D.C. Day 3: National Archive and Holocaust Museum

Declaration of Independence!

On Monday, we took an Uber into Washington D.C. and went to the National Archives for a quick visit. National Treasure is a favorite movie in this house (Thanks to Zach) so it was very fun for the kids to see a place featured in the movie. 

We saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution,B ill of Rights, Letter of Emancipation, 19th Amendment and the Magna Carta. It was so neat to see these important documents in person! We spent about 90 minutes there.

 

Bill of Rights

Rosie the Riveter

The Magna Carta

Next, we walked about a mile down the National Mall to the United States Holocaust Museum, where we had a time-stamped entry. This museum was full to capacity for many time slots while we were there, so if you want to visit, I would recommend planning ahead for the day/time you want.

Front of the museum

We ate lunch at the cafe in the museum --I had a really good matzo ball soup!

Reminds me of the soup my grandma used to make, only extra flavorful.

Because we ate lunch, we were just on the edge of our entry time, but the staff were so kind--we were able to get day-of tickets without a problem. The museum is free, but they monitor how many people are there. I think it's a good thing, but there were SO MANY people there when we were there. The staff handled it well. The information desk folks saw Wilder and Felicity, and recommended we start with the children's exhibit. That was excellent advice. The exhibit follows a fictional boy named Daniel, who was Jewish and lived with his family in Germany. Through diary entries, we saw his life before Nazi's came to power, then how it changed as persecution began, then the move to a ghetto, then to a concentration camp. It was an experiential and age-appropriate way (ages 8 and up) to introduce kids to the Holocaust.

This was really powerful.

At the end of Daniel's Story, visitors are invited to write about what they encountered, and process their thoughts.

In line at the main permanent exhibit, a docent welcomed our family, and shared with Zach and I which two areas to avoid showing the kids due to graphic images. They were on the second floor, and you had to look over a concrete wall to the screen to see them. I appreciated the heads-up. While the kids are familiar with the history and have seen several museum exhibits about the Holocaust, we also have not finished the Ken Burns documentary about World War II because the images are too graphic for their ages right now. We prepared the kids for what we would be seeing, and they did well taking it all in.

This museum was exceptional--it was a comprehensive overview of some of the politics that let to Hitler rising to power, the responses of other countries, and what it was like for Jewish people during that time. It shares facts and stories, photos, videos, artifacts, sounds and more. But it wasn't overwhelming. We spend about 3.5 hours there. I'm really, really glad we got to visit. Wilder studied the Holocaust in 5th grade, and Felicity will be studying it this fall when she's in 5th grade.

Cities captured by the Nazis. I am pointing at Angers, France--I studied abroad there!

Train car

Somehow I haven't yet read Elie Wiesel's books, as much as I've read about this time period. Seemed a good place to get them!

After our visit to the Holocaust museum, we took our first Metro trip to a stop near our friends. Wilder loves a good metro, and it was fun to ride!

Had to take a selfie with the Department of Agriculture. Gig 'em!

Smithsonian stop!

We ended our evening back in Arlington, and spent time with our friends!

Next: Day 4: Capitol Tour, Library of Congress, Air & Space Museum

D.C. Day 2: Museum of Natural History and Monument Bike Tour

On Sunday morning, we ventured into Washington, D.C., to meet Zach's cousin Becky and her family at the National Mall. Becky has lived in the area for years, but she used to live in Dallas. It was great to see them! The National Mall is a beautiful park extending from the Capitol building to the Washington Monument, with Smithsonian museums and other official buildings all around it. When we visited, there was construction, temporary buildings and closures for the Freedom 250 rally all around the interior of the space, but luckily there was still a strip of green grass and trees bordering the center. It was shady and a nice place to sit and visit.

We were right in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and since we had time and it was one of the top places we wanted to visit, our two families went in to explore. This museum, like all of the Smithsonians, is free. 

Even though it's a popular site, there isn't a time stamp entry, so we were able to walk right in. (Every museum, basically every building we went into on this visit, had metal detectors and security at the door).

Bison statue

Wilder and Felicity recognized this room from A Night At the Museum 2!

Becky!

THE Hope Diamond

T

I loved how the emeralds in this tiara were swapped for turquoise before being donated to the museum.

The Megaladon--one of Wilder's FAVORITE creatures.

We ate lunch at the Ocean Terrace Cafe, which overlooked this giant recreation of a Megaladon. Wilder loved looking at it while we ate.

Actual jaw of a megaladon

Wilder loves animals that live in the Twilight Zone

This guy was in both Night at the Museum movies :-)

After the Museum of Natural History, we made our way over to the starting point for our "Monuments and Memorials" bike tour. I did this tour in 2012, on my last visit to the area, with my friend Kate. Back then it was run by Fat Tire Bike Tours, but the exact same tour is now run by Unlimited Biking. It's a 3-hour tour, and I believe we saw 8 monuments and memorials in all. We were part of a group with three other people and our tour guide.

All four of us really enjoyed the tour. The weather was perfect--not hot at all--the sites are so easy to access with a bike, and we learned lots of interesting facts. Our tour guide was named Abby (which the kids loved). Wilder wished the tour was longer, and Felicity wanted to take the tour again with the same tour guide.

Getting ready to roll out!

Jefferson Memorial

Thomas Jefferson

Washington Monument

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Loved this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt

FDR quote--there were four "rooms" with quotes in each one.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. This exhibit had opened not long before I visited last time.

There were many quotes from MLK Jr. on the walls

Korean War Veterans Memorial. The statues are haunting.

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

The Reflecting Pool was empty when we saw it on Sunday (May 31)

Statue of soldiers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

This statue is dedicated to the women who served in the Vietnam War.

 I don't know if it was here last time I visited, or if it stuck out more to me because I have read Kristin Hannah's The Women, but this was a really impactful statue, and it made me emotional looking at it. This was the highlight of the monument tour to me.

World War II Memorial. This was Wilder's favorite.

WWII Memorial

WWII Memorial

After our bike tour, we headed back to Arlington and had dinner with the Pattersons at a nearby sushi restaurant. I didn't get many pics because we were just enjoying the company!

I think I love a Japanese old fashioned even more than a regular one.

These cats always remind us of Beau.

We had ice cream at nearby Jeni's Ice Cream. The ice cream there was marvelous!! 

Next up, Day 3, we visited the National Archives and the Holocaust Museum!