As many of you guys know, a couple of weeks ago we visited Williamsburg, Virginia and Washington DC for a few days each! My sister attends law school at William and Mary, but is interning in DC this summer, so we helped her move there and then got to spend a couple of days sight-seeing. This was my third time to DC; we went there on a family vacation when I was a kid (probably 9?), and Trey and I spent a packed day there on our honeymoon. Trey had also been there before on a high school trip, so we had both seen most of the famous monuments, and been to several Smithsonian museums before. So, this time around we had a nice balance of visiting new places, seeing some old favorites, and having some downtime too (we could have done more but honestly were so tired that we usually got a start more in the middle of the day). There are so many amazing things to see in DC, that it's really hard to do it all in one trip. Just be prepared to do a ton of walking and to have some long days!
Here is what we did in a weekend in DC (Saturday afternoon through Monday evening)!
Accommodations
From my knowledge, it's usually cheaper to stay over in Arlington or somewhere else outside of the actual DC metropolis. Since there were four of us who needed a place to say (my parents, Trey and myself), it was actually a few hundred dollars cheaper to split a 2-bedroom AirBnB versus getting 2 hotel rooms. We stayed in Arlington since that's where my sister is living this summer, and because we found better prices over there. Fortunately it's a pretty quick drive over the river to DC (or an easy metro ride), and there are multiple things to see and do in Arlington as well.
SATURDAY
After moving my sister in the morning, we finally got to head out in the afternoon. My dad, Trey and I split off to do some sight-seeing while my mom and sis got her apartment squared away.
Lunch - Shake Shack
We try not to eat at chains when traveling, but felt Shake Shack was an exception since there aren't any locations remotely near us! I don't eat red meat very often, but once in awhile I love a good burger.
Afternoon - Theodore Roosevelt Island Park
None of us had ever heard of this park or Teddy Roosevelt's memorial, but the three of us agreed that it was awesome! There were really nice trails all over the island, views of the Potomac River, and the memorial area was so beautiful and peaceful. The island access is from the Arlington side, off of an awesome bike trail. I highly recommend going here!
Casual Dinner - Astor Mediterranean
My dad and my sister both have some interesting food allergies, which can make finding a restaurant challenging to say the least 😉 we ate a lot of Mediterranean and Mexican food on the trip! Since we had had a long day, we just wanted something casual and inexpensive for dinner, and this place did the trick. It was in a cute little area in Arlington, and had lots of great, fresh food at a really reasonable price point. It also had a cute patio, where we ate outside and enjoyed the breezy evening!
Evening - The National Mall
I had only ever been to the National Mall mid-day in the scorching DC summertime, so I looooved going in the evening. We started walking around as the sun was setting behind the monuments, and it was truly beautiful. It was much calmer/less busy, much cooler, and just a great experience to see them at night. We walked to the Washington and WWII memorials, which we had all seen before, and then walked all the way around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial (my first time). The Jefferson Memorial was stunning, and is right up there with the Lincoln Memorial in my book! It is a deceivingly long walk though :)
SUNDAY
This was our busiest sightseeing day, but it was totally doable and an overall great day!
Morning - Arlington National Cemetery
I had never been before, but Trey had and served as our guide. It was a truly beautiful and sobering place, that I hope everyone gets to go to someday. It's so moving to see so many soldiers' graves and to remember the sacrifices our armed forces have made throughout US history. Definitely watch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And then just spend time walking around to see the other memorials and John F. Kennedy's grave site.
Crazily enough, our school district's neighboring high school was on a trip there, and were at Arlington National Cemetery at the same exact time. Trey saw one of his old basketball managers, who had moved there. Such a small world!
Lunch - &Pizza
This is an east coast chain, and I can't recommend it enough! For $10, you can build your own personal pizza, and they can accommodate several food allergies (and even have gluten free crust). We were all obsessed with it, and it hit the spot after doing a lot of walking in the morning.
Afternoon:
Georgetown
Georgetown is simply one of the cutest places I've ever been, and the shopping selection is amazing! This is a great area to walk around, eat, grab coffee or cocktails, and admire darling houses and buildings. There is also a nice spot down on the river to sit and admire the view.
National Cathedral & Gardens
Embarrassingly, I didn't even really know the National Cathedral existed, but Trey said it was a must-see, and he was so right! It's actually the fourth largest cathedral in the world, and it's truly awe-inspiring. Since we visited on a Sunday, there was actually a service taking place, and the choir's singing was incredibly beautiful. The architecture, history and details throughout are incredible. Then, below the cathedral are some beautiful gardens that are definitely worth walking around.
Smithsonian Museum of American Art
There are actually 17 total Smithsonian museums and galleries in DC, including the free zoo. Trey and I really wanted to visit the zoo, but couldn't fit it in this trip. Since most of us had seen some of the more "famous" Smithsonian museums, we visited one that was new to all of us. My dad loves looking at art, so he chose the Museum of American Art. There are quite a few art museums and galleries to choose from though! Some of the exhibits were great, and some weren't for me, but Trey and I both loved the John F. Kennedy photography exhibit.
This was another Greek/Mediterranean meal, but definitely a bit fancier. They serve small plate-style food, and it's absolutely delicious. It's located in a darling area of DC that has lots of other restaurants to choose from! I highly recommend their seafood orzo and their mules (their house ginger beer was delish).
MONDAY
On Monday we got a laaaate start because we were all pretty tired from our packed weekend.
Lunch - Oki Bowl
Trey and I headed to this spot in downtown DC to split some ramen and gyoza, and it was quite good and reasonably priced.
Afternoon - Museum of African American History & Culture
This is the newest addition to the Smithsonian Institution, and was pretty amazing! Something to note is that you will need to get free tickets online likely a few months before (due to it being so busy). We had no idea about needing tickets, but the couple in front of us in line happened to have an extra set of tickets that we were able to use! Unfortunately Trey and I didn't have time to make it through the whole museum, but we definitely plan to return someday.
Evening/Night - the Marine Corps War Memorial
This was on the way back to our AirBnB and just felt like a great way to close the trip. It was beautiful as the sun was setting, and there were only a few other people there. You can also see the DC skyline from the memorial site. It is an incredible statue!
So, that's that for DC! We had an amazing few days there.
Since I've already overloaded you with photos anyway, I thought I would share a few of my vacation outfits that I haven't blogged. To see some other looks I wore on vacation, check here, here and here.
Tank (similar option) | Shorts | Sandals | Sunglasses | Bag
Top c/o Lush Clothing (can't find online, but I like this) | Shorts
Similar shirts here, here, & here | Shorts | Similar Shoes (check out the Stephen and Superga options!)
Thanks so much for reading! xoxo
