Spend A Weekend In D.C.

I found a great flight deal a few weeks ago to Washington D.C and decided to take the plunge and book a long weekend trip here. This was my first time in D.C and with booking it only a few weeks out, I didn’t have a lot of time to research and plan, but it seemed like an easy city to navigate.

Day 1

We took an early morning flight and arrived at 7:00am enough time to Uber to our hotel, located near the National Mall and The Wharf. We checked in and headed to breakfast. There is a lot of walking in D.C and I honestly didn’t realize how much walking we would be doing, but there is also plenty of options for scooter and bike rentals which I highly suggest. I really wanted to get my steps in so I opted to walk. Breakfast was Lincoln’s Waffle Shop which is a hole in the wall across from Ford’s Theatre. Don’t expect it to blow you away, but it fills the belly and makes for a fun experience.

Our first day consisted of The National Archives Museum, and exploring all the monuments and memorials. We started by walking to The White House and heading to the Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and finished at The Washington Monument. This was a lot of walking and with it being a hot 90 degrees, it was time to head back to the hotel to rest and enjoy a dip in the pool. Our hotel was a 5 minute walk to The Wharf which really was one of my favorite places in D.C. It was located on the Potomac River and consisted of multiple eating venues, shops and lots of patio seating.

Day 2

Day 2 was just as busy as Day 1 and we had another full day planned. I planned day 2 as our museum day being that it was Sunday and some of the government buildings were closed on Sunday’s. We started with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. We spent around three hours in this museum but could have easily spent a few more hours, there was so much to see and read. However, we had a timed ticket to be at The Ford’s Theatre by 1:30pm. Ford’s theatre was a small museum exploring the history of Abraham Lincoln with a viewing of the theatre he was shot in and the ticket included a tour of the home Lincoln died in which was just across the street. After Ford’s theatre we ventured in some souvenir shops which were next store. I have started adding to my collection when I travel. I used to only collect magnets, and now it’s magnets, coasters, and coffee mugs. Our last stop for the day was The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This was my favorite and most humbling experience visiting a museum. I think everyone should make this museum a priority and understand the ghastly history so we never repeat the same evil ever again. Our Museum day ended around 5pm which was just enough time to head to the hotel, rest and head out to dinner and ice cream for the evening.

Day 3

With this being our last day, we started the morning off with a visit to The Capitol Building. The tour was around an hour, but we stayed a little longer exploring the grounds, eating in the café and checking out the gift shop. After our tour of The Capital we made our way to Arlington Cemetery where we spent the afternoon walking and exploring the grounds, located famous graves, and of course, The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. We decided to walk through the cemetery, but they do have an option for a tram that drops off and takes you to the famous stops. We ended the day heading to the airport to catch our flight.

We crammed a lot in such a short amount of time. I saw most things that were on my bucket list but there were a few things I missed seeing. One was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It was closed for construction and is set to reopen in October. I also wanted to tour The White House but didn’t request enough of an advanced notice to snag a reservation.

If you’re looking to go to D.C, I recommend planning and having an idea of what you want to do and see. Most Museums are free as well as the government buildings. However, most government buildings require an advanced reservation and for The White House you must request this through your state representative. You can click on the link to find out more. (https://www.nps.gov/whho/planyourvisit/the-white-house-tour.htm)

Lastly, as with any trip to a city there are precautions everyone should take. I almost took this trip with just my son, but my husband decided to tag along and I’m really glad he did. There were an abundance of homeless, but some were aggressive so I don’t recommend engaging, but just walking by. Really, just use common sense and be aware of your surroundings and don’t wander off alone at night which is applied anywhere you go. I really enjoyed our trip to D.C and it has definitely been on my bucket list for a long time. For me, this is a one and done city unless I am close to the area and make it a stop. I think in my mind, I had a very different opinion of what Washington D.C would be like and was disappointed that it wasn’t this grand beautiful city that I had envisioned. There was a lack of upkeep with landscaping, sidewalks unkept and where in the world are the trashcans! We had the hardest time walking down the streets finding a trash can to throw our garbage away. This is just a few negatives from our trip, but it definitely is a place you need to visit and I really enjoyed seeing where our nation formed into a Great Nation. I’m proud to be an American!

Below is a copy of my itinerary