Night is the perfect time to see the capital, when white marble monuments and silvery pools glow in the floodlights. See the geometric memorials of the Mall—the imposing rectangular Lincoln Memorial, and the line of the Washington Monument bisecting the sky—as well as the innovative and moving monuments to the veterans of the Vietnam and Korean Wars.

Created on the former estate of the family of Robert E. Lee’s wife Mary Anna Custis Lee (herself a descendant of Martha Washington), the Arlington National Cemetery contains the remains of more than 245,000 persons, mainly comprised of veterans and military casualties from every military incursion—from the American Revolution to the Iraq War. At the cemetery, make sure to visit the Tomb of Unknowns. Comprised of Yule marble quarried in Colorado, the tomb weighs more than 75 tons. And see the eternal flame that marks the grave of President John F. Kennedy.

Go on a guided tour of the building where the men and women who have been chosen to represent the citizens of the United States convene to discuss and decide on important legislature.

Walk the halls where some of the most influential Americans have walked and see the courtrooms where some of the most defining decisions in American history have been made.

Choose between visiting the Air & Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the American Indian Museum or the American Art Museum. In a tomb in the Smithsonian Castle lie the remains of John Smithson, an Englishman who left his fortune to the U.S. government in 1829 for the establishment of a museum in his name. (The government was a bit at a loss, given that Smithson had never visited the U.S., had no connections to the U.S., and never told anyone why he was leaving his money to the U.S.) Since then, the Smithsonian Institution has grown into 16 museums, covering everything from art to zoology. See the giant squid and the insect zoo in the National Museum of Natural History, check out the Wright Brothers’ plane in the National Air and Space Museum, or venture with your Tour Director into the further reaches of this world-class institution.

On May 25, 1926, Congress passed the Public Buildings act authorizing a massive public buildings construction project, part of which was to provide office space for the growing Federal agencies in the nation's capital. This program led to the design and construction of buildings within the Federal Triangle area of downtown Washington DC, a then run-down area along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. In 1937 the National Archives Building was complete. It has 72 Corinthian columns that are each 53 feet high, 5 feet 8 inches in diameter, and weigh 95 tons. Three inscriptions encircle the building. The west side reads: The glory and romance of our history are here preserved in the chronicles of those who conceived and builded [sic] the structure of our nation. The east side reads:This building holds in trust the records of our national life and symbolizes our faith in the permanency of our national institutions. The south side reads:The ties that bind the lives of our people in one indissoluble union are perpetuated in the archives of our government and to their custody this building is dedicated.

George Washington so liked his estate at Mount Vernon that he placed the capital nearby so he didn’t have to move when elected president. Tour his gardens and mansion, where George and Martha lived from 1761 until his death in 1799. Don’t look for any cherry tree stumps in the garden, though—Washington never actually chopped down the tree as a lad. (We hate to ruin the story, but we cannot tell a lie!)

The names of its residents alone would be enough to draw anyone to Philadelphia: Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman. Explore "America's most historic square mile" with a local licensed guide and see where the founding myths of America were created. Independence Hall saw the signing of both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which was read in public for the first time after the ringing of the Liberty Bell on July 8, 1776. The Bell itself now rests in its own pavilion, where it is rung every Independence Day.

See the bell that symbolizes one of the founding principles of the United States. The Liberty Bell was last rung on George Washington’s birthday in 1846 before its now-famous crack turned it into a silent reminder of what the United States stands for. Visit the center where the bell is housed; see video presentations and exhibits focusing on its origins, history and modern day role in the US.

The Empire State Building rises over the Manhattan skyline like a throne. Admire its Art Deco curves up close as you ascend a quarter of a mile skyward to get New York's best aerial view. From the top, you'll see the Monopoly-board patchwork of skyscrapers, hotels, apartments, and parks that make up the city. Note that the tallest buildings cluster in Midtown—this section of the island has the strongest foundations, making it the only area where skyscrapers won't sink into the harbor.

The statue, a joint venture between the U.S. and France, was commissioned to honor the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the friendly Franco-American relations established at that time. Once a gallows field for convicted pirates, Ellis Island became a federal immigration station in 1892. In the years that followed, Ellis Island saw roughly 12 million immigrants pass through its halls to enter the United States of America. In 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson declared the island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, and in 1990 it was reopened as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which today attracts over 2 million visitors per year. Over 40% of American citizens can trace their family heritage to Ellis Island!

Tour Lower Manhattan, where industry, immigration, and colonial history converge. As the symbol of Western capitalism, Wall Street's modern traders bristle with cell phones, PDAs, and other modern tech accessories. This area's original traders, however, were Dutch colonialists, who gave the street its name by building a wall here to protect themselves from British settlers. Nearby Trinity Church, once the tallest building in the city, holds the grave of Alexander Hamilton and other Revolutionary luminaries who helped shape the emerging United States, and thousands of immigrants, who shaped the modern country, came in through Battery Park, the immigration entry point for the city until the operation moved to Ellis Island.

Take a walking tour of the most famous park in the United States. With over 800 verdant acres located smack-dab in the middle of bustling Manhattan, Central Park has been a bucolic oasis amidst the towering buildings of urban New York. Your local guide will lead you through the park, as you make your way past bikers, rollerbladers, and the occasional horse-and-buggy! And don't forget to watch out for one of Central Park's most famous year-round residents, Pale Male, the red-tailed hawk that calls Central Park his home.

The Metropolitan Museum, known to New Yorkers as the MET, houses a vast permanent collection of over two-million works of art, as well as cutting-edge feature exhibitions from the world’s most prominent artists. Tour the museum’s grand halls, drawing inspiration from the masters. Highlights include European Paintings, Modern Art & Photography, and The Costume Institute, as well as the stunning traditional works of Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.

Take a walking tour through the humming streets of New York’s Midtown which is the home of famous sights such as Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden and some of the city’s most revered museums and institutions.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on behind the razzle-dazzle of one of the world’s most famous entertainment venues. A historic theater that was declared a city landmark in the 1970’s, the Radio City Music Hall has also been the venue for the MTV Video Music Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards and the Daytime Emmy Award shows.