Summerhouse

Washington, DC


Northwest of the Capitol is the charming 1879 Summerhouse, a redbrick hexagon with black-iron gates and an interior well. This is where women in the late 1800s came to stay cool in their big hoop dresses during the warmer months. Have a seat on one of the stone benches in the peaceful grotto.

Transportation

  • metro: Orange, Silver, Blue Lines to Capitol South

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Washington, DC attractions

1. Taft Memorial Carillon

0.1 MILES

What is that chiming you hear every hour and quarter-hour? It's the 27 bells of the Taft Memorial Carillon, built to honor Senator Robert A Taft from Ohio…

2. US Capitol

0.13 MILES

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3. Ulysses S Grant Memorial

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4. Capitol Reflecting Pool

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5. National Japanese American Memorial

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6. United States Botanic Garden

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7. Bartholdi Park

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Beautifying a traffic island at the rear of the United States Botanic Garden, this modest showcase of sustainable and accessible landscape design has at…

8. Supreme Court

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The highest court in the USA occupies a pseudo-Greek temple protected by 13,000lb bronze doors. Arrive early to watch arguments (periodic Monday through…

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