 1970s and was redesigned to include a greater per centum of plantings in the early 1980s . The sunken and terraced one - and - a - half acre carving garden is quiet and intimate , and its monumental sculpture are revealed slowly despite the lowly space . A peaceful place to explore and rest , it is one of the few position on the center that is on a human scale leaf .
The Hishorn Sculpture Garden .
This clause is part of theGarden Destination : Washington , DCarticle .
