How to See Washington DC in 3 Days

How to See Washington D.C. in 3 Days

I have been to Washington, D.C. several times, both as a child and as an adult chaperone on our kids’ band/choir trips. Yet, my husband had never been to D.C., so I wanted to show him the sights. Even though we have been invited several times by family who live out there, it never worked for us to go until now. This time, we went as guests of my high school classmate, who is the General Counsel of the National Archives. His position allowed us to see some things the public doesn’t typically see and gave us free lodging, which was a huge perk since staying in the D.C. area is EXPENSIVE.

We are also fortunate that our airport offers a direct flight, which makes flying quick and easy. Our flight out was at 6:00 AM, which gave us an early morning arrival, so we had the whole day to tour. The flight home didn’t leave until 8:00 PM, which allowed us to tour that whole day as well. The only issue to figure out was our luggage on those two days. But my friend was able to keep our luggage in his car, which helped a ton.

We visited D.C. from Tuesday to Thursday and had perfect weather. I would recommend packing ponchos or an umbrella because so much of your day is spent walking outside, and if a rain shower hits, you will want to be protected. You can bring a backpack if you need to carry items like a jacket or an umbrella. Every building has various levels of security and either has machines or people to search your bag if needed.

The Tower of Books about Lincoln

You will also want to wear good walking shoes and maybe keep a few Band-Aids on hand for the eventual blisters. Water is pricey, and several places have water bottle filling stations if you want to carry one. There are lots of food trucks in the mall area and several cafes/restaurants nearby for food options, but if you are carrying a bag, you can also pack a snack. Just know that some of the museums do not allow any food or drink inside. So, plan accordingly.

Visiting Washington, D.C. in 3 days is doable, but you won’t be able to see everything. Prioritize what is important and be flexible. You may, at the last minute, decide it isn’t worth the extra walking, or the lines will be too long and you’ll have to pivot. Also, Uber will be your best friend when you need to get somewhere fast. There are hop-on/hop-off bus tours that we looked into, but we chose not to do.

Day 1

We went right from the airport to the National Archives, where we dropped off our luggage and hit the sidewalks! Our first stop was the White House. Due to construction in Lafayette Square as part of the 250th Celebrations, we couldn’t get very close. But we could still see it through the fence on the Pennsylvania Avenue side, standing on H St NW. Construction is ongoing in DC, and often, roads are closed due to construction or due to dignitaries coming through an area. We often had to wait or choose to go a different direction. Again, being flexible and willing to change course is important.

From there, we walked to the WWII Memorial, went up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to see Lincoln (first time for me), saw the Vietnam Women’s Memorial (mentioned in THE WOMEN), the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and then walked on to the Washington Monument. The reflecting pool is under construction, which was a huge bummer for Pat to miss seeing that. It was being fixed due to a leak, as well as being painted for the 250th Celebration.

After the Washington Monument (you can get tickets to go inside, but we did not), we rested on a bench for a bit and then took an Uber to the Hart Senate Building for our appointment with Senator Grassley’s office. Many people don’t realize you can request a Capitol tour and/or visit with your Senator or Representative. We had a great tour led by Isabelle from Grassley’s office, and I learned that the casket base used for those who lie in state in the Rotunda, such as former Presidents, has the same base used for Abraham Lincoln’s funeral.

I called one week out from our visit and was able to get appointments with a senator and a congressperson. Even though I have had the Capitol tour before with school groups, we saw some areas that they don’t show kids or large groups. We also sat in the Senate Gallery to hear a speech about fallen officers from an Alabama Representative. Incidentally, we were visiting during Police Week, a week they honor fallen law enforcement officers from the previous year at a candlelight vigil. We saw so many police officers from all over and met quite a few as well, with heartbreaking stories.

After our Capitol tour, we had a brief meeting with Senator Charles Grassley. He was very kind and welcoming, and we were glad to thank him for a few issues that his office had helped us with, including my Dad’s military medals. After our Capitol visit, we were pretty tired and decided to Uber back to my friend’s place. Since he wasn’t home quite yet, we stopped at a nearby restaurant for a quick cocktail and appetizer.

