The Washington Monument will open to the public for the first time in six months Wednesday with new rules and restrictions in place as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The monument will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are required and must be made online; no tickets will be available on site.
A limited number of tickets will be available at 10 a.m. the day before your planned visit, with each one good for up to four individuals. While there is no charge to visit the monument, there is a $1 reservation fee for each ticket. Approximately 10 tickets will be available for each half-hour slot during operating hours.
The monument has only been open for a brief period over the past 16 months. It closed in March 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak began. It reopened in October, but closed again in January.
According to the National Parks Service, masks will be required for all visitors inside the monument regardless of vaccination status.
“The NPS operational approach to reopening facilities is centered on examining each facility’s function and service to ensure those operations comply with current health guidance and will be regularly monitored,” the NPS said in a statement. “Working closely with the NPS Office of Public Health, the park is using CDC guidance to ensure public areas and workspaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees, partners, and volunteers.”
Visitors to the National Mall who are not vaccinated must continue to wear masks in other areas of the park that are indoors or are crowded outdoor spaces.
Everything in the National Mall is open except for the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, which remains closed for COVID-19 precautions.
NPS officials see reopening one of the nation’s most recognizable attractions as a positive step forward.
“The reopening of the Washington Monument represents another important step forward for Washington coming back from the pandemic,” NPS spokesman Mike Litterst told USA Today.
The NPS regularly updates its Active Alerts page online to give visitors the latest information on all of its parks and monuments.
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