Making Memories in Washington D.C.
Here is how we spent our time in D.C., so our teen kids (and I) were never bored with too much history.
Once we booked our hotel, we marked our calendar three months before the day we arrived in D.C. to schedule the tours we were interested in. You can’t do it before 90 days. We arrived on April 18th, so we put on our calendar Feb 18th to book tours. We were flexible with our day and times, which is probably why we scored tickets for everything we signed up for. So we signed up for The White House Tour, the Library of Congress, and The Capitol Building. Going to the top of The National Monument is booked 30 days out. Once we were told what days and times we had the tours, we added The Lincoln Assassination walking tour.
Day 1
Check into the Willard Intercontinental, an Iconic Luxury Hotel in the perfect location. Dripping with history and often referred to as the “Residence of Presidents,” The Willard has welcomed presidents, foreign dignitaries, and celebrities.
Because of its prime location, spend what time you have left in the day scoping out the area and checking out the lit-up monuments at night.
Day 2
First up a tour of The White House
After that, we walked to CityCenter and shopped the surrounding blocks.
We then walked to The Wharf for an enjoyable lunch at Hank’s Oyster Bar. Book a reservation in advance for dinner at Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, The Wharf.
That night, we had the Lincoln Assassination walking tour. We loved every minute of the tour. One of the stops on tour was our hotel, The Willard Intercontinental, which was cool.
Day 3
Up to the top of the National Memorial.
All four views are impressive, starting off overlooking the Capitol Building, then the Jefferson Memorial, the 3rd side is the Lincoln Memorial, and last but not least, looking at a bird’s eye view of the White House. I loved going to the top of the National Monument. Seeing everything laid out from up high makes navigating the city much easier and more interesting. I learned many interesting facts about the monument.
After that, into a cab and off to Georgetown M Street for some shopping.
Then, a cab ride to the Capitol Building for a tour.
Day 4
Library of Congress tour, followed by a bit of museum hopping. This is a preference thing, depending on your interests. We most enjoyed walking through the botanical garden and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Museum.
All museums stated that timed passes are required, which we did, but we also walked into some where we didn’t have passes without any problem. We also bought tickets to The Spy Museum in advance.
After a few hours in the museums, we took a cab to Union Market for Dinner. The drive brings you through cute neighborhoods.
Throughout our time in D.C., we squeezed in other sites we happened to walk past, but the ones above were our highlights and what we had planned to do.
Additional Tip: Some of the tours are self-guided. It is worth asking people working in the buildings questions. They loved answering and sharing many more interesting facts once the conversation started.
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.