Day 2

We started our day early with a private tour of the National Archives given by my friend, Matt. Since we arrived before the museum opened, we had time to see the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights in the rotunda without waiting in line, and we could take as much time as we wanted. We also learned interesting tidbits from Matt about each of the documents. Matt then took us around the rest of the building to see various exhibits and offices. Then, once the museum opened to the public, we continued to see more of the exhibits.

We had a quick lunch in the Charters Cafe in the basement of the National Archives, and then walked through the Sculpture Garden across the street and sat and enjoyed the beautiful weather near the fountain. We walked by the Navy Memorial and then went back into the National Archives for an appointment to see documents from inside the Legislative Vault. The National Archives holds numerous executive, legislative, and judicial documents from as far back as George Washington. It’s quite amazing, and we had the chance to see some documents related to Women’s Suffrage, Pearl Harbor, and more.

Next up was a walk-through of the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum. You need a timed pass to get into the Air and Space Museum, so plan ahead, but I just got it on my phone while we stood in line, and we didn’t wait long. Matt then drove us to the Jefferson Memorial (a first visit for me) at dusk, and it was so pretty. The Jefferson Memorial is really amazing, with quotes from Jefferson on each side. The statue of him was surrounded by scaffolding, so we couldn’t see it, which was a bummer. This memorial is quite stunning and has wonderful views of the Washington Monument and the White House.

Day 3

Today we took an Uber into the National Mall area after a quick breakfast. We started at the Russell Senate Office Building for a meeting with our Congresswoman, Ashley Hinson. Hinson welcomed us into her office, and we had a great chat with her about her years in Congress, what it’s like to be a mom and away from your family during the week, and topics important to Iowans that she is working on. We also stopped by Randy Feenstra’s office and chatted with his staff.

Next up was a bucket list item for me, the Library of Congress. You need a timed pass to enter, but it is free. I didn’t realize I needed an actual library card to go into the library part of the Library of Congress, and chose not to take the time to get one. We walked around the beautiful building and into Thomas Jefferson’s library, which was quite something. Due to a fire, many of Jefferson’s books were burned. Inside the library, Jefferson’s books, which were saved, are marked with a green ribbon. It’s crazy to me to imagine that these were Thomas Jefferson’s actual books.

Check out MY REEL of the Library of Congress.

From the Library of Congress, we took an Uber to Ford’s Theatre. You also need a timed pass to enter this museum, but it is free. You can walk through Ford’s Theatre and see where Abraham Lincoln was sitting when he was shot. This is an active theatre, and it was decorated for the current production. Part of the tour includes a walk through the apartment building across the street, where they took Lincoln after he was shot, and he eventually died. Next to the apartment building is an I Love DC gift shop, and next to Ford’s Theatre is the Hard Rock Cafe. We ate there and had excellent service, saw neat memorabilia inside, and enjoyed nachos and an appetizer platter.

During our lunch, I realized we missed touring the National Museum of American History. So, we walked there. Many of the exhibits were the same as what I saw during other visits, with a few new ones. My favorites are always the First Ladies’ Inaugural Dresses, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers, and Julia Child’s Kitchen. It was time to head to the airport, so we collected our luggage from my friend Matt and took an Uber to Reagan National Airport.

We packed a lot into our 3 days in D.C, averaging 16,000 steps a day, even with taking some Ubers. Some of the things we missed included the WWI Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Postal Museum. We also didn’t make it to Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, or the National Cathedral, all things I’ve seen before, but Pat hadn’t. We also didn’t get to tour the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, which is still on my list.

Grassley’s office mailed us a tour book and a map of DC, which was helpful to not have to use our phones all the time to look everything up, which saved our phone batteries. I would suggest doing your research to maximize your time with your own priorities and mapping out a route so you don’t have to take any more steps than necessary. You’ll be tired at the end of every day. There is so much history and beauty to see that it really is a wonderful way to spend a few days.

Have you been to Washington, D.C.? What was your favorite thing to see there?