As I mentioned in Saturday’s post my family took a quick post-Thanksgiving trip to DC to watch my older brother argue a case in front of the Supreme Court. Our nation’s capital is one of my favorite cities in the entire world. I had the opportunity to intern for a Senator from Kansas right after I graduated from college and loved the opportunity to spend some time in the city. I thought our trip to DC would be an excellent chance to tell you guys about my top 10 things to do in DC.
10. Check out the Natural History Museum– This museum is located on the mall and part of the Smithsonian museums (which makes it F-R-E-E). I’ll be honest, we didn’t actually make it here on this trip, but I have been several times before. They have amazing animals on display as well as some impressive jewels, like the Hope Diamond. They also have an IMax theater here that shows some pretty neat movies. Although if your interests lean more towards planes and spaceships, in my opinion the Air and Space Museum is on par with the Natural History Museum, it just depends on where your interests lie.
9. National Cathedral and National Zoo– I’m kind of cheating here with a 2 in 1, but they are so close in location that it makes sense to do both at the same time. The National Cathedral is beautiful and worth a look around, it doesn’t take long to see, but is worth it if you have a free afternoon and want to make the trek up to the northern part of DC. The National Zoo is most definitely a fun zoo to visit, and the Panda’s are a definite highlight. Again, the National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Museums, so it is free for all visitors. We only had 2 days for sightseeing in DC, so we didn’t make the trek up to this part of town, but if you have 3 or 4 days, I highly recommend it! (It is also easiest to take a cab to this part of town, especially if you have 3 or 4 people in your group).
8. Visit the Newseum- The husband and I had to leave earlier than the rest of my family, but they loved this museum. You can check out their website here, they are a private museum that goes through how the news broadcasts major world events and the evolution of the news. Leave plenty of time for this place, it has TONS of information and exhibits to look through. But it is conveniently located close to the Capitol and the rest of the Mall. (Cost- 21.95 per adult)
7. Visit the Spy Museum– This is similar to the Newseum, it is a private museum (so it costs 20.95 per person). This museum focuses on Spycraft and all that goes with it. It is very interactive, and like the Newseum has a ton of information, so leave plenty of time… especially if you have people in your group who like to read ALL of the informative displays (ahem… dad). Again, we didn’t make it here this trip, but I remember some cool displays from when I went a few years ago including famous moles in the US and cool spy gadgets from the World War II era. If you or your party are fans of Spycraft… this is a must see museum.
6. The American History Museum– This may be a matter of personal preference, but it is my favorite Smithsonian site. Located on the Mall, this is the keeper of all things Americana. From Kermit the Frog to Michelle Obama’s inauguration dress, they preserve and maintain all sorts of interesting American memorabilia. However the thing in this museum that you can’t miss is the Star Spangled Banner. It has been meticulously restored (while I was an intern in DC they were in the process of restoring it inch by inch with makeup sponges… talk about tedious!!) and is now on display. It is a magnificent piece of American history and it is quite amazing that is has been restored and preserved as well as it has. You won’t want to miss it.
5. Arlington Cemetery and the changing of the guard–
No matter how many times I visit this place, it is powerful. The white headstones that stretch out as far as the eye can see, it truly is hallowed ground. Be sure to walk past JFK’s burial place and look back towards the Lincoln Memorial. Doing so, you look over his most famous speech etched in stone and you can almost picture his funeral procession progressing over Memorial Bridge from Abraham Lincoln’s statue to JFK’s final resting place.
From there be sure to time your visit so you can watch the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier on the hour, every hour. It is a moving and impressive ceremony. It must take massive amounts of discipline to be able to march like that, and to stand despite any weather to guard the tomb.
4. Visit the Archives– This building houses the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and they are worth the visit. Since we went on a weekday in December there was no line and we were able to spend as much time as we would like looking at the documents, but if you are visiting during a peak time, I recommend trying to visit first thing when they open to avoid lines. Like the Star Spangled Banner, these are amazing pieces of American history that are interesting to see and experience.
