We decided to spend a full week exploring Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas. I’ve been to D.C. several times over the years for both work and fun travel. Andrew and I came together for Obama’s second inauguration when I got lottery tickets to the ceremony. There’s never enough time to see all there is to see in D.C. Even after a week I still have some museums on my bucket list to visit. A week was a great start though.
Our first night, Captain Bill was super generous to offer us a harbor cruise on his sailboat anchored at Baltimore. We brought the pizza for dinner and then motored around a bit. He put up the jib and turned off the engine and we reached lightning speed of 1.5 knots. 😂 It was great to finally catch up with Bill on our trip even though it was the tail end of his.
The next day we drove into DC and visited the National Air and Space Museum and the museum of American History. Since it was a Monday, many of the Smithsonians and surrounding museums are closed.
The Air and Space museum is also currently undergoing renovations. It made for a pretty crowded museum experience which isn’t our favorite thing in this Covid world. Only about half the museum was open but the kids still really enjoyed seeing all there was to see. Ben’s latest drawings feature quite a few rockets. 😊
Since many of the museums are closed, it was slim pickings for us. The kids weren’t too interested in any Art museums, so we went to the Museum of American History. This museum is usually pretty low key. It doesn’t seem to be one of the popular ones. I’ve visited a couple times before and always enjoy the pop culture type exhibits. Right now they have a couple excellent exhibits on girls and women. The kids loved the money exhibit that showed the different kinds of money in American history. I loved the First Ladies exhibit. Old Glory is always a great visit as well. We finished our trip on a high note by spotting a tall Statue of Liberty Lego sculpture.
Day 2 of our week was dedicated to domestic errands, everyone getting a dental checkup, and a couple virtual doctor’s appointments.
On Day 3 we purchased tickets to the International Spy Museum, and also visited the Museum of Natural History. I have been to the Spy Museum a couple of times in its previous location. Previous visits I didn’t bother with the secret identity part of the museum, but this time we all committed and it was a lot of fun! The museum has all sorts of interactive games to test your ability to be a spy. Unfortunately the overhead duct tunnel was closed due to Covid. There’s all sorts of real Spy memorabilia and tools, and tons of history about previous spies during the cold war and other eras. My personal favorites are the rectal tool kit (just morbid curiosity I think), and the disguises.
After the Spy Museum (and some lunch in the car), we walked across The Mall to the Museum of Natural History. Convincing the kids that they really needed to see this museum was a bit difficult. Once there, they loved it though. The various skeletons are always a hit with the kids. I talked up the Hope diamond a lot, however, so they were very keen to see all the shiny rocks. They were very into all the minerals and gems, which the museum has a huge collection of. I honestly can’t say which was my favorite gem in the collection. Around every turn there was another display that made us all say, “Woah!” Ben started to fall apart a bit after the gems, but James still wanted to look around a bit. James and I went to the Ocean hall which was also amazing with huge life-size models of whales, and real preserved specimens of different fish, including a giant squid.
Many of the science museums we’ve been visiting during our trip have put together an exhibit on pandemics, or viruses, or Covid. These exhibits have started to feel quite repetitive (we go to a lot of science museums), but the Natural History Museum one was great and new. It had some excellent information on different kinds of viruses and how they replicate, what makes a pandemic, etc.
On Day 4 we had reservations to go up to the top of the Washington Monument. After our tour we did a walking tour of the memorials around the Mall and ended up walking about 5 miles! Going up to the top of the Washington Monument has been on my bucket list for a really long time. For whatever reason I wasn’t able to make it happen before and then it was closed for a long time for repairs from an earthquake. We were so happy to find out that it was open even during Covid. The views from inside the monument are fantastic. It helped that we had an absolutely beautiful day. Seeing the inside of the monument and how it was constructed was also really interesting to me. The kids liked the small informational museum at the 490 ft level. On the way back down, the elevator doors turn clear so that you can see some of the carved placards various states and groups had provided to the monument that are mounted in the stairwell. We learned that some states carved theirs out of something specific to the state. For example, Arizona’s is made from petrified wood! You can see pictures of the stones on the NPS’s website.
After our visit at Washington Monument, we walked past the WWII Memorial, to the Lincoln Memorial, then the Korean War Memorial, Armed Forces of DC Memorial, MLK Jr Memorial, FDR Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial (PHEW!). We also managed to visit quite a few of the visitor centers and got our cancelation stamps for tons of the memorials, statues, and the National Mall itself. Of all the memorials, FDR is my favorite. Andrew had never been before, and he also was equally moved by it. Visiting the memorials are also one of my favorite things to do in the Mall. To see and remember these individuals that have made such an impact on our country’s identity is humbling and inspiring.
On Day 5 we visited Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport. Entry is free but parking cost $15. Everyone in the family loved seeing all the different airplanes. The kids were trying to identify which airplane looked like which character in Planes. We spent quite a bit of time in the space wing checking out the different satellites, orbiting telescopes, and, of course, the space shuttle. Andrew and I enjoyed checking out some of the exhibits for gear that contained flight suits, first aid kits, and survival gear. The space one was a big hit with the kids with all the space food. The SR-71 display case contained the special pressure suit and helmet required for flight.
Day 6 of our week we all lazed around and took a nice long break from walking, museums and touristy things, and washed some laundry and prepped to leave the next day. Day 7 we said good bye! I really feel like we could’ve fit in another museum or two but the kids couldn’t be convinced to get in the car.
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