Late-Night Tourists Hit The Lincoln Memorial

It may seem surprising, but one of Washington, D.C.'s liveliest nighttime spots is on the western end of the National Mall. The Lincoln Memorial is open 24 hours a day, and of the millions of visitors who flock to the grand structure each year, many visit at night.

We recently swung by the Lincoln Memorial around the stroke of midnight, to find out what makes the Memorial such an alluring after-dark destination.

We had tourists from Indiana tell us they "really like the lighting, so it really stands out among darkness." They were also surprised by the number of people walking around the Memorial after sunset, and doubly surprised that so many of those people are kids. "Don't they all have bedtimes?" asked one visitor.

The Lincoln Memorial also draws numerous couples, out for a moonlit stroll. One couple we spoke with says you "gotta come at night," since that's when the monuments are at their most "beautiful."

One local we chatted with, an Amsterdam native, working in the District for the year, said the dark sky and well-lit Memorial "makes it even more mysterious [and] special. The most beautiful is when the sun is going down, and everything's turning red. That's what I like the best. We love it!"

[Music: "A Hard Day's Night" by Modern Gustin Trio from Beatles Go Jazz]

Photos: Late-Night Tourists Hit The Lincoln Memorial