United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

You need to be in the right frame of mind to visit this sobering museum, focused on the atrocities of the Holocaust during World War II. Upon entering the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, you'll be given an identification card with the name and personal information of an actual person who experienced the Holocaust; as you move through the exhibits — Hitler's rise to power, anti-Semitic propaganda, the horrors of the Final Solution — you'll be given updates on your person's well-being.

Many travelers find the museum to be powerful and deeply moving, but others also say this was tempered by the large groups of distracting school-age children. Open daily, you can find this museum to the south of the National Mall and off the Smithsonian metro stop. Although the Holocaust Museum is free, you will need to book your visit time in advance since it's most always packed.