Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
District of Columbia
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.6 h fully dark
Crowds
high
Open today
Open
Entrance
Free entry
Located in downtown Washington, DC, the memorial honors Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and the struggle for freedom, equality, and justice. A prominent leader in the modern civil rights movement, Dr. King was a tireless advocate for racial equality, working class, and the oppressed around the world.
Activities
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
The sites of National Mall and Memorial Parks (other than the Washington Monument) are always open to the public. Restrooms, museums and elevators close in the evenings (check individual sites for hours)
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 2024266841
✉ national_mall@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec
Typical crowds: high
Weather now: ⛅ Partly cloudy, 92°F
🌦️ 93°/77°
🌧️ 95°/74°
🌦️ 98°/73°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
22%
Feb
28%
Mar
100%
Apr
81%
May
67%
Jun
57%
Jul
48%
Aug
42%
Sep
35%
Oct
49%
Nov
33%
Dec
21%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
Reflect at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Accessibility
3 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial — each spans a cross-park journey.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
— Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr.Passport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Main Plaza of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
🎫 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial bookstore & restrooms
Places to see
Landscape
Main Plaza of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Martin Luther King, Jr. Forecourt
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
audio
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial bookstore & restrooms
audio
Quote from King’s “Last Christmas” Sermon
Quote from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Quote from “Montgomery Bus Boycott” Speech
Quote from “Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance” Speech
Quote from “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution” Sermon
Removed "Drum Major" Quote
Stone of Hope
Audio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Text of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech in 1956 about school integration and the Brown v. Board decisions.
In April 2018, to honor Dr. King’s legacy and his commitment to service, the National Park Service will participate in a year-long social media campaign to encourage community service and acts of kindness.
It was the largest gathering for civil rights of its time. An estimated 250,000 people attended the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, arriving in Washington, D.C. by planes, trains, cars, and buses from all over the country.
Memorials for the Future, is a competition that aims to rethink the way we develop and experience memorials in Washington, D.C.
There are several important birthdays connected with NAMA monuments and memorials. How can you use the birthdays of historical figures to connect students with concepts like family, struggle, equality, and leadership?
Our generous partners and volunteers provided more than $34 million in philanthropic contributions in 2018 helping us fund preservation projects, programs, commemorations, and celebrations.
Our generous partners and volunteers provided more than $34 million in philanthropic contributions in 2018 helping us fund preservation projects, programs, commemorations, and celebrations.
More than 50 years after his untimely death, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. remains one of the most important leaders of the modern civil rights movement. The national memorial to Dr. King and his tireless work for racial equality, the working class and the oppressed around the world sits on the banks of the Tidal Basin in the nation’s capital.
How Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
Park
Activity
Topic
State
PassportStamp
ThingToDo
Similar parks
Share activities & topics with Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
