Since Patrick and I have been to DC before, we really wanted this trip to be led by the girls and what they wanted to do. They all wanted to tour the White House and Capitol. Unfortunately, our senator couldn’t get us a White House tour as they were all booked for the week we were there. But, we did get a time for a Capitol tour. Our time was 11:30, which wasn’t ideal because it didn’t give us much time to do anything prior, as museums don’t open until 10 and they ask you to be at the Capitol 30-45 minutes before your tour for security.

We took a lovely morning walk and had plenty of time to check in for our tour, so when we happened upon the National Botanic Garden, we decided we should stop in and check it out. It was beautiful and Maddy would have stayed all day. We didn’t have a ton of time, but would love to explore more on a later trip.

Then it was on to the Capitol. Since we were told to be there 30-45 minutes early, we assumed there would be long lines and security would take a while. That wasn’t the case at all – we were through in no time and went to figure out where we were supposed to be for our tour. Luckily, they had some open spots in an earlier tour so let us go on that one.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get the tour scheduled. We went through our senator’s office, Senator Marco Rubio. His website has a place to request and it was very simple. I actually had to have it rescheduled because the first time they accidentally made it for the wrong month. But they corrected it right away!

The tour starts in a theater, with a video on American democracy. Honestly, I thought it was the best part of the tour. It does a great job of explaining how different the concept of American government was, and what we should all be striving for.

Then, the big group gets separated into a few smaller groups with a tour guide to lead each one. Our tour guide was fantastic, and we saw some interesting things. However, if we were planning it now, knowing what all the tour encompasses (or rather, what it doesn’t), I’d skip the tour unless you manage to score a private your from your senator or representative’s office. Next time, we’ll ask for that.

You start in the crypt, which is interesting. I had no idea that the original plan was for George Washington to be buried underneath the Capitol. But, since he died years before the building was finished, his family opted not to have his body moved (totally understandable). Also, I think it would be the antithesis of what George Washington would have wanted. Didn’t he resign because he didn’t want to be elevated to status of king, after all?

Next, you head to the Rotunda, which is quite an impressive room. Our tour guide stopped us right near a statue of Harry Truman, and under the painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is an image we’ve all seen before, but in person it is huge and gorgeous. The room and the rotunda are so impressive. The attention to detail in all of the artwork and architecture is impressive!

Molly’s favorite portion of the tour was Statuary Hall. All she wanted was to find the statue of Rosa Parks. Molly did a biography report on Rosa Parks and dressed up like her earlier in the year, and she has been in love with her ever since. And bonus, the statue is right next to the Florida statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.

The girls were disappointed we didn’t get to see more of the Capitol and that we didn’t catch a glimpse of anyone important. But, now we know to ask for a private tour next time. But we did walk by the Supreme Court on the way to our next stop!

Our next stop was the National Museum of American History. This was the museum I was most excited to take the girls to. I love pop culture and weird history, and loved this museum so much when Patrick and I visited several years ago. Honestly though, it was underwhelming this time. I felt like there was WAY too much pop culture, with not enough emphasis on why or how that pop culture relates to our history and culture in general. There were some cool aspects, but it also has become a bit overwhelming and hard to take everything in. The girls enjoyed seeing things like Evan’s cast from Dear Evan Hansen, Dorothy’s ruby slippers, and Prince’s guitar.

One of the things Molly was most interested in seeing was Michelle Obama’s inaugural gown. I think the President and First Lady exhibits are some of the most interesting.

The other exhibit Molly and Maddy were most excited to see is the lunch counter. The last time I was there, I felt like this was out in the middle of the museum. This time we stumbled upon it – it’s tucked into a back area of the museum and seemed like it was put there almost as an afterthought. I was a bit disappointed in that.

The girls enjoyed exploring the maker space in the museum before we left.

We walked a LOT this day, and everyone was tired and chilly. We had some time before our dinner reservation, so when we stumbled upon the National Portrait Gallery, we went in. There is a beautiful atrium where we rested for a bit. But. I knew I couldn’t be there without seeing the portraits of the Obamas! Patrick, Regina, and Molly opted to stay put (poor Molly kept telling us that her little body wasn’t made to walk that much!), but Maddy and I decided to go exploring. I’m so glad we did! Not only did we find the Obama portraits, we found some others of people we love.

We ended the evening with one of our most favorite family dinners ever. Patrick’s co-workers suggested dinner at Carmine’s, and it did not disappoint! The food is served family style and we definitely misjudged the amount of food that was appropriate for our family. But it was delicious! And it’s a lovely restaurant – we had a great dinner, good drinks, and enjoyed recapping our day over an insane amount of food. I highly recommend checking out Carmine’s!