Mary McLeod Bethune served as President Franklin Roosevelt’s special advisor on minority affairs and eventually became the first African American woman to head a federal office. Her Vermont Ave home, where she lived for seven years, was the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women, which Bethune established in 1935. Tours cover Bethune’s life, and exhibits, lectures and workshops on black history are held here as well.

In March 2018, Florida legislators voted to place a statue of Bethune in National Statuary Hall, making Bethune the first African American to be honored in this way.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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1. Metropolitan AME Church

0.28 MILES

Built and paid for in 1886 by former slaves, the Metropolitan AME Church occupies an imposing redbrick Gothic structure and is one of the city’s most…

2. Long View Gallery

0.38 MILES

Longview specializes in contemporary art by emerging and midcareer artists, including many from the region. The room, with its peeling paint and exposed…

3. Charles Sumner School & Archives

0.43 MILES

The stately, dignified Sumner building is a great example of solidly beautiful, redbrick, 19th-century, urban design, but it is an even better testament…

4. National Geographic Museum

0.44 MILES

The museum at National Geographic Society headquarters can’t compete with the Smithsonian’s more extensive offerings, but it can be worth a stop,…

5. McPherson Square

0.46 MILES

Named for Civil War general James B McPherson, who once commanded the Army of Tennessee, this square sports an 1876 statue of McPherson on his horse…

6. K Street

0.49 MILES

The descriptors ‘K St’ and ‘lobbyist’ have practically become synonymous since the 1990s. This is where high-powered lawyers, consultants and, of course,…

8. Scottish Rite Temple

0.5 MILES

The regional headquarters of the Scottish Rite Freemasons, also known as the House of the Temple, is one of the most eye-catching buildings in the…