You only have to turn on the television to see proof of popular culture’s fascination with law and order. From law enforcement and criminal investigation to espionage and the justice system, this theme pervades television and film. On this tour, you’ll visit Washington DC and explore attractions that showcase these admirable professions. It’s an exciting theme in an exciting city, well-known for its role in the world of law and order.
**Day One**
National Museum of Crime and Punishment
Visitors from every age group will love this museum. The smooth layout guides you easily from one exhibit to the next, featuring infamous criminals and the tools of crime scene investigation as well. Hands-on trivia pieces about safety for younger visitors will be a favorite for parents. Artifacts like the vehicle driven by Bonnie and Clyde are an exciting part of this popular museum as well.
Newseum
Named thus because it is dedicated to the news and those who bring it to us, the Newseum is one of DC’s most fascinating museums. Its exhibits, videos, artifacts, and newspapers showcase journalism through history and feature the journalists who bring us these headlines, sometimes risking their lives to do so. Exhibits on the 9/11 tragedy, front pages from around the world, and news comedy are some of the favorites. The chance to be a journalist is a popular interactive exhibit.
National Law Enforcement Museum
These exhibits showcase the role of law enforcement, including the tools of the trade and a rich history of officers willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their profession, from the 1600s to today.
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
This complement to the Law Enforcement Museum pays tribute to those who gave their life in the line of duty.
**Day Two**
International Spy Museum
Espionage is possibly the most fascinating of the law enforcement roles. This museum shows its visitors how espionage has been around for centuries. It also features high-tech tools of the trade and innovation. Hands-on activities are a favorite here.
National Cryptologic Museum
Learn more about code-making and, more to the point, code-breaking as you learn in this museum the pivotal role of cryptology in national defense and law enforcement.
National Vigilance Park
Those who cross national borders to covertly obtain information that could prevent terrorism and acts of war have rarely acted without controversy. The National Vigilance Park seeks to shed light on the profession, its place in history and in current events, as well as those who’ve given their lives to protect us in this way.
**Day Three**
Pentagon
This tour was built as a temporary attraction for the country’s bicentennial. It remains today because of its immediate popularity. You’ll walk over one mile of these intricate halls that house our National Department of Defense. The 9/11 Memorial is a beautiful part of this tour as well as other exhibits.
FBI J. Edgar Hoover Building (Drive-by)
Watergate Complex (Drive-by)
View some of the most famous Washington DC buildings as you remember some of the memorable American history that took place there.
Supreme Court
This magnificent government structure showcases the same architecture prevalent throughout DC that embodies the Age of Enlightenment. Groups love the building, its exhibits, and the court proceedings they can view (or lectures on alternate days).
**Day Four**
DEA Museum
View the state-of-the-art features that help the Drug Enforcement Administration carry out its role in American law and order. See how the department has progressed with changing times.
Ford’s Theater and Petersen House
Walk in the footsteps of one of America’s greatest crimes, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Ford’s Theater looks just as it did that fateful night. And in the Petersen House you’ll view the room where President Lincoln died and the room where Mrs. Lincoln kept her vigil through the night.
Surratt House Museum
This museum captures American life in the 19th century and is especially focused on the Lincoln assassination as one of its conspirators once lived in the home.
Together these attractions make an exciting DC experience featuring the law and order theme. Include that detail in the form below if this is a sample itinerary you’d like customized for you.
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