We’re in the midst of a family trip to Washington D.C. Yesterday, we hit some of the monuments – Jefferson, FDR, MLK, WWII, Korea, and Lincoln. I really enjoyed the FDR memorial – which I had not seen before. But, the Lincoln Memorial is still the high point for my D.C. visits. Never fails to choke me up. I was especially happy to see how incredibly stoked my son, Cole, was to see the memorial. His given first name is “Lincoln” which we shortened to “Cole” as a walking around nickname. So, he has a bit of a proprietary interest in The Railsplitter. Glad he finally got a chance to see the place.
We took our two youngest grandchildren–8 and 10–to DC and Williamsburg a couple of weeks ago. They enjoyed the air and space museum, the double-decker bus ride around the mall, and a boat ride on the Potomac, but to my surprise, their favorite was the Newseum. I highly recommend it!
We went to the spy museum and Ford’s theater yesterday. The Metro was a big hit as well.
I remember the summer I turned 11 and our trip to D.C. We spent hours in the Smithsonian. I never thought a museum could be so fantastic.
Agreed: Lincoln Memorial rocks! The second inaugural address, inscribed within, moved me deeply the first time I read it and every time since then.
I read the Gettysburg Address to my daughter and got choked up a couple of times.
The last time I was in DC was December 2004, just a couple months after my youngest was born. We went to the Jefferson Memorial around 9:00 PM one night, and only a couple other people were there (including a ranger, I think). It was almost a spiritual experience being there.
I went to Washington on my Senior Trip. I was not regrettably in the history and the importance of the institutions that we saw.
However, I was moved, like Doug, at the Lincoln monument. I remember thinking that Lincoln look exhausred and tired, just as the nation must have felt at the end of that brutal and and exhausting war. I remember that vision of Lincoln to this day.
I would second Sheila’s suggestion of the Newseum. As a news and history junkie, you’ll love everything about it and your kids will have a ball with the interactive exhibits. There’s a terrace on the upper level with an amazing view of the Capitol and Constitution Avenue. It’s also a great way to escape the heat and the worst of the crowds.