9.03.2010

Washington, D.C. round-up


We spent the month of July with family in Virginia. It was wonderful. I hadn't been back home in three years, and it was so great to be able to show my children some of the places that I've always been in love with. Here's a little collection of my favorites...

The National Building Museum. In addition to being the location of my wedding reception way back when (fun fact :) ), this is a neat and kind of off-the-beaten track museum. Right now they have a Lego exhibit with models of famous skyscrapers around the world, and an attached room with low tables and bins and bins full of legos for the kids to build as many things as they want. Bliss!




This painting (below) at the quiet little Freer is one my very favorites ("Breakfast in the Loggia" by John Singer Sargent). I always like to make a quick stop in to see it, and the Whistler paintings.


All of the Smithsonian Museums. Not a news-flash or anything, but you could spend years of your life exploring these buildings. If your little people like butterflies, there is a magical exhibit in the Natural History Museum where you can go into a room full of live butterflies floating around and they will land on you. It is gorgeous.



The free family programs at the National Gallery of Art. If you live in the DC area, I am quite jealous for this reason alone. We went to one of these and sat in an unruly group in front of a Giotto Madonna and Child painting while a museum educator taught the kids about the process of gold-leafing, read them a story, and led a really cool art project.



The Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean by the CIA. This place is a hidden gem (with a great gift shop, incidentally). They have colonial farm days where you can bring your kids and do things like card wool, make corn meal, dip candles, and play old-fashioned games. Gently educational - just the way my kids like things. (Sorry no picture, I was too busy fending off the geese from my three year old to pull out the camera)

Oh, I could go on and on about the joys of D.C. with kids. Oh, and did I mention Georgetown Cupcake? Delicious!


4 comments:

Jess said...

My 6-year-old has been asking about a visit to DC sometime.
Thanks for the great list of stuff to do!
Maybe we'll make it out there next summer.

melissa said...

I had fun visiting D.C. with you. Luckily we survived the heat and the tired over-walked kids!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a fabulous vacation! I really should teach my son about painting. Hmm, maybe I should teach a class and open it up to his friends.

Lauren said...

I love the art class. We used to go to one like that at the Met (in NYC). Abby once sat on a very old and important piano made out of gold during one of our classes. They were very nice about it though:)