Best things to do in Washington, D.C.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Everyone should visit Washington, D.C. at least once to learn and appreciate more about the history of the United States. There are museums, monuments and federal buildings everywhere you turn and most are within walking distance of one another. I grew up visiting family in northern Virginia every summer and have had the opportunity to visit D.C. quite a few times over the years. The prettiest time to go in my opinion is during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, usually held during late March to early April.

Expect crowds, but you can’t beat walking around the Tidal Basin and enjoying views of the Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial with all of the cherry blossoms in bloom.

Jefferson Memorial

Head over to the Jefferson Memorial for a closer look at the detailed work inside to honor the author of the Declaration of Independence, statesman and founding father. There is also an exhibit below the memorial with more information about Jefferson.

U.S. Capitol

You can contact your representative in Congress to set up a tour of the U.S. Capitol and also try to tour the White House. I toured the White House once as a child but was not able to on my most recent trip. We were able to get a personal tour of the Capitol building and see both the House of Representatives and Senate chambers.

White House

If you are unable to tour the White House, there is a White House Visitor Center across the street that offers some interesting exhibits of memorabilia from presidents throughout the years and history of the White House.

Mount Vernon

We took the Spirit of Mount Vernon cruise down the Potomac River to tour George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon. You can visit the mansion, farms, gardens, distillery, blacksmith shop, slave quarters and more to see what life was like for our country’s first president.

Lincoln Memorial

You will also want to check out the Lincoln Memorial, located at the end of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. Inside, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is inscribed on the wall.

Ford’s Theatre

To learn more about Lincoln’s life and tragic ending, visit Ford’s Theatre. The site of Lincoln’s assassination has a wonderful museum about our 16th president. Your ticket includes admission to Petersen House across the street, where Lincoln spent his final hours.

World War II Memorial

Opened in 2004, the World War II Memorial is located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and pays tribute to the 16 million who served in the United States armed forces and the more than 400,000 who died.

Other war memorials in D.C. to see are the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, both of which are very touching.

Old Ebbitt Grill

A neat place for a meal is Old Ebbitt Grill, founded in 1856 and said to be Washington's oldest saloon. Old Ebbitt Grill has had several locations and once served as a boarding house, where its guest list was impressive. President McKinley is said to have lived there while in Congress, and Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Warren Harding supposedly visited its bar.

Smithsonian museums

You will also be sure to want to explore some of the Smithsonian museums during your time in our nation’s capital. Honestly, you could spend an entire day in each one! The National Air and Space Museum is a big draw and for good reasons. You can see everything there from the Spirit of St. Louis to the Wright Brothers’ plane to objects from the historic Apollo moon landing.

One of my favorites is the National Museum of American History, where you can see the First Ladies’ dresses on display, as well as White House china and personal objects. I had never been to a Madame Tussauds before, but it was included with a tour we took and turned out to be a good place for some fun photo ops.

Library of Congress

I had heard for many years that the Library of Congress was a beautiful building, so we decided to check it out. It was very ornate inside and not what you think of when you hear the word library.

There was a whole room dedicated to Thomas Jefferson’s collection of books, which I thought was cool.

National Archives

One more place I will mention is the National Archives, where you can view the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. It’s very impressive to be able to see them all in person.

There is so much to see and do in Washington, D.C. What have you enjoyed most there?