Memorial Day in Washington DC
- jennylynncotton
- Jun 29, 2024
- 3 min read
Date of Trip: Memorial Day 2022
Number of Days: 3
Who went: Jenn, Terry, Boone (11)
DC is probably my favorite US city to visit. I've been there countless times for work and for fun. But being with Boone when he experienced it for the first time was special! He told us at the beginning of the year that the number one place he wanted to go was to see the Lincoln Memorial. This seemed like a dream we could help fulfill.
Top takeaways if you are planning a similar trip:
This was my first time in DC for Memorial Day. It's crowded... but it's also a special time to be in our Nation's Capital. Highly recommend.
I failed to get tickets to the top of the Washington Monument before we got to DC. Tickets are released daily at 10A, 30 days in advance (I didn't mark my calendar, and I just missed the date!) We tried for 2 days to get "day of" tickets but didn't have any luck. Plan ahead!
Part of the fun of DC is having time to simply wander. At the same time, it's important to secure tickets to major attractions several weeks out, so some planning is needed. Decide early on what your "must do" things are and plan around them. You cannot see it all in 3 days!
Day 1 - Saturday
We drove in the night before and checked into this apartment rental near Capitol Hill. It was small and simple, but perfect for what we needed. We knew we wouldn't spend much time there, but it was nice to have separate bedrooms and a kitchen.
We hit the Metro and made our way to the National Mall. We had a date with Lincoln...
While walking on the Mall we got to see a great live tribute to our WWII soldiers.
We didn't get to go up the Washington Monument, but it's still great to walk around it!
No trip to DC is complete without a glimpse of the White House. I tried to get tickets to go inside, but they had just lifted the Covid restrictions and I was unable to secure them. Next time!
Lunch was at District Taco, one of my absolute favorite places in DC... I make it a point to get there on every trip!
We jumped back on the Metro and spent the afternoon at the Smithsonian National Zoo. (Tickets are free, but need to be secured ahead of time)
Dinner was at We, The Pizza... which was near our apartment (and the Capitol South Metro station) and absolutely delicious!
Day 2 - Sunday We started the day at Arlington National Cemetery. There were very heavy crowds due to the holiday, but being here on Memorial Day weekend was special and brought on all the feels.
Next up was the National Museum of History (or the museum from Night at the Museum!).
Since Boone wanted to learn more about Lincoln, we knew we had to make a stop at Ford's Theater. I hadn't been there since I was a kid and I found it super interesting as an adult. We did buy tickets ahead of time here.
We ended the day at the National Portrait Gallery where Terry and I had a lot of fun trying to remember the presidents in order as we walked through the portrait hall. This was all of our first time there and I'm glad we did it.
Day3 - Memorial Day
We were able to walk from our apartment to the Capitol Building. Tours had not started running again (Covid), but we were able to get some great photos out front.
We had secured tickets to the National Archive in advance for 1045, which was perfect... since the parade route was right out front, starting at 2P. We were able to secure great spots in the shade to watch the parade. We grabbed a picnic lunch at the Pavilion Cafe, which was convenient but fairly average.
After the parade, we walked over to the Jefferson Memorial. One of my favorite activities in DC is paddle boat riding in the Tidal Basin, which we enjoyed even though it was scorching hot.
First we visited Jefferson.
Next up was FDR.
And finally MLK.
Back near the Capitol South Metro Station, we had delicious burgers and milkshakes at Good Stuff Eatery.
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