Washington, D.C. {2016} - Day 2

What a day!

Yesterday, when stopping by the White House Visitor Center to get our park stamps and grab our Junior Ranger badges, we overheard a ranger telling someone about the White House Garden Tour...

So, we just toured the house yesterday, but..  Ummm, we can go back?  Yes, please!

Evidently, the grounds of the White House are opened up twice a year, in both April and October, for two days each over the weekend.  Tickets are FREE and are issued through the National Park Service beginning at 8:30am on the day of the tour.

Needless to say, my original plans for the day were scratched and we hightailed it to grab our tickets first thing this morning...

After brunch at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill... 

we got in line and made our way onto the South Lawn...

 

 {my little bird-loving girlie}

 

 {the sound of the Marine Band playing on the South Porch was just lovely}

Seriously, DO THIS!  If you happen to be in D.C. when these tours are held, TAKE THE TOUR!  Whether you are interested in the presidents like we are, just like all things historical, or even if not, it is really neat to be this close to the White House...  

 {Pssst...  That would be the Oval Office right behind his head!}

 {White House selfies in the rain}

 

 

 

 

 

 {entrance to the Children's Garden}

Wow...  Just, wow...  So very NEAT!

After grabbing lunch at our new favorite food court in the International Trade Center, we headed over to the National Postal Museum...

The littles loved exploring this free, hands-on museum driven by a fun, kid-centered scavenger hunt...

 

Turning in early to get the racers ready for the morning...

Washington, D.C. {2016} - Day 1

With what has now seemingly become a fun family tradition, we began our journey to Hubby's run in the Army Ten-Miler on Sunday with a trip up to D.C. for a long weekend, much like years prior - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015...

We left yesterday evening and drove through the night, beginning our day at George Washington's Birthplace in Colonial Beach, VA...
 

Though there is a home on the property, it was built as a memorial years before the actual foundation of the home where the president was born was uncovered...

  

From there we made a quick stop at the nearby birthplace of President James Monroe...

before booking it on to D.C. for our scheduled White House tour!!!

Tours of the White House currently include portions of the East Wing, and much of the first floor.

For our tour, we entered on the ground floor through the East Wing and got to peek in on the Library, the Vermeil Room, and the China Room, before ascending the staircase to the first floor...


{view of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden towards the South Portico}

{walking up the Grand Staircase}

Exploring the first floor, we were in for such a treat, as we got to visit the East Room (the largest room in the White House), the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the State Dining Room...

{view from the Blue Room}

before walking the cross hall, and exiting out the north portico...

What an awesome experience for the littles!

Having tried different methods for a couple of years, we had success this year requesting tickets through the office of one of our Senators.  We requested tickets over the summer (about 3 months out from the weekend we planned to be in town), and got confirmation about 2 weeks out from our visit.  I had actually forgotten about it and figured we had (yet again) not made it on the schedule.

Awesome, awesome, awesome is all I can say!

More on tap for tomorrow...

{Weekend Adventure} The Tale of Two Tiger Teams

Our Clemson Tigers kicked off the 2016 season at Auburn, and we took our little football expert along for the ride...

We grabbed lunch & lemonade at the famous Toomer's Drugs...

and enjoyed a Clemson win...

Phew!