Washington, D.C. is home to numerous iconic attractions. You can’t go home without taking a picture of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and it’s practically unAmerican to visit without stopping at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Of course you’ll also get your photo taken in front of the White House, and everyone who’s ever been to D.C. has already told you to go to the Smithsonian museums. Your list of things to do and see in the capital is already long, but consider adding these overlooked attractions for a trip you’ll never forget.

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One trip to Washington, D.C. is not enough to allow you to see and do everything that the city has to offer, even if you don’t have top secret clearance into the really cool places. When I’m visiting a new city with my family, whether it be for a week or a long weekend, it helps me prioritize plans if I give myself a goal or a theme for the visit. For example, I might focus on learning more about the Civil War in Richmond, Virginia. In DC, the possible themes and itineraries for a visit are truly limitless, but the most obvious, I think, is a trip that focuses in on American History. Here are three things to do that will help you pass on a few important civic lessons to your kids while you’re visiting the capital.

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It seems that Washington DC loves a reason to have a festival.  They’ll even go so far as to have multiple festivals going on at the same time!

This year, just as La Dolce DC is getting underway, the 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival will also begin in the capital city.

What is the National Cherry Blossom Festival?

The annual celebration coincides with the blossoming of the 3,000 cherry trees that were given to the United States by Japan in 1912 as a sign of friendship and goodwill.  Yes, that was about 20 years before Japan bombed the United States at Pearl Harbor.  But that gesture is still celebrated each year when those 3,000 cherry trees bloom around the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park.

Annual Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in DC

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Celebrate Italian culture in Washington DC during La Dolce DC

If you’re headed to Washington, DC this spring or summer, prepare to get more than an American Civics lesson.  In fact, you may want to brush up on your Italian before you head to our nation’s capital.  From the beginning of March through the end of July, the city will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy and its own Italian connections with La Dolce DC, a citywide Italian festival.

What Italian culture can you expect to find in Washington, DC?

• The National Gallery of Art will feature  the exhibition Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals (Feb 20-May 30).
• The Phillips Collection will host the exhibition Philip Guston, Roma (Feb12-May 15).
• Washington National Opera will perform “Madama Butterfly” (Feb 26-March 19) and “Don Pasquale” (May 13-27), two of the final productions to be mounted by the company under General Director Plácido Domingo.
• The Embassy of Italy will host a trade and design show at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center highlighting collections from Italian designers in April.
• The National Geographic Museum will feature The Etruscans: An Ancient Culture Revealed, a look at the culture that dominated the Italian peninsula centuries before the rise of the Roman Republic (June 10-Sept 25).

Organizers of the event are encouraging visitors to take note of the many Italian influences that can be seen in the city’s restaurants and architecture.  The Fairmont Washington, D.C. is saluting La Dolce D.C. with the Roman Holiday Package, which includes an overnight stay for two, a three-course Italian dinner for two in Juniper, two tickets to The Phillips Collection and a DVD of Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

A comprehensive website listing many of the area attractions with Italian and Italian-American connections is available at ladolcedc.org.

Photo courtesy of Destination DC