Are you dying to see museums and historical monuments? If you have some time, head to Washington, D.C. A visit to our nation’s capital is the culture bargain of a lifetime! The Smithsonian Institution is worth a trip from anywhere. Although even some Americans think that the Smithsonian is a single museum, in fact, it’s a complex of 19 museums and 9 research centers. NINETEEN MUSEUMS! All of them right in the same area! And here’s the best part: they’re free! There is no admission fee to visit any of the Smithsonian museums. Yes, U.S. taxes pay for these museums, so you can enjoy seeing those taxes hard at work.

Do you like bugs? There’s a museum for that. Thinking about flying to the moon? There’s a museum for that. Longing for a look at long-lost lizards? There’s a museum for that. The Smithsonian Institution has museums for just about anything you could possibly be interested in. Maybe you’re just hoping for a stroll through beautiful gardens surrounded by sculpture. Yes, the Smithsonian has it all: architecture and art, gardens, space information, ethnic museums, collections of clothing, history . . . You name it, and it’s there. And, of course, you can even buy a not-so-culturally-important T-shirt on the mall. In fact, when you need a rest from all that walking, the mall is a beautiful spot to relax. This is not a shopping mall; it’s a long stretch of lawn and walkways, with benches and some food places. You can see the beautiful U.S. Capitol building with its white dome on one end, and the 555-foot-tall Washington Monument on the other end.

Because there’s so much to do and see, it’s a good idea to plan your cultural visit well in advance. If you’re not planning to do a tour on foot, you can arrange for all kinds of different tours. These special tours will cost money. Of course, there are the typical bus tours. These will pick you up at many different locations and drive you through the entire area. Usually you can hop on and hop off. As the bus takes you to different spots, you can stop to visit the attraction for as long as you’d like, then get on a bus to the next stop when you’re ready. Or you can take bicycle tours of the area. How about a Segway tour? Now, that is cool! There are tons of special tours you can book, according to your interests. Some of these are very popular, so you might want to buy your tickets in advance. You can do it online and avoid the wait at the tour office or ticket counter.

If you plan in advance, you can also time your visit. That way you can easily fit in all you want to see. Check online for museum floor plans and know what sections you plan to visit. (You can spend an entire day in some places and still not see everything!) See what other museums are nearby. Don’t forget historical museums where you can learn all about the city, certain industries, and cultural and ethnic influences on the country.

And you will probably want to visit many of the beautiful memorials along the mall. There are several that honor past presidents, as well as many war memorials. These commemorate the sacrifices of people who served in the country’s wars. Visiting these monuments and memorials is a nice way to think about all the wonderful things we have . . . and the people who made them possible.

Just make sure you leave plenty of time for browsing in the gift shops!

LIA: Hey, Alan, aren’t you planning a trip to London this month?

ALAN: Well, that was the original plan. But now we’re not planning to go to the UK at all. We’ve decided to save some money and just have a staycation this year.

JAE: Yeah. We’re going to Plan B: just stay home and have a vacation doing things nearby. And with the money we save, we’re planning to see three extra shows when we go to London next year! We’re thinking about a drive to Washington, D.C., for a weekend. What do you think?

LIA: Wow, road trip! Count me in! The North Tower at the National Gallery has an exhibit of American art that I really want to see. And I’m dying to see the special Matisse paper cuttings exhibit. I checked the floor plan, and I see that they’ve moved it from the Tower to the Concourse. Every time I’m in the capital, I forget to plan around the exhibit’s hours, and I miss it. Every time!

ALAN: Don’t you check the museum’s hours? Isn’t it open all day?

LIA: Sure, I know the museum’s hours. But the Matisse exhibit has its own hours, separate from the rest of the museum. Because the paper cuttings are fragile, they’re only on display for certain times of the day. Too much light can damage them.

JAE: Well, we’re not staying in D.C. very long, and we’re planning to buy tickets for an opera performance at the Kennedy Center. I’m not sure we’ll get around to going to the National Gallery of Art on this trip.

LIA: I know you culture vultures have your own plan. But we can save some big bucks if we carpool down. Then you can do your own thing, and I’ll go see the Matisse exhibit. I’m not going home until I see that exhibit! We can split the gas, and we can share the driving. It’ll be a great way to save money and have a great cultural weekend. And if you’re lucky, maybe I’ll sing on the way home!

ALAN: Aaghh! It sounds like a great idea, but we’ll only do it if you promise not to sing!

Pronunciation Pointer