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Ford's Theatre has a built-in drama all its own. This is where John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln, and that unsettling episode still resonates in the structure today. Take a tour that retraces the incident, and you can also get a look at some of the interesting backstage areas. And if you are visiting for a performance, the excellent acoustics and inviting seating arrangement will ensure that whether you are watching a play or a musical production, the entertainment takes on a deeper significance when you consider that you are sitting within some truly historic walls.

One of the city's most stunning attractions is the Washington National Cathedral that began construction in 1907 and was not completed until 1990. Theodore Roosevelt was just one of the Presidents who oversaw the cathedral's construction, and every US President has attended services there. The structure is approximately one-tenth of a mile long and it contains more than 200 stained-glass windows that create a mesmerizing effect when the sun shines through. The observation gallery within the cathedral offers still more unbelievable vantage points, and there are regular tours that explain the architecture, history and the church's mission in further detail.

Touted as America's First Museum of American Art, the Phillips Collection is a museum that not only presents an impressive collection of exhibits that feature impressionist, post-impressionist and contemporary American art, it also boasts a rather intimate charm. That mood is perfect for a romantic afternoon date with that special someone. Stroll through the galleries and discuss your impressions of these works and see where the conversation (and the afternoon) goes from there.