US Navy Memorial Plaza in Bethesda

Peaceful spot to spend a moment

We went into the navy memorial and it had so much interesting information and pictures displayed even suits and medals very informative.

Impressive United States Navy Monument

Some amazing bronze depictions of naval history

The bronze figurines / plaques surrounding the plaza are very nicely made depicting various aspects of Navy including peace time activitiesDefinitely worth spending time looking at these.Children would love to see these andGreat stories can be narrated to them

Visited the US Navy Memorial Plaza and Museum. I was at the museum for a special event in the museums theater. The event began with food and drink in the halls of the museum, which gave me an opportunity to check out the exhibits, which were outstanding. They even had a computer exhibit where I was able to look up my uncle who served in the Navy for many years.

There is a Navy Memorial hall on the north east side of the plaza. Pretty interesting.

If you are a navy vet, you will be very impressed. Lots of navel history to see at this location.

Worth the trip. Close to Metro. Very informative.

Lots of informative displays and placards inside and outside. Great place to take pictures.

Nice memorial to our sailors. I have a son serving. Shared pics with him.

This location is across from the National Archives, is free and open for public viewing. Has names and sculptures of great Sailors, the likes of John Paul Jones. Also within a couple of blocks and view of Smithsonian American Arts Museum and National Portrait Gallery.

The Plaza and Visitor Center museum were both interesting places to visit. The Memorial includes the Lone Sailor statue, World Map and plaques highlighting important historical events in Navy history. The Visitor Center museum had many interesting artifacts, models and exhibits on display. I especially liked the Zumwalt exhibit and the Lone Sailor Award exhibit. It was interesting to see how many non-military celebrities there were that served in the Navy.

Nice memorial.

Visited in the day and at night. The fountains wernt running.

RIP Dad and Uncle Eddie 😘 The Navy was your calling. This place is the keeper of the original Lone Sailor. A must to see. The Granite sea of continents is amazing.

The memorial is beautiful but sad how is not well maintained, trash all over the place, water fountain doesn’t work and the little of water that is still there is just nasty. So sad to the memory of all the men and women that served in the Navy

Come out and enjoy a night under the Stars with the Navy Band. Two shows left.. August 17 and August 24 @ 7:00 pm.

A great place to visit a great memorial to honor those who served and those serving now in the US Navy. This a very nice place to visit i highly recommend a visit to here for all great place to visit for all age groups.

A monument in the open air. Check it out if you are around.

Absolutely love this memorial! The museum is superb, the events are the best in the Navy, and I love the fountains and history on each piece!

If you ever served in the Navy, and you visit our Nations capital, you absolutely 💯 percent must make your pilgrimage here. Recommend listening to the Navy Hymn and read along the steps.

A great open and under-the-sky memorial to US navy, the Plaza has several historic buildings and tiny monuments all around. Its sort of on your way in Washington as you move from one side of the city to another, jumping from some history to other history! Parking can be a challenge. I recommend the citys absolutely fantastic subway instead. Theres an out nearby.Get off and walk around. Take in the surroundings. Theres several government buildings of note within a two-block radius. Theres also a few eating option for you or your kids, if anyones hungry.A word of caution, however: The area teems with homeless persons. Some of them can be drunk (even during daytimeand can be aggressive. Its best you stay away - far away or to another side of the street. Cops are never too far but they only intervene if called upon. So, note where the cops are and remember to signal to them if someone tries to get money off of you.

This is a nice but not fantastic memorial. We took my father, a Navy Vet, there 10/19. I wish the actual Navy historical room was more extensive than just a room. The outdoor flags and statues were nice. I was just hoping for more for him.

The US Navy Memorial is one of the more casual memorials in the city meaning thousands pass through it on their way to work or to see the sites without stopping to appreciate it. Its a circular memorial with a giant map of the world on the floor. There are plenty of seats to read about the significance of the memorial. Surrounding by other memorials and museums, the views from the US Navy Memorial are phenomenal.

Beautiful memorial. Multiple panels for different aspects of the Navy. Wonderful that they included the family. Beautiful statue of lone sailor. Nice inlaid compass. Summer concerts too.

Nice place for a stop as tourists are sight seeing. Also a hub of activity in DC, so it is a nice place to sit outside, see the memorial and enjoy the sights. Nice water feature and good seating too.

As a sailor this is a must go place if your in D.C. love going here. Wish it was bigger but love it! Cant explain the way this place makes me feel. I guess you have to had been a sailor to understand.

