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The National Mall and Capitol Hill
 The National Mall in Washington DC is the ultimate destination to see United States monuments. It's a great place to not only see the exotic and various sites that make up the mall, but also to absorb and experience the cultures of visiting foreigners who like to visit the mall to view our memorials. Even school children know that the mall is host to monuments such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. However, there are many other memorials that are just as equally fascinating that remain unknown in mainstream American history.
First of all, what is the mall? The National Mall is a long corridor of buildings and land stretching from the start of the United States Capitol, also known as Capitol Hill, to the alabaster steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It is quite a feat to manage to walk from one end to the other and would take a group quite a while to travel across. Still, it is great for Washington DC student travel. Personally, it took a friend and I about a twenty five minutes to walk from one end to the other--and that was without stopping, which I admit was hard to do considering the many destinations you pass on the way.
 The Korean War monument has been significantly overshadowed by the older, larger monuments. This monument is near the central area of the National Mall. It is slightly hidden behind a flurry of trees and bushes, but signs at the mall and various food vendors will gladly aid you in finding it. The memorial has a small reflecting pool, which reflects the images of metal casts of American soldiers stomping through the terrain of Korea in the 1950s. The soldiers look extremely lifelike, which is apparent in the expressions they show on their faces. This is another memorial any travel group will want to visit and is great for educational tours.
I felt that one of the monuments that people never speak about, when they talk about trips to Washington DC, is the World War II memorial. To me, this memorial moved me, emotionally, the most. It is a beautiful testament and monument to the American lives given to end World War II, one of the most devastating conflicts our world has experienced. The monument is in between the Lincoln and Washington Monuments, at the foot of the reflection pool. There is a massive water fountain in the center, beautifully sculpted, with two smaller pools rushing around it forming a semi-circle. There are 50 columns that border this magnificent fountain, each representing a State that contributed soldiers to the war effort. This is definitely a monument any student travel group will want to take notice of and tell their families about.
 By Christopher Graham 
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