Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens

Kenilworth preserves a one-of-a-kind garden on the Anacostia River in Washington, DC: ponds of rare water lilies and lotuses first planted by a Civil War veteran in the 1880s, beside Kenilworth Marsh, the city's largest remaining tidal marsh. The gardens burst into bloom each July.

Walk the marsh boardwalk, spot turtles and herons, and count lotus blossoms. For a challenge, birders and photographers can work the marsh at dawn, when the park's celebrated birdlife is most active.