This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my advertiser disclosure for more details.
A few summers ago, after reading the idea on a few other DC-area blogs, I developed a DC Bucket List. We’ve lived in the DC area for so long now, and there is still so much we haven’t seen! It’s amazing how much there is to see around here, and this list doesn’t even scratch the surface (ummm, like listing ALL of the Smithsonian museums? That would add so much more to our list! At least we’ve been to most of the big ones like Natural History, American History, Air and Space, etc.).
And there are several places that we have been to multiple times, like the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum and going to concerts at Wolf Trap (my favorite concert venue ever by the way!). And we’ve been to a few of DC’s hidden gems, like the National Arboretum, which we love so much we had our engagement photos taken there.
Now that spring has finally arrived and the weather is nice, I’ve been thinking about checking a few of these places off our list. Although we’ve both been to Arlington Cemetery, we’ve never been there together, and so I’ve never seen Ken’s grandparents’ graves there. I was thinking we could also trek to Brookside Gardens and also see the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon. Those are all outdoor sites, which would be great to experience in lovely spring weather.
When summer arrives, we usually become hermits. DC is hot and humid and generally awful weather-wise. There’s always the option of going to air conditioned attractions (hello Library of Congress), but places are so much more crowded with tourists in the summer.
So perhaps this summer we can squeeze in one attraction that is more “off the beaten path” in the area to enjoy. I’m thinking the Woodlawn Plantation and Pope Leighey house. It’s only like 10 minutes from where we live, so we could hop over there any weekend when the weather is relatively decent. Plus, I’ve never been to a DC Screen on the Green. I say this EVERY SUMMER, but I’d like to go to one. But I always change my mind because they’re never on a convenient day of the week (usually Tuesdays), and all I ever want to do after work is go home. Wow, I’m a real thrill here, aren’t I!?
| Location | Ken’s Been To | Melissa’s Been To | Been To Together |
| White House Tour | |||
| Mount Vernon | X | ||
| Air and Space Museum | X | ||
| Nationals Game | X | ||
| College Park Aviation Museum | |||
| Fireworks on the Mall | X | ||
| Local 4th of July Parade | |||
| Glen Echo Park | |||
| U.S. Botanical Gardens | X | ||
| Bureau of Printing and Engraving Tour | |||
| Washington National Cathedral Gargoyle Tour | |||
| Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery | X | ||
| Roosevelt Island | X | ||
| Albert Einstein Statue | |||
| Tidal Basin Paddleboat Tour | |||
| Duck Tour | |||
| Top of the Washington Munument | |||
| Hirshorn Museum Sculpture Garden | |||
| International Spy Museum | X | ||
| Museum of Natural History | X | X | |
| NASA Goddard Center | X | ||
| Udvar-Hazy Center | X | ||
| Kennedy Center | X | ||
| Luray Caverns | X | ||
| National Capitol Trolley Museum | |||
| Leesburg Animal Park | |||
| Brookside Gardens | |||
| Wolf Trap | X | ||
| Kent Island | |||
| Little Seneca Lake | |||
| Manassas National Battlefield | X | X | |
| Underground Railroad | |||
| Iwo Jima National Marine Corps Memorial | |||
| FDR Memorial | X | ||
| Fort McHenry | X | ||
| Audubon Naturalist Society | |||
| County Fair | |||
| Annapolis | X | ||
| Fells Point, MD | |||
| National Building Museum | |||
| US Capitol Tour | X | ||
| National Museum of the American Indian | X | X | |
| Library of Congress | |||
| Newseum | X | ||
| National Archives | X | ||
| Eastern Market | |||
| Franciscan Monastery | |||
| National Gallery of Art | X | X | |
| Rock Creek Park Planetarium | |||
| Supreme Court | |||
| National Postal Museum | |||
| Gravelly Point | X | ||
| National Arboretum | X | ||
| Ben’s Chili Bowl | X | ||
| Montrose Park | |||
| Old Post Office Pavilion | X | ||
| National Portrait Gallery | |||
| 9/11 Pentagon Memorial | |||
| Screen on the Green | |||
| Jazz at the sculpture garden | |||
| Crime and Punishment Museum | X | ||
| MLK Jr. Memorial | |||
| Prince William Forest Park | |||
| Brew at the Zoo | |||
| Skyline Drive (Shenandoah) | X | ||
| Holocaust Museum | X | ||
| Hillwood Museum and Gardens | |||
| Montgomery County Fair | |||
| See an inauguration | X | ||
| Go on a segway tour of DC | |||
| Visit Monticello | X | ||
| Brew at the Zoo | |||
| Around the World Embassy Tour | |||
| Woodlawn Plantation and Pope Leighey House |
What do you think? Do you have a bucket list for your hometown attractions? What are your spring and summer plans?