About National Mall Gateway

The National Mall and Memorial Parks is home to many of our country’s most iconic monuments and memorials dedicated to telling the story of people and events that shaped the United States of America as a nation. Encompassing a 146-acre area in the heart of our nation’s capital it is also known to many as “America’s Front Yard”.

While there are many sites that might be considered the “main attraction” on the National Mall, the better-known and often-pictured memorials are the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. For those who prioritize natural features, it might be the Tidal Basin or the Reflecting Pool. The charm of the National Mall is that there are options for everyone.

Yes, the National Mall is generally free to visit. Some sites such as the Washington Monument do require time-entry tickets, so it would be best to check in advance for specific monuments and memorials. This information can be found on the Gateway website as well as on the National Park Service website.

The National Mall itself is open twenty-four hours a day. However, amenities such as restrooms and information kiosks, as well as indoor spaces such as the Washington Monument, gift stores, or the US Park Police Horse Stables Education Center have operational hours which can be found on the Gateway website as well as on the National Park Service website.

Visiting the National Mall can take a wide range of time, depending on factors such as how many and which memorials/monuments you choose to visit, time of day, peak tourist season, walking speed, and distance between sites. Visiting a single specific monument, such as the Lincoln Memorial, can take as little as thirty minutes including the time it takes to walk from the Metro station. However, if you attempt to visit most of the Mall, including all of the sites listed on the Gateway, it could take up an entire day. Short answer? As long as you would like!

Yes, you can walk the entire National Mall! However, this could take considerable time depending on a variety of factors, and some walkways are not fully ADA-accessible, so please be aware of such limitations. Another fun way of getting around the Mall faster than walking is to use bicycles or public transit! There are numerous bike lanes and bikeshare options nearby, in addition to the numerous bus and metro routes that run in the area!

Yes, there are several restrooms available across the National Mall. However, hours vary at each site. Please check the individual sites and memorials on the homepage for more details.