Washington DC, White House,Capitol,attractions,hotels,tours,guide at allDCinfo.com

Welcome to Washington DC and the Capital Region!

Washington, DC, the Nation’s capital, sits at the center of the region which is traversed by the Potomac River. The seat of the Nation's government provides visitors with some of the worlds most famous landmarks including the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian Institution , and a plethora of monuments, museums and other attractions at the core of the Washington, DC. Northern Virginia, including Arlington, Alexandria and the eastern portion of Fairfax County, once comprised the original District of Columbia, west of the Potomac, as laid out by George Washington. Northern Virginia lies closest to the District which is only minutes away by metro or car across one of several crossing points under and over the Potomac.

Many of the Capital area’s most famous attractions are found in Northern Virginia, which is located just across the Potomac to the west of the District. These attractions span the time from the colonial period to the emergence of America as the preeminent national power in the twentieth century. East of the Potomac surrounding Washington DC , to the north east and south are the Maryland suburbs of Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties offering a multitude of attractions (as well as nearby Baltimore and Annapolis).

From the colonial period the influence of George Washington and the founding fathers is found here in abundance. George Washington truly does sleep in Northern Virginia. He and his devoted wife Martha are interred at his colonial estate, Mount Vernon, on the shore of the Potomac in southern Fairfax County. The history of Washington and the colonial and revolutionary war period can also be found nearby at other Washington related sites such as Woodlawn Plantation, River Farm and Gunston Hall, the estate of Washington’s contemporary, George Mason, who is called the father of the bill of rights. At Great Falls of the Potomac in eastern Fairfax County remains can be found the remains of the town of Matildaville and the Patowmack Canal who’s was George Washington.

The Civil War’s first conflicts were fought in Northern Virginia at Manassas (Bull Run) in 1861. The second Battle of Manassas occurred in the same area in 1862. The area is preserved and offers a visitors center and museum depicting the two conflicts at the site. The commander of the Confederate forces General Robert E. Lee, and his wife Mary Custis Lee, the great granddaughter of Martha Washington, lived in the family estate, now known as Arlington House, from 1831 to 1861. The home with a commanding view of the city of Washington , from the western side of the Potomac, and was to become the site of one of the most hollowed grounds in our nation. One the site of the Custis Lee estate Arlington National Cemetery serves as the final resting place of thousand who served and serve as a reminder of high the price of freedom..

Along the Potomac on the eastern edge of Arlington Cemetery is the Pentagon, the world largest office building and a symbol of the emergence after World War II of the US as the leading non-communist nation in the cold war period.

Today, the Washington, DC area is a high technology center spawned by military, medical and other governmental research. It has become a thriving international center developing new mediums for communicating and leading the nation into the 21st century. This growth has transformed a rolling tree covered rural farming area into a region that is home to over six million people who live and work in the metro area which maintains its links to its historic past.

History Links

For an excellent overview of the the region visit these sites:

The Guide To Historic Virginia

Guide To Virginia's Civil War Battlefields and Sites

Old Town Trolley - Discounts on Washington DC's Best Tours. Plan Your Vacation! - Click For Washington D.C. Hotel Specials