Constitution Gardens

This landscaped park on the north side of the National Mall spreads around a curving lake between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Created in the 1970s on former temporary war-office land, it offers winding paths, willows, and open lawns as a softer counterpoint to the ceremonial axis nearby. A small island in the lake holds a memorial to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, each name carved into low stone. The gardens provide a shaded resting place amid the monumental core.