Travel Spot: Washington, DC

My Experience

My most recent trip was to Washington, DC, which was over my winter break. My family and I were there for 2 days and we visited all the major landmarks, including the White House, United States Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and World War II Memorial. We also visited a couple of museums, including the United States Botanical Garden and the Holocaust Museum. We were also interested in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum but the line to enter the museum was extremely long, so we decided against it.

One great thing about DC is that most of the museums are free, so if you plan a trip, visiting some of the museums is definetly worth a great activity. There is a lot of walking involved in the museums and the city, however, so be sure to plan accordingly and wear proper sneakers.

Activities

Picture of the Capitol Building during the Golden Hour

The first day, we visited the Capitol building. We went there around Golden Hour (an hour before sunset), and I was able to capture an incredible photo of the building (on the left).

We then walked over the the Botanical Gardens, which was a five minute walk from the Capitol Building. Since we went in December, there weren't many plants to look at, but I did capture a photo of the sculpture on the right.

After that, we went inside the museum and saw the "Season's Greenings: America's Gardens!" exhibit, which was on display at the time. We personally really enjoyed seeing the exhibit, as it was really aesthetic and informational at the same time. After that, we enjoyed a walk around the city. Even though it was Decemeber, the weather was surprisingly nice, ranging in the mid-40's to 50 degrees Farenheit. We spent the night at a nearby hotel, and woke up early the next morning to explore the rest of the city.

The first landmark we visited was the White House. I was unable to get pictures because there was a fence around it due to construction. We then drove to the next landmark, Washington Monument, which is the tall tower that you see on the left. We walked around the monument and took a number of fun family pictures around the monument before heading over to the Holocaust Museum. The museum was about a ten minute walk from the monument, and we spent about an hour and a half there. At the museum, each visitor recieved a little card which recounted the story of one victim of the Holocaust, and as we walked through the museum, we were able to use the card to follow the story of the victim. The museum is incredibly well done, and I definetly recommend visiting if your family has kids who are really interested in history and are in 8th grade or older.

After grabbing some lunch, we headed over to the Capitol Reflecting Pool, where we were able to see the reflection of the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. We started by taking a walk on a trail that lead to one end of the Reflecting Pool, which is where the Lincoln Memorial stands. We then climbed the many steps to the memorial, which is where I took the picture on the left. After that, we walked to the other side of the pool, where the World War II memorial stood. I don't really have any good pictures of the memorial, but there is a really beautiful fountain in the middle of it. Finally, we walked back to our car, and drove to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. However, the line was out the door and there were only a couple hours to closing, so we decided to head back home instead. The trip was short, but really fun, and I definetly recommend visiting at least once with your family.