This past summer, I was fortunate enough to go visit Washington, D.C. for the first time for a few days. Since it’s America’s 250th birthday year, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite places I was able to visit.
1. The Jefferson Memorial
I don’t know if this was a thing other people did, but for some reason when I was at the ripe old age of – I don’t know, eight? – I decided while reading my history book that Thomas Jefferson was my favorite president. I couldn’t remember anything else about him other than the fact that he was left-handed (like me) and made a cool portable desk, which I promptly recreated out of cardboard. Seeing his memorial was easily one of my favorite stops because of this detail in my childhood.
2. The Capitol Building
During their tour (free, by the way; just reserve your spot ahead of time), I was able to go into the dome of the Capitol building, see where a lot of founding fathers kept their desks, and appreciate the tons of statues and architecture all around. The online pictures of the dome’s ceiling do not do it justice.
3. The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
This was one of my last stops in D.C. before heading back home. The interior is stunning and beautiful, and there are so many relics and statues of Saints. It was also huge – way bigger than St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Completely mind-blowing and a lovely landmark.
4. The Lincoln Memorial
Obviously, one of the most crowded places I visited, but well worth it. After seeing the Memorial in so many of my friends’ pictures, it was so cool to finally see it in person and get a picture with it with no one in the background. The Gettysburg Address is also engraved on the sides of the walls, which is something I didn’t know about until I got there.
5. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Okay, confession – although there were so many cool things inside the Museum (also free to visit; just reserve a ticket beforehand), my favorite was seeing R2D2. Besides that, I also enjoyed seeing the original plane the Wright brothers first flew, along with other model airplanes, an exhibit on the first woman to fly and go to space, and touching a piece of the moon. It’s something that took me a few hours to get through, but it’s definitely something that you can look at all day.
If you or someone you know has the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., try stopping by a couple of these places! Even if history isn’t your favorite, there is something for everyone to enjoy and plenty of memories to be made!