ASTA Tour Plans are underway!
As DC continues to reopen leading up to our June dates, ASTA has added two group tours:

• Tour to Mount Vernon, home of America's first president, George Washington (Sun., June 20, 1:30 - 6:00 p.m., $80)
  • NOTE! A stop in Old Town Alexandria will be offered on the way back for anyone choosing to depart the bus and shop/dine there for the evening. Old Town Alexandria also offers Colonial Tours, including the popular Ghost Tour!
• "Monuments by Moonlight" guided tour of DC Landmarks (Tues., June 22, 8:30 - 11:00 p.m., $65)

To add either of these two tours to your registration, click to View or modify an existing registration to login to your registration and click "Modify your registration" to add those tour sessions in. If you need assistance, contact jcrouse@betterseed.org to add the tours.

In addition, ASTA First Lady Shannon Latham invites spouses to convene with her on June 21 and 22 for optional nearby DC activities and attractions, which ASTA is continuing to monitor for re-opening/operating status. Stay tuned to this page for more updates as the conference dates get closer!

Walkable options:
New! Eisenhower Memorial
Recently opened in September 2020 and designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the memorial encapsulates Eisenhower's legacy in a four-acre urban park at the base of Capitol Hill. Gehry's unique vision is a grand new civic space in the heart of the nation's capital. The memorial features a one-of-a-kind stainless steel tapestry depicting beaches of D-Day, heroic-sized bronze sculptures, and stone bas reliefs.

NEW! Planet Word Museum
Planet Word will inspire and renew a love of words, language, and reading in people of all ages. Through unique, immersive learning experiences, we provide a space to explore words and language that is grounded in a solid understanding of language arts and science.

DC Trolley Tours: Socially-Distanced Options
Options include anything from Arlington National Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial, US Botanic Gardens, Spy Museum and much more. 

DC History Center
Open for timed-entry tickets as of May 1.

Madame Tussaud's
Currently closed - but stay tuned! Stand next to your favorite celebrity or historical figure...in a manner of speaking.

National Portrait Gallery
Open for timed-entry tickets as of May 14.

National Gallery of Art
Will open for timed-entry tickets as of May 14 (West Building only).

National Building Museum 
Open on Fridays and Saturdays only for limited hours as of April 21.

Ford's Theatre
Currently open to virtual tours only; but check back for further updates.

Other DC area options:
Some Smithsonian Museums are planning to re-open in late April/mid-May, including: 

Opening May 5:  National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Opening May 14 with Passes Available May 1: National Museum of African American History and Culture National Portrait Gallery Smithsonian American Art Museum Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum  Opening May 21 with Passes Available May 14:   National Museum of American History National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian’s National Zoo

The rest of the Smithsonian museums, including the popular Air and Space and Natural History museums, will open later in the year.

Also reopening to the public this May is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The museum will open on May 17, but tickets will be available starting May 1. Timed entry will be required even though admission is free.
 

Arlington National Cemetery, the country’s most revered burial ground and one of the capital’s most poignant sights, is now open to the public on a limited basis. Visitors may now watch the Changing of the Guard and pay their respects to the Unknowns at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. Click here to learn more.

 

Georgetown shopping district - Cafe Milano is now open for dining!
   Walking tour link for Georgetown if desired!

Hillwood Museum, home of Marjorie Merriweather Post