District of Columbia
Ending of second day of traveling, (first night in Meredith on the road) Mother Nature was so sweet and blessed us with a demonstration of her full glory. It was windy. It was pouring. It was flooded. And somehow, it was strangely wonderful. It was so perfectly chaotic and miserable that once the rain got bone deep there was a reassuring fact: we couldn’t get any more drenched. It was raining cats and dogs, (honestly it was a miracle that it wasn’t hail or snow) but we layered up, grabbed a cup of Joe, and headed out into the storm to face Poseidon. The adrenaline from the storm actually played to our favor, because in the high tempo of the rain we matched it with our stride. We basically sprinted around DC and hit a bunch of the heavy hitter monuments in record time. To our pleasant surprise, the major monuments are open surprisingly late (pushing 11pm and midnight). The security guards did not mind us trudging around at all and some of the underground attractions were still unlocked. Which really came in handy when that coffee quickly processed through us! 😉
Here’s the order of the monument marathon we took, but if you’re up for a little hike you could easily switch this order around because they are all about .5 mile from each other. We started at the Washington Monument, which actually had a fence around it because they were doing some repairs. But we still got close enough to take a picture (which would be hard to miss, being it is the tallest monument). The Washington Monument acted as the perfect home base for us because it’s pretty easy to spot throughout whole city.
View of the Washington Monument from Lincoln 
Terrible Selfie for Your Personal Enjoyment 
The Washington Monument ft. Cup o’ Joe
From there we headed to The World War II Memorial and then to the Lincoln Memorial. They have a tribute to each state all circling a remarkable fountain.
Pathway leading to Memorial, Lincoln in the Background 
The Lincoln Memorial probably had the largest group of brave souls touring around like us. Many people were seeking shelter within the underestimated size of this gigantic hall. Visitors waited out the storm while reading the walls that have many of Lincoln’s quotes, as well as, the entire Gettysburg Address carved into the stone.
After comparing Lincoln to the back of the Penny, we visited the Vietnam Memorial. I have never seen this one at night, but I think it even more powerful in the rain and shadows that this night provided, creating a truly solemn place.
From there, we headed to the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial. Entering this memorial, you cut through giant rock formations with this powerful quote carved into the granite, “Out of the mountain of despair, and stone of hope.”
The Stone Entrance 
Quote listed above 
Martin Luther King Jr
There we hit a huge body of water, the rain started to let up a bit, but the sidewalks were flooded by the waves crashing against the main walls.
Through the water we trudged to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. This contribution to FDR was surprisingly interactive. It takes you through quite a few different art pieces, water formations, and displays before you finally reach a statue of FDR sitting with his loyal pup.
Some of the Fountains 
Some of the Art 
Fredrick D. Roosevelt
After walking through FDR’s park, we continued around the body of water to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. This was a special memorial for us, because earlier that morning we toured Jefferson’s home, Monticello. We began the day at his mansion, and ended the day at his memorial.
Entrance of Memorial 
View from the Steps 
Thomas Jefferson
Upon viewing Jefferson, the temperature dropped even lower, but THANK THE SWEET LORD the rain almost fully stopped. With the Washington Monument shining like a beacon of hope we began to wrap up our tour. Since the only parking we could find was almost directly next to the White House, we figured we should make a small detour and pay a little visit to Mr. Trump. After a bit of confusion, we finally found the entrance and snapped a quick photo while multiple secret service men watched us anxiously. Unfortunately, my screen was still soaked, so please ignore the water marks, just consider them as added on purpose for dramatic effect.
The White House
With that, we felt our Midnight tour of Washing DC seemed complete, (plus our parking was about to expire) so we returned to our trusty steed. We planned on cooking soup on our little portable stove (shout out to Daniel’s mom, Wendy, for the awesome camping gear), but between the rain and accidentally buying the wrong baby propane tank, we decided a local 24/7 diner was the only way to go. The Barnside Diner saved these little wet rats lives, and filled our stomachs with breakfast from heaven. Goodnight!
Barnside Diner 
The Real MVP
In the morning, we decided to conquer DC again but this time with a little sunshine on our side. While the weather still wasn’t perfect it was still a step up from the monsoon we experienced the night prior. Our first stop was the Smithsonians, more specifically The National Smithsonian of Air and Space (Daniel and I both working in aviation it seemed appropriate). It’s a huge museum, half dedicated to fixed wing aviation and the other half reserved for space exploration. We gave ourselves a time limit because it would be easy to spend a good chunk of your day there.
In his Natural Habitat 
The Aviation Side 
The Space Side
From there, we headed to The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, but the line was insane and packed with incredibly vocal middle schoolers (seriously, it was impressive the volume coming from people so small). So we decided to visit the Castle and grab a quick treat instead.
One location that meant a lot to Daniel and I was the Arlington National Cemetery. We really wanted to make sure we did not miss that and with it closing earlier than most DC tourist attractions, we decided to head there next. There we visited the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, and payed our respects the many brother and sisters in arms that gave their life for this beautiful country. It is always a powerful and moving visit, but we are thankful for a place that honors the military and the sacrifice our country was founded on.
Arlington’s National Cemetery 
The Tomb of the Unknown Solider
From there we headed back into the city to visit one of my favorite spots in all of DC, The National Botanic Gardens. It is a beautiful two story greenhouse packed with amazing plants, a peaceful outdoor garden, and an indoor learning facility (and it’s totally free to the public). If you like plants even a little bit or need some inspiration for your green thumb the Botanic Gardens is the place for you!
First floor 
National Botanic Gardens 
Tropical Little Guy 
“Quick crouch by those cute plants!” 
Plant Paradise
After my heart was full from those precious little oxygen machines, we headed to fill my husbands nerd heart, with books. That’s right, we decided to bring DC home by wrapping it up at: The Library of Congress. Even if you’re not a huge book fan, (guilty) the building is stunning, I mean absolutely gorgeous! There are huge sculptures outside, giant columns sprinkled around, a big entry fountain, and every inch of the inside (that isn’t covered in books) is sculpted or extravagantly painted.
Stunning Painted Ceilings 
The Library of Congress 
Entrance 
Observatory Section of the Library in Full Swing
Well, that pretty much wraps it up for our nations capitol. If you haven’t been I would definitely try to make it there at some point in your life. There is so much history, and almost everything (besides parking) is a free entry. It’s a really good place to spend the afternoon, or even a couple days. I hope you enjoyed my little virtual tour of Washington, DC. Love y’all!
