WASHINGTON — There are so many free and cheap things to do in Washington that the biggest challenge is carving out enough time to take advantage of them. Many museums, monuments and other institutions - from the zoo to the botanic garden - that are run by the federal government charge no admission.

But even if you've been here, done that 15 times over, the capital is packed with new and overlooked attractions.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP (ENLARGE)

Tai Shan, the popular giant panda cub at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, munches on bamboo.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP (ENLARGE)

Washington's Metrorail Blue/Orange Line is a convenient ride to many of the district's free attractions.

Ron Edmonds / AP (ENLARGE)

There's always something exciting happening at the National Mall near the Washington Monument.

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Finding a parking spot, however, is one aggravation — and expense — you do want to miss. So ditch your car, hop on Metrorail - www.wmata.com/default.cfm - and enjoy packing a light wallet for once.

The Usual Suspects

The National Mall — Smithsonian Metro stop, www.nps.gov/nama/ — has enough free offerings to fill a D.C. vacation on its own. The monuments are, well, monumental. Try taking them in by night for a new perspective. The hush of the evening, and the smaller crowds will enhance the experience.

If you want to go to the top of the Washington Monument, the same-day allotment of free tickets gets snapped up early, so pay the $1.50 per ticket fee to order them in advance at www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm.

The free Smithsonian museums — www.si.edu/museums/ — have something for every interest. Two newer museums — the International Spy Museum ($17) and the Newseum ($20)— could give you sticker shock, www.spymuseum.org/plan/index.php and www.newseum.org/ But maybe you can justify their expense if you cost-average those tickets with all the free stuff.

Freebies Too Often Overlooked

The U.S. Botanic Garden — Capitol South metro — is a cool and soothing refuge, www.usbg.gov/. It has fabulous special displays at Christmas. It's worth leaving the mall area to check out the National Portrait Gallery — www.npg.si.edu/ — and the Smithsonian American Art Museum — americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm. Both museums share a newly renovated historic building at Eighth and F Streets, at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop.

At the National Arboretum in northeast D.C. — www.usna.usda.gov/index.html — you'll forget you're in Washington — until you see the original Corinthian columns from the U.S. Capitol. It's not near a Metro stop, but there's ample free parking. Bring a picnic lunch.

Don't Miss the Zoo

The National Zoo — nationalzoo.si.edu/ — is free and the Asia Trail offers great panda viewing. Take Metro's Red Line to the Cleveland Park stop — not the zoo stop. (If you get off at the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop, you've got to walk uphill to the zoo. By going one stop farther, you walk the same distance downhill.) There are free Thursday night concerts on Lion/Tiger Hill in the summer.

More for kids

The zoo is by no means the only big attraction for little ones in Washington. Check out:

• The Muppets exhibit, "Jim Henson's Fantastic World," at the underground International Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, www.sites.si.edu/henson/, through Oct. 5;

• The "Building Zone" gallery at the National Building Museum, www.nbm.org, with blocks, toy trucks and tools for kids through age 6, or

• The National Air and Space Museum, with locations on the National Mall and at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in nearby Chantilly, Va., www.nasm.si.edu/.

People-Watch

Check out the competitive chess players who congregate at Dupont Circle. Tryst, a coffeehouse/bar at 2459 18th Street NW, has terrific people-watching and dessert in the heart of happening Adams Morgan, but expect about a 15-20 minute walk from the Woodley Park Metro stop, www.trystdc.com/ . Or watch the Ultimate Frisbee Players on the National Mall on Saturday afternoons, ultimatefrisbee.meetup.com/30/.

Concerts

In summer, free military concerts abound. The Washington Post's Weekend section details week-to-week particulars.

Every Friday in the summer and into the fall, there are free, outdoor jazz concerts at the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden, an unbeatable setting, www.nga.gov/programs/jazz/.

For a jaw-dropping display of military pageantry, attend the Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks at 8th and I Streets (Eastern Market Metro stop), offered on Friday nights in the summer, www.marine-corps-video-evening-parade.com/. Tickets, which are free, are booked up months in advance, but you can line up to snag unclaimed seats that are released at 8:10 p.m. It's unforgettable.

Bar Scene

Local 16 and Cafe Citron are two bars with no cover where you can dance. Citron, at 1343 Conn. Ave. on Dupont Circle, gets pretty packed on the weekends and plays Latin music. Local 16, near the Green Line's U Street stop, brings in different DJs on the weekends, www.tablezen.com/local16. It also has a nice rooftop deck.

At the Reef, in Adams Morgan, at 2446 18th St., NW, www.thereefdc.com/about.html, are surrounded by wall-to-wall aquariums, creating an exotic underwater ambiance. The top floor features a bar and dining area with a view on the Capitol. This bar also has no cover charge,

Get Out There

You will never spend a better $8 than to rent a kayak for an hour from Thompson Boat Center on the Potomac River in Georgetown, www.thompsonboatcenter.com/.

You also can rent bikes there for $8 an hour, and pedal yourself all over town, or along the 18-mile trail to Mount Vernon in Virginia. Mount Vernon is free on President's Day; $13 most days, www.mountvernon.org/.

Cheap Eats

Have lunch at Naan and More, offering fast Indian fare at three locations around town, 1710 L St. NW, 2130 P St. NW and 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, www.naan-and-beyond.com.

Catch dinner at La Loma on Capitol Hill — a stone's throw from the Senate, at 316 Mass. Ave NE, near the Union Station Metro stop — for cheap, quick and good Mexican food. It has a great patio, where even senators have been known to dine on the fly.

D.C. happy hours offer some great deals: Try Ella's Pizza — 901 F St. NW, Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro — where you can get wood fired pizzas for $5 and sangria at $3.50 a glass, www.ellaspizza.com/.

Cheap Seats

The Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center — Foggy Bottom metro — offers a free concert every night at 6 p.m. No tickets required, www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/.

Take in a ballgame at the new Nationals Park in Southeast D.C. — Navy Yard metro station, or park free at RFK Stadium and take a shuttle bus. There are $5 same-day grandstand seats. Or pay $14 for a hot dog, soft drink and a seat in the upper right field terrace.

Coming Soon

The Pentagon Memorial to those killed in the 9/11 attacks in 2001 is due to open in September, memorial.pentagon.mil/.

The underground Capitol Visitor Center, eight years in the making, is scheduled to open Dec. 2, giving tourists someplace interesting — and sheltered — to experience while awaiting a tour of the Capitol, www.aoc.gov/cvc/.