The Washington Monument is a well known and much talked about tourist attraction. It was built in order to honor the first president of the United States of America, General George Washington. The Washington Monument has been built in the vicinity of the National Mall, towards the western side of the same.

The Washington Monument has been built in the form of an obelisk and has been created out of sandstone, granite and marble. The monument holds the distinction of being both the highest obelisk in the world and also the largest creation of stone. The obelisk is 555 feet and 5.5 inches in height. If you want to pay a visit to this great place, use our guide for first time visitors and make the most of this trip.

Firstly, let's cover the 'getting there' part. If you have your own vehicle with you it makes sense to purchase a city map and follow the directions. However, we feel you would be better off taking the metro. The nearest metro station to the monument is near the Smithsonian and can be reached by taking the Blue line and the Orange line. You can walk the remaining the distance to the monument.

The monument is open all through the year except for Christmas Day. The general timings are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. In the period between Memorial Day to Labor Day special timings are adopted, till 10:00 PM.

If you have breathed in the airs of Washington DC, the national capital, you must have felt something unique. For it brings forth essence of luminaries that towered here in their times and have been especially responsible into creating United States. Most prominent among these luminaries was General George Washington, Father of the Nation and its first president. He was the hero of Revolutionary War which he won for America despite financial and military shortcomings.

It is often hard to build a monument to mountains. However Washington Monument, built to commemorate Washington seems apt and at 555′1/8′ is fittingly the tallest structure in Washington DC. It is an obelisk shaped structure built from marble of three quarries, sandstone, granite and Bluestone Gneiss.

Washington Monument

http://www.nps.gov/wamo/index.htm

Washington Monument at Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument

Washington Monument Overview

http://sc94.ameslab.gov/tour/washmon.html

It was originally conceived by Robert Mills but its construction had to stop for several unavoidable reasons a Civil War. His vivid imagination bears little resemblance to the structure that towers today, however Americans remain indebted to Mills for his courageous beginning.

The structure was built in December, 1884 and dedicated on February 22, 1886. It is separated from Lincoln Shrine by a reflecting pool that brings forth the grandeur of Washington Monument more clearly.

Washington Monument - Guide for Kids

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/wa_monument.html

People come here in hordes to check the monument; tallest in the world before Eiffel Tower came into being; and pay tribute to the man-machine. Many of the man's deeds are still revered; a notable one being his refusal to take salary for the Revolutionary War.

The Monument is open for view from 9 am to 10 pm and is free.