Washington D.C. Field Trip 2007

In 2007 I took the kids to Washington D.C. for a homeschool field trip by train on the Capitol Limited from Chicago.  The first thing we learned was that traveling by train may be economical, but was prone to delays and the seats were incredibly uncomfortable.  We got in four hours late, exhausted and irritable.  We took a cab to our hotel and then made our way over to the Lincoln Memorial.

While in D.C. we did a LOT of walking and used their metrorail system to get around, too.  We toured the Smithsonian Institution's  "castle" which contains a variety of objects that represents all of the museums.  The 19th century Gothic Revival architectural style was an exhibit of its own, and Katrina and I especially enjoyed seeing a pair of Kristi Yamaguchi's signed figure skates.

Everyone recognizes the iconic Washington Monument, which was visible from many places we visited while in D.C.  The monument was built between 1848 and 1884 as a tribute to George Washington's military leadership during the American Revolution.

The National Archives and the Jefferson Memorial were definitely my favorites. The Rotunda of the National Archives contains the permanent exhibit of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.  Talk about seeing history come alive!  The Faulkner Murals and the Rotunda itself were just as impressive to see.

photo from National Archives website

 The Jefferson Memorial was just so beautiful, and we were lucky enough to get there shortly before sunset to see the marble kissed by those golden rays.  Jefferson was quite the statesman and philosopher, and his words inspiring.  One of my travel goals is to visit Monticello, Jefferson's plantation which he designed himself.

So many museums, so little time! Some of the other places we visited included the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Ford's Theatre, the National Air and Space Museum, the Old Post Office Pavillion, St. Patrick's Church, Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum.

Seeing the giant pandas at the National Zoo was a nice break from all the serious museums.

And last, but not least, we toured the Capitol building. If you want to really see it, make a request through the office of your U.S. Congressman.  One of the interns met us at Paul Ryan's office and we took the tunnel over to the Capitol. I couldn't begin to describe all the things we saw, but a quick list includes the Old Senate, a stunning collection of paintings and sculptures around every turn, the Crypt, the National Statuary Hall which contains 100 statues honoring notable persons from every state, and we also popped into the House of Representatives to watch the goings-on.  Be careful of what information you take away with you...apparently the interns make up some things sometimes!

This was my first trip to the capitol of our country, and Wayne hasn't gone yet, so I'm sure we'll get there for a visit of our own someday.  While we packed as much into our few days there as we could, there was a lot the kids and I didn't get to see!