When we decided to make Washington DC our anniversary trip this year, we knew there’d be far more we wanted to see and do than we’d be able to fit in our few days. To maximize our time, while still giving us the freedom and flexibility to enjoy our getaway, I made a list of everything we wanted to do and sorted them by priority. Some things we needed to make reservations for, so those were finalized first, and the others we were able to work in as fancy struck. I’m going to break our trip down into a series of posts, so as not to overwhelm, and I’ll start each with a quick rundown of what you can expect to see. I’ll also include our walking mileage total at the end of the post, because whew, we walked, y’all.
If you’ve been around a while, you know we usually road trip, but we decided to fly this time. Mr sometimes flies for work travel, but I have not been on a plane since I was a toddler. This was a good “test flight,” to see how things work for future/further ventures. We arrived around lunchtime {there will be a whole separate food post!}, and after eating and checking in to our hotel in Alexandria, we tested our new Metro passes and headed to the National Mall. It was rainy and gloomy, thanks to the Nor’easter that traveled up the Eastern seaboard with us, but we managed to visit both the Natural History and American History museums.
The Smithsonian: Natural History Museum
As a lifelong rocks and minerals girl, this was a must-see.
The Smithsonian: American History Museum
These are probably not going to be the pictures you expect, but I got such a kick out of the popular culture being highlighted. It’s amusing to both my English and History degrees the way these stories and characters have taken such root. Plus they’re some of my favorites as well. For the record, I also thoroughly enjoyed The First Ladies section, and it was truly moving to see the original Star-Spangled banner {no photos allowed}.
You know I had to find Julia Child’s kitchen. I love that they moved her actual kitchen into the museum, setting everything up exactly as she had it. Being able to see the space she worked in, pegboard walls and all, was such a full-circle moment after years of reading her life.
The Smithsonian, as an entity, is such a fascinating network of museums. The architecture alone is breathtaking. I especially loved the building of Natural History, with the soaring rotunda and all the arches. Obviously there’s far more included in both museums than you can easily digest in a single visit, but there’s always next time.
Day 1 Walking: 5.7 miles
Total/Trip Walking 5.7 miles
Stay tuned for the rest of our trip!
Have you been to Washington?
Do you prefer Natural History or “human History”?
