Crapo Favorites

Arlington Cemetery
(703) 607-8000
8am-7pm April 1-September 30

8am-5pm October 1-March 31
No tickets needed, although tour bus services operate throughout the day.  Tickets are required for the tour bus.

The somber sight of hundreds and hundreds of white crosses lined up across a green lawn is a striking visual and brings into sharper focus the debt of gratitude owed to our nation's military heroes. It’s no surprise that it’s called “our nation’s most hallowed ground.”  Final resting place of President John Kennedy and thousands of American servicemen and women. The Changing of the Guard occurs on the hour each hour October through March, then occurs every half-hour April through September; one of my staff members describes The Changing of the Guard as "awesome."  Tour bus services operate throughout the day; tickets can be purchased for the bus at the cemetery.

The site of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865 has been open to the public since 1968.  The building itself has a colorful history, having started as a Baptist church.  After Lincoln’s assassination, the theatre was closed, but served intermittently as a museum, office space and storage facility.  A restoration effort started in 1954 brought the theatre back, and theatrical events still performed on its stage.  At the museum located in the theatre, you will find artifacts related to the assassination, including the gun and knife used by John Wilkes Booth in the attack.

The museum on the lower level of the Theatre contains artifacts and evidence from the assassination of President Lincoln. It is remarkable to stand just outside the glass and view the door John Wilkes Booth jammed before killing Lincoln.

The Petersen House, where the mortally-wounded Lincoln was taken after the attack and later died, is located directly across the street from the Theatre.

Home of the Congressional Archives, the Library of Congress consists of three buildings: the Adams, the Thomas Jefferson and the James Madison. The Jefferson Building is the most ornate of the buildings; public and congressional tours are conducted daily. The other buildings are open to the public and researchers

The lobby of the first floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress is ornate and remarkable. The Great Hall is constructed of white Italian marble with a stucco ceiling accented with 23 karat gold leaf. A tour of this building won't leave you disappointed!

Home and final resting place of America's 1st President, George Washington. During the time that Washington lived here (more than 45 years), Mount Vernon was an 8,000-acre plantation, which was divided into five farms; each was a complete unit. The farm where Washington and his family lived was called the "Mansion House Farm," and is the part of the plantation that we refer to today as "Mount Vernon." Washington inherited the property from his older half-brother, who named the property in honor of his commanding officer, Admiral Edward Vernon of the British navy.

The home of George Washington is wonderfully preserved and gives a "slice of life" view of what life was like for the upper class in colonial America. It also depicts the framework from which one of our Founders emerged, how he approached the defining issues of the day.

One of the most recent additions to the Smithsonian museum system, this is a companion facility to the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. With the space provided in the Boeing Aviation Hanger in Chantilly, Virginia, thousands of aviation and space artifacts that could not be exhibited in the D.C. building are on display. It features three levels with aircraft hanging from an arched ceiling.  Exhibits include the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the Boeing Dash 80, the Enola Gay, the Mobile Quarantine Unit used by the Apollo 11 crew, the Gemini VII space capsule and other aircraft. The space shuttle Enterprise is the centerpiece of the museum.

One of the nation's premier art galleries with two halls--one devoted to classic painters, and the other with more modern works.  The collection began in 1937 with a gift collection from financier Andrew W. Mellon.  That collection formed the nucleus of one of the world’s most outstanding galleries.  In the West Building, you can find works from European masters like van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet and Rembrandt along with the only da Vinci on public display in the U.S.  The East Building focuses more on modern and contemporary works.

In the West Building, paintings from van Gogh, Cezanne and Degas are within arm's reach (but don't do it).

A favorite of several staff members, it is full of history and gives visitors a greater appreciation for our country's founding.

I am happy to provide Idahoans who come to our nation's Capitol with a tour of the building. Staff members are available by reservation for tours starting at 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. The last tour begins at 2:30 p.m. Please make arrangements at least seven days in advance of your visit.

The U.S. Capitol Guide Service also offers tours. You must pick up free timed tickets (one per person present) at a kiosk located in the southwest corner of the Capitol Grounds, at 1st and Independence, SW, across from the U.S. Botanic Gardens. Tickets are handed out daily and cannot be reserved. Tours operate Monday through Saturday.