Museum After Museum in Washington, D.C.

So I skipped a few weeks writing about April's long weekend in Washington, D.C., but here it is -- our whirlwind tour of a few of the Smithsonian museums!

After about eight hours of touring the monuments followed by a food truck lunch, it was 3 p.m. Many of the Smithsonian museums close around 5:30 p.m., but they are free so we felt no qualms about popping in one to check it out. So on Easter Day we checked out the National Museum of Natural History. We only stayed about an hour. It was fine but extremely crowded.

The next day we headed to the American History museum just after breakfast. We spent much longer than I expected there -- about four hours, including lunch. Highlights included the flag that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner, along with a display of dresses worn by First Ladies. 

The Air and Space Museum was one of the few (or only, I'm not sure) museums that required a timed ticket. Unfortunately by the time I got around to claiming them a few weeks before we left, only 3 p.m. was left. It ended up being plenty of time, probably because half of the museum was closed for renovations. The highlight there included seeing the real Wright Flyer -- a must as an Ohioan! Paul and Atticus especially enjoyed the space exhibits.

Not a museum of course, but we followed them up that day with a walk around the Capital Building and a glimpse of the Supreme Court building behind it.

The next morning we dropped off our luggage to our car and walked the few blocks to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. We viewed the Presidential portraits and a sampling of all others.

Worn out after a busy 4 1/2 days, we were in the car heading home by 1:30 p.m. What a wonderful few days! It was the trip I remembered taking to D.C. as a kid, and I hope our own kids got just as much out of it.

Atticus's First Communion

Saturday was a special day in our family, and for Atticus especially. He received his First Communion! We celebrated at home with family after a special mass for our church's second graders.

Walking the Memorials of Washington, D.C. -- with Kids

We arrived in Washington, D.C., on a Saturday evening. If it were just Paul and me, I would have dragged him around to see the monuments at night. But since we had a 10- and 8-year-old with us, we walked 20 minutes to the National Mall to see the Washington Monument lit up in one direction and the Capitol in the other, then returned to our hotel.

Sunday was Easter, and we had special plans -- 10 a.m. tickets to the top of the Washington Monument. We were out the door around 8:30 to take a few photos at the White House first, and then off we went.

The Washington Monument tickets were difficult to get -- free, but released a month in advance and gone in minutes. I was lucky to snag four. It ended up being a highlight of the trip. It was a clear, bright, sunny morning, and the views were magnificent.

We were on our feet for eight hours that day, touring the series of memorials and monuments around the Reflecting Pool and Tidal Basin. In order: Washington, World War II, Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean, MLK, FDR and Jefferson.

My purse was full of snacks, which kept the kids from grumbling too much. (Atticus just constantly asked for food! Edith demurred, got hangry and then was instantly in a better mood after a snack.) The whole DIY tour took about four hours from hotel to the Jefferson Memorial, with the Washington Monument taking about an hour alone.

We ate at one of the many food trucks near the Mall -- a far cry from the puny hot dog stands I remember from a trip to D.C. as a kid. Then it was off to the National Archives, where we saw the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and even the Magna Carta.

It was a day full of history -- perfect for a fourth- and second-grader. Next week: The museums.