In early March, I had the good fortunate to be in Washington, D.C. for a conference. Once the conference ended, I had a little over a day to do some exploring and I knew that I wanted to see some museums, monuments and memorials.
One of the things I realized pretty quickly was that this is a place where you can easily spend a week learning, seeing, and doing.
For my purposes, I limited my exploration to places where I could walk to. My priorities were to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
I was last in D.C. for Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009. That was historic and fun but not really a sight seeing tour. At that time, neither the MLK memorial nor the African American museum were opened. The MLK memorial opened in 2011 and the African American museum in 2016.
Without a doubt, I highly recommend visits to both.
I also wanted to see some monuments but I couldn’t tell which monuments were near the MLK memorial until I got there.
One thing that many people might not realize is that the museums and monuments are generally free; for some you need to register online for tickets or entry times.
My one regret was that it was still too early for the blooming of the cherry blossoms but I had great weather which makes for a great time as well. This brief but exciting excursion has me wanting to spend much more time exploring our nation’s capital.
Today, I’m sharing a pictorial of my limited time being a tourist in Washington, D.C. Because there are so many photos, I’m going to split this up into 2 posts. This post will be the MLK memorial and other monuments and museums. Thursdays post will be the African American museum.
Before heading to out to do some exploring, brunch was on tap. We went to The Imperial for brunch and then stopped by The Cake Room to pick up cupcakes for later! Brunch was delicious and the cupcake I got was absolutely divine!
The National Mall
The National Mall and Memorial Parks is where you’ll find the monuments and museums that most of us have seen in pictures, on television and in the movies.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
The memorial itself and all of the sayings on the wall are very moving.
The saying on the wall says: Peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.
Jefferson Memorial
After spending some time at the MLK memorial, I walked over to the Jefferson Memorial. You can see it across the water and it too is a beautifully designed building.
One of the things I find fascinating about memorials is reading the words of people from hundreds of years ago. These words by Jefferson ring so true today as did much of what King had to say. It makes me wonder what memorials will be around after I’m gone for 200 years. Will anything I say stand the test of time??? Doubtful!
I did not go to the Lincoln Memorial due to time constraints but I was able to see it on the way to my next stop.
The Washington Monument
And of course after all the walking I’d been doing, I had to have a little snack to give me some energy to keep going.
The National Museum of Natural History
This museum has a bit of everything. Animals, jewels, art and the list continues. Here are some of my favorites.
The Hope Diamond-it is even more amazing to see it live! 45.52 carats and it is breathtaking. Click the link the read more about it.
There are many other spectacular jewels to see as well. The Hope Diamond may be in a class of its own but these other jewels hold their own as well. I certainly wouldn’t turn them down!
These Marie Antoinette earrings are stunning! This other photo is from the “art” collection. It showcases nature in its art form. This sculpture is made of sand from Fontainebleau, France. The quarry where this creation was found has been mined for its white sand to make glass for over 300 years.
The Sculpture Garden
One of the things that is so fun about being on the national mall is that not everything is inside of a museum or other structure. Walking around, I ran into this sculpture garden.
Some of the sculptures are kind of cool and some are kind of ugly. You can choose which is which!!
Street Scene
The Capitol
It was starting to get late and I was getting tired from all the walking but I could not leave without seeing The Capitol.
Another beautiful structure. It was hard to see it with the scaffolding around it. The sign is blurred some from the beautiful sunset in the background!
The sign reads: The Architect of the Capitol is undertaking a major restoration project to preserve and restore the historic exterior of the U.S. Capitol Building, including its exterior stone and decorative metalwork.
That was one afternoon of sightseeing! I got to see a lot just by walking around. Attractions are close to each other and when you’re at one, you can see others. There are also several maps guiding you to places that you can’t see so that you can plan your trip.
I definitely think that it’s worth it to plan out your days and register for some tours of the insides of some of the monuments.
On Thursday, please enjoy another pictorial of the National Museum of African American Culture and History.
Thanks for reading. Please put any questions or comments in the chat.
Great pictures – thanks for sharing!