Plans for day three of our DC trip included the White House, the Washington Monument, and all the memorials on the National Mall between the monument and Lincoln Memorial.
Day Three Suggested Washington, DC Itinerary:
- White House, Washington Monument, and 7 memorials 9:30-1
- Lunch at US Holocaust Museum Cafe
- US Holocaust Museum 1:30-4:30
White House
We started our day by having our UberXL ride drop us off at the St John’s Episcopal Church on H St NW. We crossed the street and walked through Lafayette Square and viewed the statues of General Jackson and General Lafayette. Then we stopped at the fence behind the White House North Lawn and took pictures. I was surprised at how close the fence was to the building.
We could see people lined up for the White House tour. I had applied for the White House tour 2.5 months before our trip but we were denied. The internet made me feel better as I found reviews that said the tour was short and underwhelming. For a virtual tour of the rooms, scroll down near the bottom of this page.
We circled the WH by walking west around the block and seeing the beautiful Eisenhower Executive Building which was built between 1871-1888. This massive building has 566 rooms and houses many White House employees.
Once at the fence of the White House South Lawn, we took more pictures and enjoyed the view of the Washington Monument.
White House Travel Tip:
You can apply for a White House tour up to six months before your trip through your congressional representative. The earlier you apply, the better.
Washington Monument
The White House and the Washington Monument are about a mile apart. However, it didn’t seem that far to walk when you had something that big to focus on. North, East, South, West; from this central point, you could see the White House, the Capitol building, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.
People often say that famous statues or markers are smaller than they thought – Statue of Liberty, the White House. However, the Washington Monument was a lot taller than I imagined. At 555 feet, the marble obelisk is taller than the 305’1″ Statue of Liberty but shorter than the 630′ St Louis Gateway Arch.
Washington Monument Travel Tip:
When open, you can get tickets to go inside and ride the elevators to the near top. Check out these helpful tips for getting tickets.
We then headed west to visit the Memorials:
- WWII Memorial
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Korean War Memorial
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
And then around the Tidal Basin to view:
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
- Jefferson Memorial
National Mall Travel Tips:
- Take your time going through the memorials, show respect. Better yet, learn about each memorial before your trip – who the memorials honor and when built.
- Good to know – map of public restrooms on the Mall.
After visiting the Jefferson Memorial, we continued around the Tidal Basin, up Raoul Wallenberg Place to the US Holocaust Museum. Since it was 1:00, we decided to lunch at the US Holocaust Museum Cafe. The cafe offers vegetarian cafe fare. All of the kids opted for personal cheese pizzas and I had a bean and cheese quesadilla. The six of us ate for $60.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Holocaust Memorial Museum is a must-see for everybody. My attention was piqued as the museum explained the events that lead up to the atrocities that occurred. When learning about the Holocaust in school, I don’t think it was ever explained to me in such detail how an entire German nation was turned against the Jews. Or how brazen the Nazi assault was.
Starting on the 4th floor, events from 1933-1939 show Hitler’s appointment as chancellor to the start of WWII. I never knew how many countries said no to Jewish refugees. The 3rd floor explores the years of 1940-1945 and The Final Solution. We spent 3 hours covering the main exhibits.
Travel tip:
Every display has a lot of reading, plan on spending a lot of time here. Displays showing the most graphic videos are placed behind wall barriers so younger visitors cannot see them.
We had a great, fun-filled, educational third day and racked up close to 8 walking miles.
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