Washington D.C.- Beauty and History

Beautiful, historical, and interesting places are pretty much my motivation to travel. Luckily, there are no shortage of places that fit all three of those categories in Washington D.C.

Starting with one of the most famous- we were excited to visit the Capitol Building.

You can only see the inside as part of a guided tour, which is not ideal with toddlers, but we felt pretty confident our girls could handle one hour-long tour. Unfortunately that did not end up being the case, but we're still glad we managed to see what we did.

Our first stop was the crypt- where they planned on burying George Washington in the spot that's roped off. He declined and wanted to be buried at Mt. Vernon. They then really tried to convince Martha to move him over after his death but she also declined.

We also saw the former Supreme Court, Senate, and House chambers. The meltdown was beginning so I didn't hear everything, but I'm pretty sure these rooms were used in the first half of the 19th century, until more space was needed.

I'm not sure which one of the three this is because I was holding 27 pounds of thrashing child, but they all looked pretty similar.

The impressive Rotunda was of course the highlight of our tour. It would already have been memorable for its grandeur and amazing paintings and sculptures depicting American history, but Rosie made the visit more memorable for not just us, but everyone within a mile radius.

My newly 2 year old was already grumpy after the security guards had the audacity to dump out the water in her prized princess water bottle. I also made a toddler mom mistake. As we were leaving for the day, Magnolia wanted to bring her doll along. I packed Rosalie's doll to bring also, but she vehemently objected.

What I should have done was pretend to acquiesce to the toddler's demands but secretly pack it anyways because she would inevitably want it later. But instead I left it behind. She chose the moment with optimal acoustics to decide that she in fact desperately needed it and let out some ear-splitting screams.

She may end up being a singer; she has excellent lungs. And the Capitol dome has excellent echo potential.

We of course tried everything in our power to soothe her but she wasn't having it. So we ended up leaving the tour early and I'm not sure what we missed. I do know you don't see the actual Senate/House galleries in this tour- you have to get a special pass from your Senator or representative. Maybe next time... we'll wait a few years before we try again.

David and Magnolia explored the artifacts and videos in the small museum by the entrance while Rosie got some Mama cuddles to feel better. Maggie got to write her own bill.

Next on the agenda was eating at the Capitol Café. These desserts were adorable. Both girls thankfully felt much happier after lunch.

We took the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress and were blown away when we got there! I think it was my favorite place we visited in D.C. The Great Hall gave me Italian palace vibes.

This is the Thomas Jefferson Building- there are two other giant buildings that are also part of the library. It's named after Jefferson because he offered to sell his 6000+ book collection to replenish the library after many books were lost when the British burned down Washington (part of their revenge tour during the War of 1812). I'd like to thank Jefferson for reminding me that I don't have too many books and I can aspire to owning more.

My little girls focusing on their sticker books, oblivious to the beauty around them. :)

The Main Reading Room. You can only go down at specific times, but we loved getting a glimpse.

Outside of the building:

We couldn't leave Washington without getting a glimpse of its most famous house. They weren't doing tours this month because of renovations, but considering how the Capitol tour went, I think that was for the best.

The White House Visitor's Center has several displays about its history. My favorite fact I learned was that Ronald Reagan had a weakness for jelly beans. Jelly Belly kept the White House well stocked for all 8 years of his presidency.

The People's House was a great stop with kids. It's just the right size and very interactive.

There are replicas of several White House rooms. Getting to sit at the Oval Office desk was one of the most exciting parts. 

They told us we were allowed to touch anything in the room besides the airplane on the table. Guess what they wanted to touch? Lol.

The girls also liked the state dining room. I don't have pictures of the rest of the exhibits, but it was a fun place.

Travel with toddlers is sometimes crazy, but to be fair... so is being at home with toddlers. We wouldn't have it any other way. Besides the one epic Capitol meltdown, things went pretty smoothly. They loved having family adventures together, and even learned a few things!