On the second day of our visit to Washington, D.C., we drove back to the National Mall with a plan and a packed lunch. We had time limits set for each location and a backup list of sights to see if we had extra time at the end of the day.

We started the day at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian. The Air and Space museum contains the Apollo 11 command module, the Friendship 7 capsule, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1 which broke the sound barrier, the model of the the starship enterprise used on Star Trek :The Original Series, and the Wright Brothers’ airplane.

As a kid who wanted to become and astronaut and go to space, this museum was so fun to explore. I was happily surprised to learn that the first person of color in space was a Cuban man ?? named Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez. Dozens of exhibits invite you to discover for yourself answers to things you’ve always wondered about air and space flight.

The 1903 Wright Flyer, the world’s first successful airplane, serves as the centerpiece of the ‘The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age’ exhibition, which tells the story of how Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane.

We walked across the park to the National Museum of Natural History. This was a big one for me as a lover of subjects such as anthropology, biology, and the evolution of all living things. Oh yea and DINOSAURS.

The museum’s collections contain over 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts. It is also home to about 185 professional natural history scientists—the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of natural and cultural history in the world.

The Smithsonian Castle was the first Smithsonian building, designed by architect James Renwick, Jr., whose other works include the stunning St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC. The building committee held a nationwide design competition in 1846 and selected Renwick’s design by a unanimous vote. A cardboard model of Renwick’s winning design survives and is on display in the Castle.

This building was the original Smithsonian museum with each wing dedicated to a specific collection of artifacts, specimens, and artwork. Now this building serves as the administrative offices and visitor center of the Smithsonian. In the main hall, you will find display cases filled with items from each museum collection. A crypt just inside the north entrance houses the tomb of James Smithson.

We walked down to the Washington Monument as the sun started to set, which made for a great backdrop for photos.

The Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and The White House.

We made it back to our car around 7pm and were totally exhausted from walking all over the National Mall. We planned our departure to Virginia beach for the following day and got some much needed rest.