The National Mall in Washington D.C. - No, Not a Shopping Mall!

Making a trip to Washington DC soon? I'm sure the National Mall is on your list of things to do while visiting.When I vacationed to DC, my family and I spent four days at all the monuments and museums and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I recommend everyone to visit the national mall at least once in their life. It will defiantly put perspective into your life by visiting all the museums, and the monuments will show you how much hard work, determination, and how many lives were spent on making this country as wonderful as it is today.

The most famous icons in the mall are the, Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, Thomas Jefferson memorial, WWII memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial, Korean War veterans memorial, and the Vietnam veterans memorial. The land of the mall runs from the Lincoln memorial all the way west to the capital building, then from the White House to the Jefferson memorial. The mall is free for all who visits, and is a great way to show the children how important history is.

The Washington monument was created between the years 1848 to 1884, according to www.wikipedia.com " the hiatus to the Washington Monument was due to the American Civil War." This monument is a United States presidential memorial dedicated to George Washington. The Washington monument is a white marble monument located between the capitol building and the Lincoln memorial. Located next to the Washington monument is the reflection pool.

The Lincoln memorial was built between 1914 and 1922, and was built to resemble a Greek temple. Just inside the monument is a huge marble statue of the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln memorial is known for the famous speeches and rallies in which were held in the front lawn, on the grounds of the monument and near the reflection pool. The pool which is located in between the Washington monument and the Lincoln memorial. As with all of the other museums and monuments in the National Mall, the Lincoln memorial is open 24 hours and is free to all who comes.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial was finished in 1943. The monument is circular and built with circular marble steps, with a neo-classical design.(www.wikipedia.com) The Jefferson memorial is located near the White House. Inside the monument, there is a huge bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson. According to www.wikipedia.com "The Jefferson Memorial hosts many events and ceremonies each year, including memorial exercises, the Easter Sunrise Service, and the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival."

The WWII memorial is located east of the reflection pool between the Washington monument and the Lincoln memorial. The memorial is the newest edition to the National Mall, and was opened April 29, 2004. The current design of the monument was that of the winner of the national competition, 600 entries were entered into the competition. A wall which is located behind the memorial is known as the Freedom Wall, there are approximately 4,048 gold stars on the wall. Each star represents 100 Americans who died during the war.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial is the largest of the monuments. It is 7.5 acres big, and is separated into four different sections, in which each section represent each of the terms Roosevelt ran as president. There are many sculptures within this monument, one of which depicts Roosevelt with his dog, sculptures which depict the great depression, and a sculpture of his wife Eleanor. The memorial also considered the people with disabilities and made sure that they made it accessible for people in wheel chairs and added braille for the blind.

Korean War veterans memorial was created between 1992 and 1995. The memorial is in the shape of a triangle with a circle within it. There are 19 stainless steel statues that depict a squad, 15 US Army, 2 Marines, 1 Navy and 1 Air Force, dressed in full combat gear. Behind the statues is a huge granite wall, that have soldiers graved into the wall.

Vietnam Veterans memorial was completed in 1982. When talking about creating a memorial, there was a competition for people to enter ideas on what the memorial should look like, Maya Ying Lin was the winner, and ironically was Vietnamese. The memorial is designed with two walls which are approximately 248 feet long. The monument lists 58,256 names, depicting soldiers who were killed and also soldiers who were never accounted for. There are personnel who work at the monument seven days a week between 7am and midnight, who are there to help you find names of loved ones and friends on the list.

Like I said earlier, the trip to the National Mall was one of the most memorable vacations I have ever had. These memorials and monuments are out of this world and you can learn a lot by seeing them in person. The history of the United States is what the National Mall is all about, it's true Patriotism.

Most of the information on the monuments were found on www.wikipedia.com and www.nps.gov.