Family Vacation 2010: Washington, D.C.

For the past six years, our family vacation has been spent at one of our favorite places, Disney World. We made an exception to our trend this year. While we love Disney, we also like to explore other destinations, especially given all of the history that surrounds us in the South and along the eastern coast of America. Because Mike and I traveled to New York City alone in the spring to celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary, we decided to take a quick weekend trip with the boys to Washington, D.C., as a fall get-away.


Washington, D.C., is full of history – not only past history, but also history in the making. We considered our excursion both a family vacation and a field trip, and determined to see as much as we possibly could in the three days we committed to our nation's capital.

Leading up to the trip, the boys researched the site they most wanted to visit. Brandon chose the Smithsonian Museums, Nicholas selected the Jefferson Memorial, and Zachary picked the National Zoo. Each gathered information about his chosen location, providing historical facts and helpful planning details for our vacation.

We left our house early on a Friday morning and arrived in D. C. before 10am. After a ride on the Metro, we ate a picnic lunch while waiting for our tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to begin. After learning all about how money is made, we began our trek through the memorials and monuments along the National Mall, beginning with the Jefferson Memorial.

Tied with the Washington Monument as his favorite, Nicholas was most excited about seeing the Jefferson Memorial. “I like the big statue of Thomas Jefferson and his sayings on the wall around it,” he explained.


After seeing all the sites along the Mall, we walked past the White House on our way to dinner at Bertucci’s, a favorite pizza place from the summer Mike and I lived in the city over 13 years ago. Even better than we remembered, we devoured our delicious tomato and zucchini pizza and even returned the following night for another one!

Our second day in the city began with a trip to see the Iwo Jima statue and a walk through Arlington Cemetery. We then rode the Metro to the National Zoo, Zachary’s favorite place on this trip, “… because it has so many animals, and I love animals!”


The remainder of the day and most of the following were spent at four of the Smithsonian Museums. Several times we heard Brandon say, “I wish I had more time to read all of the information about everything we are looking at.” His enthusiasm, as well as that of his brothers, encouraged and excited us as parents. Without hesitation, the boys unanimously agreed that their favorite museum was the Museum of Natural History because of all the dinosaur bones and animals.


Our tour of the city on our final day also included Ford’s Theater, the National Archives, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and the Navy Memorial. The latter two were especially moving because of personal and family connections.

On this educational vacation, we walked over 20 miles to look at numerous monuments, museums, documents, and buildings which celebrate our country’s birth and growth. Each is a great reminder of the sacrifices which have been and continue to be made in order for America to be the great country it is.


Despite struggles and trials, God’s countless blessings on our young nation are obvious to anyone who takes time to delve into history with open eyes. It is our prayer that Americans will give God the glory He deserves as they recognize His hand in our history and His work through dedicated and courageous leaders, as well as ordinary citizens. Only then will He continue to bless our great country.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” Psalm 33:12