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America's capital city offers lots of free activities year-round, but when summer heats up and the hotel rates plummet, it's an especially desirable destination for this cheapskate columnist.

There is so much to do and see in Washington, DC: national treasures, historic monuments, world-famous museums, stunning gardens. And most of them can be experienced for free! Whatever your family’s plans and itinerary, bring comfortable walking shoes for everyone, a camera, and many curious minds. Everyone, of any age, is guaranteed to leave the city with stars in their eyes.

Here is my pick of the 50 best Washington experiences that will not cost you a dime.

25 Things to do in the First 4 Days

1. Enjoy daily performances at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage at 6pm
 
2. Be amazed by the 45-carat Hope Diamond displayed in the National History Museum

3. See the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner”: it’s on display in the National Museum of American History

4. See the original Declaration of Independence at the National Archives

5. Tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing: yes, they do print dollars here

6. Take a tour of the world’s largest library, the Library of Congress

7. Visit Ford’s Theater, site of Lincoln’s assassination

8. Enjoy lunchtime concerts on Freedom Plaza

9. Bring out the kid in you and the kids at the National Zoo

10. Attend mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

11. Tour the US Capitol: an enduring monument to all the freedoms and ideals that Americans hold dear

12. Visit the National Air & Space Museum, lauded as the world’s most visited museum

13. Pay a visit to your congressperson on Capitol Hill

14. Stroll the National Mall: this big rectangle is an oasis in the middle of a bustling city

15. Have a picnic in the Constitution Park

16. Take the production tour at The Washington Post newspaper

17. See Van Gogh’s masterpieces at the National Gallery of Art

18. Visit the National Museum of Health and Medicine

19. Research your family genealogy at the National Archives

20. Enjoy the beauty of water plants and flowers at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

21. Be moved by the memorials: Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and Washington Monument are within a short walk of each other

22. Watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

23. Visit Arlington Cemetery, the resting place of war veterans

24. Visit the grave of John F. Kennedy, marked by the eternal flame and flanked with concrete walls bearing quotes from JFK speeches

25. Visit the Castle that houses the crypt of James Smithson, founder of the Smithsonian