3. Go in the Library of Congress–
I LOVE this building. Located next to the Supreme Court Building and across the street from the Capitol, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and is the research arm of congress. Check out their website if you want more info. If you are on Capital Hill and have a few minutes to spare, I HIGHLY recommend going in here. Like most government buildings it is free of charge to enter and is a BEAUTIFULLY constructed building. It has extremely unique architecture as well as having a Gutenberg Bible on display (one of the first books ever printed and also extremely valuable… there are only 48 in the world). Be sure to check out Thomas Jefferson’s library collection on the first floor of the building. A founding father and a great supporter of the education system, Jefferson had an impressive book collection which covers a vast array of topics. Also take a minute to go upstairs to walk through the gallery above the reading room. It is another beautiful room that is exactly what a library should look like.
2. Take a Capitol Tour–
If you are going to go to DC I highly recommend asking your congressional office to set up a Capitol tour. You can do public tours as well, but if you contact most of your congressmen, they will be happy to accommodate their constituents. When I was an intern for the Senator from Kansas, I gave many Capital tours. These tours take about 1.5 hours and since they are usually smaller groups of people, can be tailored more towards your interests. Plus if you go with your congressman’s office, you get to ride the tram that takes you from the Senate office buildings to the Capitol underground:
The Capitol building itself is beautiful and a magnificent piece of history. Imagine all of the decisions that have happened in this building and all of the Presidents, Senators, etc. who have walked its halls. My favorite room in the Capitol is the Rotunda. The Rotunda is the area under the dome that joins the Senate and the House sides. This is the room where presidents and other distinguished leaders are lain in state. It also has my favorite mural which is the Apotheosis of Washington and is painted on the surface of the inner dome (did you know there are two domes? One to be proportionate to the rotunda and one to be proportionate to the outside building).
1. Walk the Monuments–
note– some of this pictures are from several years ago because the day we went it was gross and overcast and the Washington Monument was under construction and covered in scaffolding.
But be prepared, if you want to see all the monuments, it takes a bit of walking. From the Lincoln to the Washington Monuments it is approximately a mile long, but by the time you see all the monuments on both sides (and if you are ambitious… and you should be… you’ll walk around the tidal basin to the Jefferson), you’ll do a couple miles of walking. But I promise it is worth it.
Start with the Washington Monument (right now it is under construction so you can’t go up to the top of it, but you can imagine what it looks like without the scaffolding) and marvel at the fact that this was being built before and after the civil war.
The World War II Memorial is one of the newest additions and lays in between the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool. (you can see it at the bottom of the picture above. It has two larger monuments to reflect the two fronts of the war: Atlantic and the Pacific and then each state has a column to represent its contribution to the war.
Don’t miss the wall of stars behind the fountains of the WWII memorial, and not the plaque that states that each of the 4,000+ stars represents 100 soldiers who were lost in the war. If you know of someone who served, there are computer terminals on the south side of the monument to look up their picture/service record.
As you continue your trek towards the Lincoln Memorial on the north side are two monuments, one for the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. I’d never seen that monument before this trip and it is very cool! And I definitely need a fancier signature!
Also on this side of the reflecting pool is the Vietnam War Memorial. It is a powerful wall of black stone with the names etched in stone of lost soldiers. If you catch it on a sunny day and from the right angle, you can see the Washington Monument reflected (this is an older picture)
Then you get to the Lincoln Memorial. This is by far my favorite memorial, it has so many wonderful pieces of it. Be sure to stand where MLK stood as he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to thousands of people; and read Lincoln’s most famous speech etched onto the south wall of his monument. It gives me chills every time I stand and read his powerful words: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”
As you make your way around the south side of the reflecting pool, head over to the Korean War Memorial. It is a hauntingly beautiful piece of artwork and gives you a brief glimpse of what it would have been like to serve in such a war.
And last but not least, make the trek around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial. If you are visiting in the spring, you will have the lovely cherry blossom trees to line your path. Unfortunately since we were cold and had walked a ways, we didn’t make it over there, but it is worth the visit as it is a beautiful statue. And if you continue on along the west side of the Tidal Basin, there is a monument to FDR that is filled with some of his most famous quotes and is fascinating to walk through.
That’s my list of must see/do things in Washington DC. Have you been? Anything you love doing that I left off this list?
Hi, I'm MJ! I'm a DIY kind of girl and this is where I share my projects. I'm taking you along for the ride as I learn how to do woodworking, sew, bake, and renovate! 
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