Don’t miss: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
Of all the Smithsonian museums, Air and Space is the only one that requires reserved entry tickets. They are free, but you do have to reserve a specific entry time. Since the National Gallery of Art is right across the Mall, it only made sense to pair these museums together. We also wanted to explore Alexandria a little more before we had to leave the next day. We thought this would be a nice, somewhat relaxed last day of our getaway, but we ended up walking the most of any day! It was still a relaxed day, we just managed to cover a lot of ground apparently.
Smithsonian: National Air & Space Museum
How can that not give you a thrill of awe?
National Gallery of Art
I have grown up in art museums {and libraries}, and as mentioned previously, minored in Art History. Even so, being able to see these pieces of art with my own eyes – not on a page or screen, but inches away from my body – will never get old. Knowing we wouldn’t have time to see everything, we targeted specific galleries, and saw some of my favorites.
This painting is nearly 600 years old, and it is still stunning.
… that horse has seen some things.
Because the sun was actually shining, we walked the “long way” back to the Metro: down the side of the Mall, in front of the other Smithsonian museum buildings.
Alexandria
Day 5 Walking: 9.5 miles
Total/Trip Walking: 38.9 miles
Our trip concluded the next morning with a 5am wakeup to catch an early flight home, though we ended up sitting on the tarmac in the plane for almost an hour because a key was lost. After that bizarre delay, the flight itself was quick {we landed ahead of our original arrival time} and smooth – a much better experience.
There’s so much to see and do in Washington, not to mention places to eat, that we’ll have to make another list and go back. I could spend an entire day in the National Gallery of Art alone.
For anyone planning a trip: I recommend staying outside of the city, but near a Metro station. Alexandria was a great fit for us, and despite being on a main downtown street, it was probably the quietest hotel stay I’ve ever experienced. {Plus, in a teaser for the food post coming later this week, there were coffee shops everywhere}. Being close to the Metro meant we could just hop on and go, and we got our money’s worth from the 7-day Unlimited Pass. Just be prepared to walk. A lot.
Are you Team Star Trek or Team Star Wars?
Do you have a favorite artistic movement/era?
What other destinations in the DC/surrounding area should we include in our next trip?
Beautiful photos! I had no idea the air and space museum had X-Wings and the E, but then again the National Cathedral also has a Darth Vader gargoyle. My ‘local’ air and space museum in Huntsville used to have a model of the Enterprise, but I didn’t see it last time. Shame!
As for art…I’m fond of the pre-Ralphaelites.
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