Texas to DC to Texas … Driving. What were we thinking?
We were thinking how awesome it would be. And it was!
Husband, two teen boys, our fur baby and me. All packed in a car headed to DC for some much needed fun.
We allowed three days for travel. Afterall, we were looking at 1600 miles each way.
On our first day of travel, we drove from Houston to Memphis. We stopped at the Clinton Presidential Library in Arkansas for some play time. Got back on the road to make it to Memphis. We HAD to drive to Memphis to taste their famous BBQ! We made a quick stop at Central BBQ and bought ribs, pulled pork sandwiches and a brisket sandwich. The ribs and pulled pork sandwiches did not disappoint! We may be biased but nothing can touch Texas brisket.
Second day, we drove from Memphis to Salem, VA. The scenery on this stretch of the trip was breathtaking! Tennessee and Virginia are absolutely beautiful. We had travelled over 1200 miles in two days. We were ready to get to our destination.
Third day, we drove from Salem, VA to Washington, DC. But, first, we got sidetracked by Woodrow Wilson’s Presidential Library. We had to make a pitstop here. What’s the fun of a road trip without all the stops along the way?
We finally made it to Washington, DC. w00h00! After being in a car for 2 1/2 days we were so glad to finally make it to the house. We rented a wonderful apt in Capitol Hill. It ended up working out much better than staying in a hotel. It costs about the same as a hotel but we were able to stretch out a little more since we had a private bedroom, laundry room, freedom to leave the dog at the apt while we went on our adventures around the city and we had a full kitchen! I didn’t cook much but the kids really enjoy their cereal and ramen noodles. We brought most of our own food to help save on food costs while we were there. It worked out great.
DC DAY ONE
US CAPITOL TOUR We had a date with the US Capitol first thing in the morning. It was a short walk from our “DC home”. We got there barely on time (boys, ugh! and by boys I mean the big one that I’m married to!) Thank goodness the weather was perfect, you have to wait in a line outside before they let you in. Once we were molested by security we were finally in the building. We walked downstairs to get to the check-in area. Once checked in we waited in another line, waiting for our turn for the tour. Our turn came and we were directed into a theatre and watched a short video. Then, we went to ANOTHER line. Here, they handed out headphones so we could hear our tour guide. Our tour guide was a young woman from Rhode Island. She was FANTASTIC! She enthusiastically showed us around and answered all our questions. I will be more than happy to go back after the dome restoration is finished.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TOUR We had a tour at the Library of Congress after the Capitol tour. They are across the street from each other. This is a beautiful building inside and out. We weren’t so lucky and had a not so good tour guide. We couldn’t hear anything and she seemed not to really care about being there. A few people on the tour left in the middle of it. We continued with the tour hoping it would get better. At least the building is so interesting you can overlook the lack of a good tour guide for the most part. I saw other tours walking around … I was tempted to hijack another one. That’s okay … Not everyone is meant to be a tour guide.
SMITHSONIAN CASTLE We walked to the Castle, it took us about 30 minutes from the Library of Congress. We weren’t sure how to get there, so we probably didn’t walk the quickest route. Smartphone GPS’s really come in handy in situations like this one. There isn’t much to do here, but, if knowing we were wanting to visit many Smithsonian Museums this was a good way to plan our attack.
DC DAY TWO
SMITHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM This place is WOW. Just WOW. The travel guides said to allow 2+ hours here. We could have spent 2+ DAYS here! My boys, all my boys, were in awe of every display. So much to see, read, watch … sensory overload. We spent the better part of the day here. It was pretty darn amazing. Yes, we will be back.
NOTE: next visit we will allow more time to spend at the Air and Space.
DC DAY THREE
WHITE HOUSE TOUR Yes! We were able to get into the White House! We took Metro to get there. From Metro, the White House is a short walk. Again, standing in line … they were a little behind schedule and we had to wait a little longer than anticipated. Before going in, we had to go through 3 separate security points. DO NOT TAKE A BAG!! We saw two women who did not follow directions and were turned away because they had bags with them. NO BAGS ALLOWED FOR ANY REASON. Get it? Got it. Soon after we walked into the White House the First Dog was being escorted down the hall. That was pretty awesome. Yes, I know it’s just a dog. But, I love dogs. We got some great photos of our visit. It’s a very short, self-guided tour. It takes less than an hour to walk through.