This is a great downtown location that gives you a sprinkle of water and scenery. Its my favorite place to have lunch. There are plenty of places to sit and if youre lucky, you can get a place in the shade under a tree

restraunts surround it so its a good stop off if you are looking for a bite to eat before you head to the naval heritage museum or across the street to the national archives. a hot spot for honor flights so it can be crowded in small bursts. the metro station is steps away so best to come via train.

Nice enough memorial outside, but the shop and museum in the adjacent building is very small. Looked for Cutler’s “Brown Water, Black Beret” book on Vietnam sailors, but not in their library, to my dismay. The Lone Sailor statue was cool to see, but does not capture the service of a sailor like the US Marine Corps monument which captures the raising of the US flag at Iwo Jima. Would be nice to see something to this effect added to this plaza; perhaps LT Michael Murphy’s call for help atop the rocks in Afghanistan would be a start... something for discussion anyways.

The water feature was great. A round of waterfall with a statue of a sailor. The inside was a bit disappointing. There were a few items and a few models of ships. There was a wal of pivoting cards w ou th names of personel and ships that had been lost in battle, but all total the water feature was the best part.

My favorite first stop! Right off the Metro Archives stop!

The Navy Memorial Plaza may have the most to look at and consider of any memorial within DC. The sculpted artwork surrounding the sailor and central map of the seas is a wonderfully-done historical account of our Navy, and really should be taken time for, to be taken in and enjoyed to the fullest.

Nice area to walk around, lots of historical places and old architecture. The memorial itself is small but beautiful.

Great place with some amazing art, statuses and water place for photos.

Interesting map at the circle. nice fountain and cooling shades you can sit and relax.

There is an interesting memorial to the US Navy on Pennsylvania Avenue just past the National Archives building that is worth a quick look-see if you are in the area.In the centre of the memorial is a granite sea map of the world surrounded by a circular structure followed by what seemed like a pool and fountain. However, this was turned off during our winter time visit. On the backside or the circular Memorial Plaza, you can find bronze reliefs of naval war scenes and there is a lone statue of a US Navy serviceman statue nearby as well.Overall, this is a decent memorial but would probably be better to visit during warmer months of the year so you can taken in the effect of the fountains and with the trees in the area having foliage.

Its a great place to meet up with friends or sit and people watch. Theres a map of the world and it looks at the archives and the old patent office.

This was one of my favorites memorials.

I give the Navy Memorial 5 stars because it is a great place to watch a parade on Pennsylvania Avenue.

This is a small plaza right the street. Theres a statue of a lone sailor off center. The floor of the plaza is actually a map of the world oceans and a large compass rose. The sailors expression is somewhat haunting to me, it seems hes looking out over the sea with familiarity and across the sea with longing, (perhaps for home). I was honored to be able to visit these memorials with the Kern County Honor Flight of US veterans.

Very small and quaint memorial. I stumbled onto this memorial by accident. The artwork in the cast murals is amazing. This isnt a mind-blowing memorial, but it is one of those finds that urges me to go and explore with my camera.

Beautiful plaza. We ate lunch at a cafe nearby and watched people enjoy it from our outdoor table. Especially meaningful because of my brothers Naval service and the recent USS McCain tragedy.

In this plaza is great eating places. The plaza is a good spot to park nearby, using the back streets is best if you get there later in the day. A short walk will get you to this memorial. The circle in the middle of the memorial is worth picture taking. Then we would start out at the B in DC which is a great bourbon, beer and burger place adjacent to the Navy Memorial.

Management does an OUTSTANDING job with any venue we have, whether inside or out. HooYahh NAVY!

Amazing history at the museum. Place of honor for those who sacrificed for our country. Should not be missed if you are a history buff or wish just to honor those who served in the military. There is a ceremony every Tuesday night and then a concert presented by the US Navy Band. Really good. Great as a family outing.

The best way to experience this memorial is at sunrise on a nice morning. Sit next to the water; it drowns out the city sounds while you watch the sun bathe the Archives building and the masts in orange light. I find it an immersive, moving tribute.

Small museum for such a big Navy! A great place to visit none the less.

The U.S. Navy Memorial Plaza is not as splashy as some of the other DC area memorials but its still a very powerful tribute to the men and women who have served in the Navy.Its conveniently located by a metro station which makes it a perfect place to begin a DC walking tour. Nearby youll find the National Archives, the Newseum and all of the Smithsonian museums.If youre in to photography theres some great opportunities here - but be sure to bring a super wide-angle lens.