To celebrate the last few days of summer, we took a day trip to Washington, D.C. It had been a few years since we’d been there, despite the fact that it’s relatively close to us. We wanted to check out some of the museums we hadn’t visited yet.
There are so many amazing museums in D.C., and one of the best things about the city is that most of them are free. All of the Smithsonian museums are free, which means you could easily spend several days exploring them without spending a fortune. On this trip, we decided to visit the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Museum of Natural History.
We went on a Sunday at the end of August, which I’m going to call a pro tip for visiting the city. D.C. is obviously a major tourist destination, especially during the summer when kids are out of school. Since there are so many free things to do, it’s a particularly popular destination for families. Visiting at the end of August and on a Sunday seemed to be a winning combination for us. It wasn’t super crowded, likely because it was a Sunday and school was already back in session for most of the country. There were noticeably fewer people than during some of our previous visits.
If you’re driving into the city, I highly recommend finding a parking garage near the museums or attractions you want to visit. We found one that was conveniently located and cost $16 for the entire day. Once you park, prepare to walk a lot. We logged more than 15,000 steps that day.
Taking taxis or Ubers doesn’t seem very practical when you’re exploring the main attractions. I barely saw any in the areas we visited, and I’m sure the prices can add up quickly. D.C. can be an expensive city, despite the fact that many of its best attractions are free. So just suck it up, put on your most comfortable walking shoes, and get moving. You’ll spend more time trying to wave down a ride then you would just walking to your destinaton.
Since the 250th anniversary of the United States took place this year, there were celebrations and special events happening throughout the city. The museums had signs, displays, and special exhibits dedicated to the anniversary, which added an extra layer of fun to our visit. It was a great time to be in the city, and we got to see a few places we’d never been before while also enjoying some of the special events surrounding such a big milestone.
We had a lot of fun at these museums, but we actually didn’t take that many pictures. Lately, we’ve been trying to be better about putting our phones away and not feeling like we have to constantly document everything. Since Mark and I don’t use social media anymore, taking pictures is something we honestly just forget to do sometimes. We did take a few, though, so I’ll share those below.
Most of the time, we were just enjoying ourselves and being in the moment. That’s something we’re trying to get better at. I still wanted to document this day for the blog because I want to remember that we did this and remind ourselves that we should take more day trips like this.
Living outside of Philly, we’re only a few hours away from so many different places, but we tend to stay close to home. It’s good to get out and explore somewhere new every once in a while, even if it’s not some huge trip.
Traveling doesn’t always have to mean taking a big vacation or going somewhere far away. Sometimes it’s just driving a few hours, spending the day somewhere new, and coming home. You can still have a great time and make some really good memories. I think that’s something we need to remember more often.