NOTE: if you visit the White House and want to make a purchase from the gift shop DO IT RIGHT AWAY! Once you go through the tour they shove you out and you cannot go back to the shop. There is a White House gift shop across the street from the White House, but they do not have the same items as inside the actual White House.
SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM We spent a couple hours at the American History Museum. We walked around all 3 levels. They are working on a few areas so we didn’t get to see as much as we would have liked. Some of my favorite things were Julia Child’s kitchen, Dorothy’s red ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz, Kermit the Frog (love Muppets!) and of course the amazing Star Spangled Banner Flag.
SMITHSONIAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM We didn’t spend much time here at all. We went in to see the Hope Diamond. Most everything else was something we see at our local museum (Houston has an amazing Science Museum). This is a very nice museum. If you don’t have a good science museum in your area allow yourself a couple hours to visit.
DC DAY 4
Went to Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken for lunch. My favorite menu item is the vanilla bean doughnut. YUM.
FORD’S THEATRE They have a free museum in the basement of the building. We didn’t get to see the theatre, they were setting up for an upcoming show. The museum was well done, very small but thorough. Across the street is the house where Lincoln ultimately died.
FBI BUILDING We didn’t get to go here. We were hoping!! Didn’t realize you have to request a month in advance to your state representative. If you want to visit the FBI building make sure you reserve. Big bummer. They are getting ready to move to a different location. Visit before they go.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT We went to see the monument. It’s pretty amazing up close. We didn’t go to the top. All the tickets were sold. Again, I didn’t plan well here. I highly suggest paying for tickets online if you are on a tight schedule.
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM We didn’t intend to go here, Houston has a nice one. It’s such an intense subject we weren’t sure if we really wanted to be put in that kind of mood. We were so glad we went. The building was a work of art. Before you go upstairs to start the exhibit, you pick a card that has someone’s life story. You read it as you go along in the museum. What an amazing experience. This is definitely not for younger kids. Allow yourself at least 2 hours to go through the whole thing or you will be rushed.
DC DAY 5
SMITHSONIAN ZOO This was a trek from metro to the Zoo. You have been warned. We spent about 6 hours at the zoo. We got to see the pandas! This is a very nice zoo. Don’t rush it unless you hate animals … and in that case, why would you even go to the zoo? This was a lot of walking … it was a great change of pace from the previous days.
DC DAY 6
Oldest son decided to get sick. Like really sick. Stuck in bed sick. Hubby and youngest son went out for the day. I stayed in the apt with my oldest son. So, this was a lazy day for me other than walking to CVS twice for meds.
DC DAY 7
EASTERN MARKET We spent all morning at Eastern Market. What a wonderful place! Lot’s of things to look at, buy, eat … We looked at everything there. Really cool art of all kinds. You need to visit if you are in the area. Make sure you go on the weekend only. That’s when everyone is there. We found Ma Brown … omg. She has the yummiest pineapple upside down cake ever! We bought every single one of her cakes – it was that good.
CHEF GEOFF Dinner. Was. Awesome. Go here if you are in the area. Not only did we have good food, they took very good care of us. Very nice place!
MEMORIALS AND MONUMENTS AT NIGHT This is a must do. Seeing them during the day is something everyone needs to do. But, there is something about them at night that really is incredible. I wish we had more time to do this again at night. Absolutely amazing.
BACK ON THE ROAD
With a sick kid in tow, we headed back home. This time we went south, through the mountains … We stayed in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina for an evening. My sister lives there … it was nice to visit, even if it was just for one night. We then drove to Georgia and stayed with my dad. It’s always great to be able to visit family. One night in Georgia and we drove the rest of our trip non-stop. (except to eat and get gas of course!) It was about 1000 miles from my dad’s house to my driveway.
We had such a great time … but, it is always great getting back home and sleeping in your own bed.
Things I would do differently:
- Bought items in the White House Gift Shop instead of waiting. Duh!
- FBI tour would have been requested ahead of time if I had known.
- Buy tickets online to go to the top of the Washington Monument.
I love our family road trips. I hope we have time for another one before my boys go off to college. I’m thinking next one … DISNEY.