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Can tourists go to the top of the Washington Monument?

Touring the Washington Monument The nonstop elevator ascent to the top floor 500 feet above the ground takes approximately 70 seconds. Once at the observation deck, you are free to explore at your leisure. The 500' foot observation deck has windows on all four sides.



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This tour is an elevator ride to the top. It is worth it and you will probably never get a nother chance. So make a reservation and go. There is a very limited number of people allowed up the monument each day.

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Tickets are required to enter the Washington Monument. Reserve tickets online or get free, same-day tickets at the Washington Monument Lodge on 15th Street near the Washington Monument. Supplies are limited and advance reservations are strongly recommended.

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There are no scalpers generally, as Recreation.gov blocks them (you can also tell because no one sells tickets secondhand), it's just that supply is very very limited, this is an area with millions of tourists and residents and only a hundred or so tickets released per day. Beyond that, it's just luck.

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You MUST get in line by 8 am latest for the walk-in tickets On weekends and holidays, all the passes for the day are given out within the first hour. People line up from as soon as 6 am on some days to get the earliest tickets available. For weekdays, you can arrive a little later.

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Touring the Washington Monument The nonstop elevator ascent to the top floor 500 feet above the ground takes approximately 70 seconds.

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Public Self-Guided Tours The first, and most frequent way, is on a walk-through tour. These self-guided public tours are scheduled Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 12 noon. Visitors move from room to room at their own pace; once inside the White House, most take about 15 to 20 minutes.

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The Monument is an engineering marvel. The Washington Post recently pointed out an interesting fact in an on-going debate about the Monument as the world's tallest free-standing masonry structure. The Monument's marble blocks are held together by just gravity and friction, and no mortar was used in the process.

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Built in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk, evoking the timelessness of ancient civilizations, the Washington Monument embodies the awe, respect, and gratitude the nation felt for its most essential Founding Father. When completed, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world at 555 feet, 5-1/8 inches.

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5 Things You Might Not Know About the Washington Monument
  • Plans for the monument began even before Washington was elected president. ...
  • The original design for the monument was much different than what ended up being built. ...
  • The monument was once the site of a hostage situation. ...
  • The monument has survived an earthquake.


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