The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. Located in Triangle, Virginia near MCB Quantico, the museum opened on November 10, 2006, and is now the top tourist attraction in the state, drawing over 500,000 people annually. The museum replaces both the Marine Corps Historical Center in the Washington Navy Yard, which closed on July 1, 2005, and the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum in Quantico, Virginia, which closed on November 15, 2002. A public-private venture, the museum is a cooperative effort between the United States Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. The Foundation manages the museum operation, while the museum building will be donated to the Marine Corps. Designed by Curtis W. Fentress of Fentress Architects, the museum's exterior is meant to "evoke the image of the flag raisers of Iwo Jima," an image that is also preserved by the Marine Corps War Memorial. The museum is 100,000-square-foot, and is open to the public with free admission.

NASA captures your attention like no other organization. It offers unparalleled experiences, a key to knowledge, and a window to the future. Activities, exhibits and events at NASA Goddard's Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Md., provide inspiring and captivating educational experiences for all ages. The visitor center demonstrates Goddard's innovative and exciting work in Earth science, astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, engineering, communication and technology development. Browse the unique, informative exhibits and learn about climate change, climb inside a Gemini capsule model, encourage a child to dream as he or she pulls on our kid-sized space suit, or participate in one of the monthly model rocket launches. Only 30 minutes from Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, don’t miss this opportunity to explore the universe in your own backyard.

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial since 1990 is officially designated by the United States Congress as the National Memorial to career and volunteer fallen firefighters. Located in Emmitsburg, Maryland, it was conceived as a tribute to American fire service. The memorial was constructed in 1981 on the campus of the National Fire Academy. Plaques listing the names of firefighters encircle the plaza from the same year. When a firefighter dies on duty, local fire officials notify the United States Fire Administration and a notice is immediately posted on the Memorial grounds. The flags over the Memorial are flown at half-staff in honor of the fallen firefighter. If some criteria are met, the fallen firefighter is honored at the annual memorial service. The Memorial is open to the public throughout the year. On October 16, 2001, President George W. Bush approved legislation requiring the United States flag to be lowered to half-staff on all Federal buildings to memorialize fallen firefighters. Public Law 107-51 requires this action to occur annually in conjunction with observance of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. The date of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is traditionally the first Sunday in October. The service is held at the…

The National Fire Academy (NFA) is one of two schools in the United States operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Operated and governed by the United States Fire Administration (USFA) as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the NFA is the country’s pre-eminent federal fire training and education institution. The original purpose of the NFA as detailed in a 1973 report to Congress was to “function as the core of the Nation’s efforts in fire service education—feeding out model programs, curricula, and information…” The NFA shares its 107-acre Emmitsburg campus with the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) operated by the Directorate of Preparedness branch of FEMA. The campus also includes the Learning Resource Center (LRC) library, the National Fire Data Center, and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The campus was the original site of Saint Joseph’s Academy, a Catholic school for girls from 1809 until 1973. It was purchased by the U.S. Government in 1979 for use as the NETC. In 2008, the National Fire Academy trained over 122,000 first responders from all 50 States.

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are a national art museum in Washington, D.C. Andrew W. Mellon donated a substantial art collection and funds for construction of the museum. The core collection also includes major works of art donated by Paul Mellon, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Lessing J. Rosenwald, Samuel Henry Kress, Rush Harrison Kress, Peter Arrell Brown Widener, Joseph E. Widener, and Chester Dale. The Gallery's collection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, medals, and decorative arts traces the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present, including the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas and the largest mobile ever created by Alexander Calder. The Gallery's campus includes the original neoclassical West Building designed by John Russell Pope, which is linked underground to the modern East Building, designed by I. M. Pei, and the 6.1-acre Sculpture Garden. The Gallery often presents temporary special exhibitions spanning the world and the history of art.