Thomas Jefferson Memorial

A domed neoclassical rotunda on the south shore of the Tidal Basin, dedicated in 1943 on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth. Inside stands a 5.8 m bronze of the third president, surrounded by excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and his other writings. Modelled on the Pantheon in Rome and on Jefferson's own Rotunda at the University of Virginia, it sits on the axis south of the White House and is the memorial you see across the water from the Washington Monument. Open 24 hours, free. Best in the early morning or at dusk, when the dome is reflected in the basin. During cherry blossom season in late March and early April this is the most photographed spot in the city.