My experience
The Lincoln Memorial sits opposite the Capitol. It is like Lincoln is watching over the business of America.
I think it is one of the more iconic spots in Washington, DC, and certainly the busiest. Have patience for the lines and the activity — and know that this is also a common place for protest.
For many years, driving around the Lincoln Memorial was part of my daily commute. No matter how many times I go by it, I am still struck by its size and its meaning.
You can reach it from many parts of the Mall, and I would say it is a must visit. Take a walk up the steps, read the inscriptions, and witness the massive statue of the former president.
What you are standing in
That feeling of him watching over the business of America is not an accident. The memorial sits on the axis that runs from the Capitol, past the Washington Monument, to him. The city was laid out so he would be looking down it.
There are 36 columns around the outside, one for each state in the Union when Lincoln died.
The statue inside is 19 feet from head to foot, sculpted by Daniel Chester French and carved in marble by the Piccirilli brothers, inside a building designed by Henry Bacon. It was dedicated in 1922.
The inscriptions on the walls either side of him are the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural.
Why people protest here
Because it keeps working.
In 1939 the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let Marian Anderson sing in their hall. Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for her to sing on these steps instead, on Easter Sunday, to 75,000 people and a national radio audience.
In 1963 a quarter of a million people filled the ground in front of it, and Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech with Lincoln behind him. The spot where he stood is engraved into the landing, eighteen steps below the statue — it was cut into the stone in 2003, forty years after.
So when you arrive and find a crowd with signs, you have not caught the memorial on an unusual day. You have caught it doing the thing it has done for most of a century.
What I’d tell a friend
Look for the marker on the steps. Most people walk straight over it. Stand on it and turn around — you are seeing what he saw.
Read both walls. The Gettysburg Address gets the attention; the second inaugural is the harder, better one.
Go early or late. It is open around the clock, and the difference between this place at eight in the morning and at noon is enormous.
Bring the dog. Leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds and the steps, as at the other memorials on the Mall.
Elsewhere on the site
I have written about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, which sits on its own sight line back to these steps, and about what has been proposed for this site.
Plan your visit
Entry: Free. No fee, no ticket.
Hours: Open 24 hours a day. Rangers are on duty during the day.
Where: The west end of the National Mall, at the far side of the Reflecting Pool from the Washington Monument. Walkable from the FDR and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorials around the Tidal Basin.
Parking: Limited metered street parking on Ohio Drive SW and around the Tidal Basin. It is the busiest memorial on the Mall — coming in on foot or by Metro is usually easier than finding a space.
Crowds: This is the busiest of them. Early morning and late evening are a different experience from the middle of the day.
What to pack & wear
Pay attention to the weather. Washington, DC is hot and humid in the summer, crisp in the fall and cool in the winter, and you are outside the whole time.
Comfortable shoes — there are a lot of steps here, and if you are walking the monuments you will cover more ground than you expect. Take water; there are places to refill a bottle along the way.
Pets
Leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds and the steps, and the National Park Service lists the Mall memorials as pet friendly. They cannot go inside the chamber where the statue is, so if you are on your own with a dog you will be admiring that part from the top step.
Six-foot leash, and clean up after them.
Hours, parking and pet rules change. Check with the park before you go — details here were verified in September 2026.