Destination
Hyattsville, Maryland is only a 30-minute drive from the Nation's Capital. Whatever your interests - history, scientific advancements, aviation, art from around the world, military conflicts, espionage, or fine dining - there's something for everyone in D.C.! Plan to come early or stay after the Conference ends to explore the multitude of attractions in the D.C. Metropolitan Area.
Photo by Jake McGuire |
Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Museums:
- African Art Museum: www.nmafa.si.edu
- Air & Space Museum: www.nasm.si.edu
- American Art Museum: www.americanart.si.edu
- National Museum of American History: www.americanhistory.si.edu
- National Museum of the American Indian: www.nmai.si.edu
- Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden: www.hirshhorn.si.edu
- The National Zoo: www.nationalzoo.si.edu
- Natural History Museum: www.mnh.si.edu
Memorials & Monuments:
Photo courtesy of Destination DC |
The National Mall includes the following:
- Washington Monument
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
- World War II Memorial
- Korean War Veterans Memorial
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Other M&M Points of Interest:
- US Holocaust Memorial Museum: www.ushmm.org
- Marine Corps War Memorial - Iwo Jima: www.nps.gov/gwmp/marinecorpswarmemorial.htm
- International Spy Museum: www.spymuseum.org
- National Building Museum: www.nbm.org
- National Gallery of Art: www.nga.gov
- Arlington National Cemetery: www.arlingtoncemetery.org
- Pentagon: http://pentagon.afis.osd.mil
- US Capitol: www.visitthecapitol.gov
- Cherry Blossom Festival: www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org
Restaurants/ City Dining:
- Urban Spoon: www.urbanspoon.com
City Transportation:
Metro: Train and Bus - SUGGEST SMART TRIP CARD
- Metro How to Get Around: www.wmata.com/getting_around
- Train Maps: www.wmata.com/rail/maps
- Bus Maps & Schedules: www.wmata.com/bus
DC Taxicabs: Taxicab companies vary by location. Fares are set throughout the city and will be the same cost across the board.
- Fares for DC Taxicabs: www.dctaxi.dc.gov
DC Circulator: With a Smart Trip card cost is $1.00 per day. Smart Trip card allows you to ride any bus at any time for the day. www.dccirculator.com Routes include:
- Georgetown - Union Station
- Woodley Park - Adams Morgan - McPherson Square Metro
- Smithsonian - National Gallery of Art
- Convention Center - SW Waterfront
- Union Station - Navy Yard via Capitol Hill
National Cherry Blossom Festival
Photo by Jake McGuire |
Arrive a couple days before the Conference and check out the 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival! The festival runs from March 26 to April 10, 2011.
The 2011 Cherry Blossom Parade is Saturday, April 9.
The blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. has come to symbolize the natural beauty of our nation's capital city. The famous trees, a gift from Japan in 1912, signal Washington’s rite of spring with an explosion of life and color that surrounds the Tidal Basin in a sea of pale pink and white blossoms. Thousands of city residents and visitors from across the nation and around the world come here to witness the spectacle, hoping that the trees will be at the peak of bloom for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org for more information.
College Park/ University of Maryland
College Park community website: www.collegeparkmd.gov
University of Maryland
As the state's flagship university, the University of Maryland educates the most talented students from Maryland and beyond.
The University ranked 11th among all public U.S. universities and 37th worldwide in a recent international survey, and was named one of the top 15 "green universities" in the country. The faculty includes Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners. Students win prestigious awards for their academic achievements and civic engagement, and graduates enjoy successful careers in their chosen fields. In the past decade, sports teams have won nine NCAA national championships.
Maryland Traditions: Campus Landmarks
Testudo is the centerpiece of the campus, and the act of rubbing his nose for good luck is an enduring tradition, going strong since 1933!
Since the early 1990s, students have left Testudo offerings of any imaginable kind: food, cigarettes, soda, beer, poems, computer disks, candy, flowers, coins - hoping that Testudo will bring them luck at final exam time.
Replicas of Testudo can be found at three locations on campus: Comcast Center, Cole Student Activities Building, and Byrd Stadium, where there are two.
Jim Henson and Kermit Statue
Have your photo taken with Jim Henson and Kermit!
The University of Maryland dedicated the statue of Jim Henson conversing with Kermit the Frog and the memorial garden that surrounds it, outside the Stamp Student Union, on September 24, 2003.
Henson, who graduated from the University of Maryland in 1960, was known the world over for his creation of the Muppets and his work in television with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.
The statue, created by sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter, captures Jim Henson and Kermit in bronze, sitting on a red granite bench, and weighs 450 pounds. It is surrounded by a memorial garden designed by landscape architect Philip Cho. The entire project cost $217,000 and was funded in part by gifts from the Classes of 1994, 1998, and 1999.
