Last year, I was finally able to visit Washington D.C. with my family. My 8th grade trip was shut down by COVID, so I finally got to take the long-awaited trip that my parents promised me. There are so many things to do in D.C. that you could literally visit for weeks on end and not get bored, so it’s very important to plan your time wisely and know how to get tickets ahead of time if you need to.
Of course, you want to try to do a tour of the White House if you can. You’ll need to email your representative or house member 90 days in advance of your anticipated arrival date. It’s a lottery system, so I’d recommend sending out an email ahead of time to all of them to see who responds and follow their directions closely, which requires submission of passport or other citizenship documents. I was lucky to get a spot and it was a great tour. I even got to see the president’s dog the day I was there. You’ll also want to visit the nearby White House Visitor Center that has a museum and lots of information about the history of the White House as well as White House Gifts which is very touristy, but a fun place to shop, nonetheless.
A trip to Washington D.C. wouldn’t be complete without visiting the National Monuments. There are a lot of them to see including the ones we all know about like the Lincoln Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and the World War II Memorial, but there are also a lot of other ones like the George Mason Memorial, Signer’s Memorial, D.C. Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, MLK Memorial, and US Marine Corps War Memorial and more I probably missed. Be prepared to walk for a long, long time if you want to see most of them. Maybe do what we did and stop at Tidal Basin to rent a paddle boat and paddle around to see the Thomas Jefferson and FDR Memorials from the water. That was a great experience!
Make sure to leave a few days to see some of the exhibits in the Smithsonians as there is so much to see. I especially liked the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and the American History Museum.
You’ll also want to visit the current government buildings like the U.S. Capitol (stop by the Capitol Café and grab a white chocolate mold that looks like the Capitol building and is filled with whipped cream and berries – one of the most fun snacks I had the entire trip), the National Archives Research Center, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress. Just a little hint on the Library of Congress. If you are at least 16 years old, you can obtain your own library card and go into the actual library and look around at all of the books. It was a great experience and much more personal experience than being stuck walking through the regular pathways with everyone else. You have to plan ahead and make sure to show up the hours that are stated on their website and have the appropriate documentation, but it is well worth the extra effort. Also, if you stop by your representative’s office ahead of time, be sure to ask for galley passes which are free and allow you to sit high up above the floor and watch our government in action. I was lucky to catch a briefing on some of the upcoming votes while I was there.
After all of this touring, you’ll be really hungry, so you might also want to try out some cool restaurants like Busboys and Poets, Elephant & Castle, Shake Shack, Old Ebbitt Grill, Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips or the original Ben’s Chili Bowl. I didn’t make it to all of these, but Ben’s Chili Bowl was especially good. It was a bit of a long Metro ride there, but was very old and had an original vibe to it. There were lots of famous people’s pictures on the walls and a video loop going showing everyone from famous actors and actresses to singers and musicians, both from a long time ago and more current times enjoying their meal there.
I hope you will find some of these spots to see in Washington D.C. as interesting as I did and that you enjoy your trip. Make sure to check the websites for every place that’s a must do on your list at least a few months before leaving, because you’ll need to make reservations and/or purchase tickets for many of the places listed above well ahead of time. It seems that the guidelines for reservations are always changing since COVID, so I’d recommend checking online for the most up-to-date information.
Happy Travels!









