We made a return trip to Washington DC. Two big trips there so far and still a lot to do or even redo. We were thankful to be able to get away a few days. Our adventure began at 1:45 AM on November 1, 2018. The kids wanted to be home to trick or treat on Halloween and we had White House Tour tickets for 8:15 AM, so we decided to make both work. It was totally worth it. We also decided to stay in DC rather than taking the Metro. It was really nice to be able to walk to pretty much everything and the kids were better able to make all the miles work. The great thing about walking is that you get your bearings and you see new angles of the buildings and monuments.
Day 1:
White House Tour - We were fortunate enough to also have tickets on our previous trip but this time we were allowed to take photos while in the White House. Asking Secret Service questions is a great way to learn "secrets."
The Bureau of Engraving & Printing -
We really enjoyed this tour the last DC visit. Pretty amazing to see how much money is printed and put into circulation each year. The guides do a great job with questions and sharing intricate details about our money that easily goes unnoticed.
Lunch at the USDA Cafeteria. This was totally a find and was a tip from a guard at the Bureau of Engraving a Printing. This food was delicious and a great price. Plus, we did not have to go off of the beaten path.
Museum of the Bible-
While the museum focused on the history of the book of the Bible and not on Jesus and salvation, we really enjoyed the experience. There is a lot of do such as the 3-D flight over DC to see some of the buildings and signs that have Scripture, interactive walk throughs, other 3-D experiences and amazing historical finds.
Day 2:
National Archives Tour
With the kids being older, they have studied much more of our Nation's history. They were able to better piece people and places together and even understand some of the very hard aspects of our history. Here we saw the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. The private guide was excellent and could point out interesting facts. We also saw Sandy Bradshaw's (flight attendant on 9/11) bracelet and presidential papers. The doors on the front of the building are amazing. So much to see!
National Museum of African American History & Culture-
Okay, so you definitely need an entire day for this and we had over 6 hours. Our advice would be to spend maybe 30 minutes total on each of the first 2 floors and then have more time for the areas that are closer to present time. Everyone should experience this museum. We especially enjoyed the Oprah exhibit and the African American in Sports area. Wow! Also appreciated the continued discussion of the Greensboro 4 and even NCA&T. There is a lot of Civil Rights history right here and Greensboro and it is great to have conversations about our history as well as realize how important our hometown is. And by the way, definitely eat in the cafeteria there and get the Southern Fare. Two people can definitely share 1 plate of food. Delicious!
World War 2 Monument
Day 3:
Library of Congress-
Just a beautiful as all the movies show. The architecture was amazing and the library itself is a treasure. There also happened to be Thomas Jefferson's personal library on display as he would have organized it. Jefferson preferred books grouped by subject rather than author. I can appreciate that. A traveling Baseball Americana exhibit was also displayed and we enjoyed having Robert to be our expert guide.
Walk past Capitol Building
A super quick walkthrough once again at the National Archives.
The Smithsonian of American History-
Deserving of a return trip and our personal favorite of the Smithsonian; we wanted to definitely see the Star Spangled Banner, Dorothy's shoes from The Wizard of Oz and the First Ladies Gowns again. Original stools from Woolworth's were also on display and it was cool to see some of the Presidential memorabilia. It is overwhelming to think of all that is archived and saved.
Now I have to mention that we would have totally gone to Ford's Theatre because it was one of our very favorite parts of the first trip but the play we enjoyed so much only runs in the Spring and Summer. Also, on a return visit we would enjoy visiting the Supreme Court to sit in on a lecture or hearing.
We just had to return to the Holocaust Museum. So powerful and important. Landry did not tour the museum on our first trip but just stayed in David's House. This time, she toured the whole building but again, we did not linger on some of the more graphic pictures. We especially enjoyed the video at the very end with interviews of survivors.
Dinner on the Wharf and Shake Shack. Yum!
Monuments at Night -
This evening we went to enjoy the monuments at night! This was really cool since we had already seen them in the daylight. Very cool situation when a group of people basically "flash mobbed" us infront of the Lincoln Memorial. They were wearing strips of colorful lights and were on skateboards. We loved it. We walked all of the monuments grouped there together.
Day 4:
Mount Vernon-
Way better than we could have anticipated. We were expecting more of a Monticello experience but there is more to do here. Again, definitely could have used a whole day for this. The house and grounds are gorgeous. Pretty amazing to realize how hard it was to build a home of such magnitude and the wealth involved. Sitting right on the water outside of DC it is a gem. We had excellent weather the entire trip and the day at Mount Vernon was especially nice. There were also good videos, a museum and interactive rooms and displays that allowed us to become a part of the decisions made during battles.
