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The subject of this article is located on these scenic highways.
I won’t even pretend to hide my bias. The Franklin Delano National Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. is my favorite memorial in the entire city. I will never forget the utter speechlessness as I walked through the gorgeous outdoor memorial on the National Mall. Informative and inspiring, this memorial to a past president is quite simply amazing.
The first time I visited Washington, D.C. in 2013 I was completely overwhelmed. From my very nice room at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill I would walk along the National Mall exploring the Smithsonian Museums, monuments, and memorials. I downloaded the map from the National Park Service’s National Mall and Memorial Parks website so at least I knew where I was going.
I eventually ended up at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and then I returned every day for the rest of my trip.
The official National Park Service app is an all-in-one tool for planning a national park adventure and finding your way around the park. The app has information about every national park site across the country, essentially putting all the online information at your fingertips.
The free app features interactive maps, self-guided tours, amenities like restrooms, and lists of things to do. The powerful app has an offline mode – with a single tap, you can save the park for offline use to access all the information later. You’ll also have access to important information like alerts, contacts, fees, and operating hours.
How to use this map: Click the icon in the top-left corner to open the Map Legend, then click on any of the legend items to display more information. If you have a Google account, click the star beside the map’s name to save this map to your account, then access the map from your smartphone during your trip.
Learn about the annual celebration of the National Park System and read my travel guides to national park units across the country.
Parking is not easy to find in the District of Columbia. That was the first lesson I learned when I started visiting the capital city. I opted to park my vehicle in the long term lot at Union Station and use the Metro to get around.
The Smithsonian Metro Station is the closest to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Memorial, by the way.
But if you are intent on driving, there are some options.
Street parking is available along Ohio Drive SW and West Basin Drive SW. Visitors must pay for parking and are limited to two hours.
Ohio Drive is a two-lane road along the Potomac River between the Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial. Paid parking is available along both sides of the road.
West Basin Drive is a one-lane road between Ohio Drive SW and Independence Avenue SW. A limited number of paid parking spots are available at the beginning of the road near the Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Memorial.
The most fascinating thing about the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is that it’s a chronological display of Roosevelt’s presidency. Of course, that means you need to start at the beginning. The first time I visited I started at the end and walked backwards. Travel tip: don’t be like me.
The “beginning” of this open-air memorial is located near West Basin Drive SW, just around the corner from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The beginning of the memorial is where the rather nice visitor center is located, offering a welcome respite from the hot and humid summers and bitter cold winters. There are public restrooms located inside along with a gift shop and the cancellation stamp for the National Parks Passport.
At the “end” of the memorial are more public restrooms beside the Japanese Pagoda. Along the way through the memorial are a few paths leading to the Tidal Basin and you are under no obligation to travel in any particular direction. But for the best experience, start at the beginning.
The FDR Memorial starts off with a bang. A bronze statue of FDR in his wheelchair, surrounded by nothing but empty space and the backdrop of a dark stone wall, it just might be the first time people realize Roosevelt couldn’t walk. In 1921 he became seriously ill while on family vacation. He was incorrectly diagnosed with polio and the illness left him paralyzed from the waist down the rest of his life.
Quotations from Roosevelt are etched into the stone walls. Bronze statues depicting moments in time from his presidency are scattered throughout. The rumble of waterfalls and fountains echo through the chambers. It was the one memorial in all of D.C. where I sat on a bench just to enjoy the ambiance.
As with everything in Washington D.C. I recommend getting there on foot or by using public transportation. There are some pretty easy options. However, if you simply must drive there is parking nearby. Here are a few ways you can get to the FDR Memorial.
If you drive, you can park along Ohio Drive SW between the John Ericsson Memorial and Ohio Drive Bridge. It’s actually a rather beautiful place to park right alongside the Potomac River. Depending on where you park along the street it could take anywhere from 5-15 minutes to walk to the “beginning” of the FDR Memorial.
My favorite way to get to the FDR Memorial is the DC Circulator. The Circulator’s Red Line bus loops around the National Mall between Union Station and the Lincoln Memorial, including a stop halfway between the FDR Memorial and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. My top recommendation for visiting the FDR Memorial is to drive, walk, or start at Union Station, buy a day pass for the DC Circulator, and ride through the city to the FDR Memorial.
The closest Metro station is the Smithsonian Station. It’s a good walk from there to the FDR Memorial, but also one of my favorite walks. You can walk either way around the Tidal Basin; one direction leads the Thomas Jefferson Memorial while the other to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
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One Response
This too is one of my fav monuments. Absolutely amazing.