WC Travels:Why Clay Travels: USA TRAVEL GUIDE, “WASHINGTON, DC,” THE U.S. CAPITAL

WASHINGTON DC: THE CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES

BY CLAY LARROY

I am enjoying touring across America, state by state it is a true learning experience. However as I research each state I am finding it difficult to choose a city as there are many interesting places to take a vacation. I now know that some of the best vacation destinations in the world are right here in our great country America. If this is the year you decided to skip a vacation perhaps when I get to your state I can provide you with information for a wonderful staycation. When you need to plan a vacation contact me!

Washington, D.C., is the capital city of the United States, located between Virginia and Maryland on the north bank of the Potomac River. The city is home to all three branches of the federal government, as well as the White House, the Supreme Court and the Capitol Building. More than 500,000 people live in Washington, D.C.

After more than 200 years as the nation’s capital, Washington is brimming with a unique history of its own. It has developed as a complex and layered city with multiple personalities. As home to the federal government, it has attracted a diverse mix of government workers, members of Congress from every state, foreign emissaries, lobbyists, petitioners and protestors. While elected and appointed officials come and go giving the city its reputation as a transient community, many of the city’s residents have called Washington home for multiple generations. Their stories give Washington its distinctive character as both a national and local city.

25 Free things to do in Washington DC with the family

1) Watch the National Zoo’s conservation efforts firsthand along the Asia Trail. Pay a visit to giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and take a peek at their tiny neighbors, the red pandas.

2) See the stars in Rock Creek Park at the only planetarium operated by the National Park Service. Tours of the night sky are free.

3) Explore an exhibition and create an art project to take home through the Freer & Sackler Gallery's Imaginasia family programming.

4) See the National Mall with DC by Foot, a walking tour company that gives free, kid-friendly tours (gratuity recommended) infused with games, fun facts and trivia. Tours include the Arlington Cemetery Walking Tour, the Lincoln Assassination Walking Tour and the Twilight Washington Bus Tour.

5) Take pictures with Fala, the famous presidential pooch, at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

6) Make money (or see money being made) with a free tour of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing. During the peak season (March-August), first-come, first-served same-day tickets are required. The ticket office opens at 8 a.m.

7) Putter to East Potomac Golf Course for a round of miniature golf. Players 18 and under pay $5 per game. Gorgeous views of the Potomac River and planes roaring into National Airport are gratis.

8) Play pilot in a mock cockpit at America by Air, an exhibition on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum.

9) Walk among living butterflies at the National Museum of Natural History's Butterfly Pavilion ($6 for adults, $5 for children). Tuesdays are free, but timed-entry tickets are required. They are available at the Butterfly Pavilion box office beginning at 10 a.m. every Tuesday.

10) Teach kids about history at the National Museum of American History. See the original “Star-Spangled Banner” that inspired our national anthem, explore the history of the American presidency and check out Dorothy’s red slippers in the permanent exhibition National Treasures of Popular Culture.

11) Check out the latest performance at the Smithsonian's family-friendly Discovery Theater. Shows range from tap-dance performances to puppet-show workshops, and tickets are always under $10.

12) Let kids roam free at Friendship Park (aka Turtle Park), DC’s most popular playground, located in the city’s American University Park neighborhood. Little ones love the huge sandbox, which is always full of toys.

13) Take a ride on the Metrorail system to give kids a taste of a train ride and a break from the summer heat. Day passes are a great value at $9, and the Metro travels all over the city. For a ride dependent on people power, rent a four-person paddle boat ($19 an hour), weather permitting at the Tidal Basin.

14) Fly a kite next to the Washington Monument for a great family photo.

15) Give kids an inspiring lesson in freedom with a stop at the National Archives to view John Hancock’s John Hancock on the Declaration of Independence.

16) Sit in the lobby of the Willard InterContinental Washington and imagine history unfolding. The hotel is where Julia Ward Howe wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," where President Ulysses S. Grant popularized the term "lobbyist" and where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his renowned "I Have a Dream" speech.

17) Millions visit the stirring Lincoln Memorial, but did you know you can tour Honest Abe’s summer home? President Lincoln’s Cottage reveals the distinctly domestic side of a historic presidency. Admission is $5 for kids, and Girl Scouts can earn a badge.

18) See the original Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights at the National Archives, then research your family's immigration records.

19) Check out the Library of Congress' interactive elements, like the re-creation of Thomas Jefferson's library. While you're there, see if you come across one of the free lectures, concerts, exhibits and poetry readings that are held regularly.

20) Visit Arlington National Cemetery to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

21) Watch history being made by sitting in on a groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling.

22) Trace the names of loved ones lost at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, a place of reflection for many visitors.

23) Test your knowledge at the National Portrait Gallery, where the nation's only complete collection of presidential portraits outside The White House is located.

24) See America's story told through stamps at the National Postal Museum. Then walk across the street to the more-than-100-year-old Union Station and be inspired by its beautiful architecture.

25) Get out into DC's neighborhoods to learn about history beyond the National Mall by experiencing Cultural Tourism DC's free self-guided walking trails. They are marked with illustrated signs revealing the stories behind Washington's historic neighborhoods