Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C

On By nationalparkswithtIn District of Columbia
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DC Trip 2024➤

Our congressman came through with tickets to visit the White House in October of 2024. So my husband and I took a long weekend to visit Washington, DC. He hadn’t been to many of the sites, so we spent a few days visiting the various National Park Service units. We toured several memorials, monuments and other sites, including the Constitution Gardens.

The National Mall➤

The National Mall stretches from the Capitol to the Potomac River. It serves as “America’s Front Lawn” and its premiere civic and symbolic space. Originally in the L’Enfant plan for the city, the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit of the NPS protects iconic monuments and memorials and over 1,000 acres of greenspace.

Constitution Gardens➤

From the Lincoln Memorial, we continued our walk through the National Mall to Constitution Gardens. The weather was perfect—sunny, calm, and much better than my last visit, when a sudden storm cut things short. This time, we had time to explore and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

Constitution Gardens has an interesting history. The area was once underwater until the Army Corps of Engineers dredged it in the early 20th century. During World War I, the U.S. Navy built temporary office buildings here. In 1970, President Richard Nixon called for their removal and proposed turning the area into a park. Six years later, Constitution Gardens opened as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration, honoring the ideals of the American Revolution.

The 50-acre park features a quiet lake oriented east to west. A wooden bridge connects the shore to a small island dedicated to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Each signer is remembered with a granite block engraved with his name, hometown, occupation, and a facsimile of his signature. We walked across the bridge and took our time reading the names, imagining the men who had risked everything to establish a new nation. The shady paths, flowering trees, and calm water made Constitution Gardens a relaxing spot to pause before continuing on to the Washington Monument.

2024 DC Trip Posts➤

Location: Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Designation: National Park Service Unit
Date designated/established: 1982
Date of my visit: October 24, 2024

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