When I was considering where to go on an overnight trip during our recent spring break, the cherry blossoms in Washington DC beckoned. By the time we arrived in Washington DC, the most popular place to see the cherry blossoms-The Basin, didn’t have any left. But luckily we saw a magnificent rows of pink cherry blossom trees in full bloom at Hains Point Park.

Washington DC, as the United States Capital, has so much to do and see. Many museums in the area are free as well as is the very large National Zoo. The Potomac River runs between Washington DC and Virginia. On the other side, Washington shares a border with Maryland.

I would have liked to get a tour of the White House or to get tickets to enter the Washington Monument, but since our trip was planned at the last minute we were not able to procure those. 

We visited the Capitol when the weather was glorious-perfect spring weather, not too cold or too hot, I did not want to be holed up in dark museums especially since our trip was short. I would describe our trip as “Outdoors in Washington DC”.  We started out on paddle boats at The Basin then walked to the Washington Monument and through the National Mall. We continued to Pennsylvania Avenue to view the White House. 

We didn’t actually stay in Washington DC but in a hotel that had excellent suites on the outskirts in Virginia.

The next day we visited the magnificent Great Falls Park in Maryland, ate lunch at Hains Point, viewed the city from the Old Post Office Museum and checked out the large National Zoo with the resident pandas.

Parking is difficult to find in Washington DC. Lots of important landmarks and museums are within  walking distance of each other. It is advisable to drive around only when really necessary. There is excellent public transportation and easy ways to get around such as the DC Circulator and DC Streetcar.

Although this time we didn’t visit the famous museums or the government buildings (The Capitol, Supreme Court…) I hope to visit Washington DC again and plan for some museums and other points of interest.