Two Days in Washington D.C. During Fall (Day 1)

There is a lot to see and do in Washington D.C. so if you plan your visit ahead you can cover a lot of ground. I made a suggested itinerary and a list of places I wanted to check out; we packed walking shoes and did our best to cover as much as possible. I googled Washington D.C. in one day and found some helpful blogs that gave me some tips on where to go and how to get there. Everyone’s trip will be different but it helped me choose what I wanted to do and what I would skip.

The best part of my trip was meeting up with my sister and brother in law. Family time is always precious and I’m glad we were able to be together.

The National Museum of America History

The American History Museum was high on my list of things to do. The museum has free entry and is home to some cool artifacts that I was interested in checking out. For example the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, Julia Child’s kitchen, gowns worn by First Ladies on Inauguration Day, personal belongings of our U.S. Presidents. The museum is big and has lots of things to see. You can easily spend all day here.

National Archives

The National Archives building is a 7 minute walk from the Museum of American History. The building is huge but it seemed like visitor access was limited to a small area. Entrance is free and you can reserve time slot entrance online to skip the line. You can research their archives and see the Bill of Rights, Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Pictures are not allowed inside the building.

Embassy Suites Hotel

Our stay was at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Crystal City. We made our way back to the hotel in time for their complimentary managers reception. Which equals free happy hour drinks and light snacks. All Embassy Suites offer this amenity (as long as state liquor laws allow it). They also have one of the best courtesy breakfast buffets around; with an omelette chef. We ate dinner here at Tap Twelve. The food was mediocre but filling.Washington Applelight snack

Washington D.C. Monuments

The monuments are incredible works of art. You can visit them any time as they are accessible 24 hours a day. Personally, I think they are more magnificent at night when the lights are illuminating them. Also, there is less foot traffic, most families and tours explore during the day. In November it can get chilly so dress warm and wear appropriate walking shoes.

I did not have a map on where to go or the best route to take. We just went with the flow starting at the White House and working our way to the Jefferson Memorial. I believe we covered some good ground in a little over an hour and a half.White House at nightTreasuryWashington Monumentyou can go to the top but it was closed for renovation during our visitView from Washington MonumentLincoln Memorialview from Lincoln MemorialMartin Luther King Jr MemorialThomas Jefferson MemorialStellar quote