We visited Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.
Relief map:
Bus from the visitor center to the town:
Exploring the old town of Harpers Ferry:
exploring
Attractions and other places we visit.
Baseball: Washington Nationals vs Miami Marlins
The second baseball game we attended while in the DC area was the Miami Marlins playing at the Washington Nationals stadium, Nationals Park.
Jenn’s game summary:
Bomb-sniffing dogs in the parking garage: unusual. Beautiful day for a ballgame. Had a “Walking Taco” from Ben’s Chili Bowl—a DC fave. Good stuff. Racing presidents is a fun event between innings. Teddy won. Homers by Thomas and Meneses. Herz struck out 13, which made for a very quick game. It was a City Connect uniform day, so the Nationals were wearing cherry blossoms, and the whole stadium was themed accordingly—kind of pretty. A nice ballpark, but it would’ve been better if they hadn’t blocked the view of the Capitol with condos.
We got there shortly before the gates opened:
Baseball art:
Team store:
More art:
Cutwater Spirits:
We got some tasty beverages in interesting containers:
Fritos tacos:
Mascots:
View of the ballpark from our seats:
Mascot:
WSH:
Cheerleaders:
Selfie:
See You Tater:
Tater tots with mac & cheese and pulled pork:
Mascots:
Cart:
Dippin’ Dots for dessert:
Nats win:
Smithsonian American History Museum
We also visited the Smithsonian American History Museum in DC.
An art, with the Washington Monument in the background:
The Star Spangled Banner; a huge flag in the room behind this, but couldn’t take pictures of it:
First Ladies:
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
We visited the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington DC.
We caught the DC Metro to the DC Mall area:
Smithsonian Natural History Museum:
Skulls:
Reconstructed neanderthal face:
World population:
African animals:
Dinosaurs:
Dark skies:
Rocks:
Hope diamond:
Phones:
Shark:
Back to the foyer:
Lots of stuff to see.
DC monuments by night tour
We did an evening guided tour of Washington DC from the Cherry Hill Park campground.
Selfie in the bus:
US Capitol:
Washington Monument:
Back to our bus; there were lots of food trucks like this lining the roads in DC:
Treasury building:
The White House:
Guide talking about the White House:
Washington Monument:
Thomas Jefferson Memorial:
Sunset:
Lots of tour buses:
Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial:
Korean War Veterans Memorial:
Washington Monument and the Capitol beyond the reflecting pond:
Lincoln Memorial:
Vietnam Veterans Memorial:
World War II Memorial:
World War II Memorial:
Baseball: Baltimore Orioles vs Atlanta Braves
While staying in the DC area, we attended a couple of baseball games. The first was the Atlanta Braves playing at the Baltimore Orioles stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Jenn’s game summary:
Arrived as the game started due to bad GPS directions. Enjoyed a crab, mac & cheese dog, then some chicken bacon, ranch fries, and crab chips, followed by some Dippin’ Dots. Lemonade was refreshing on a very warm day. The Braves scored early and never let up. The Orioles made two errors. A fun ballpark atmosphere and exciting crab-themed events. Ruschman struck out twixe and walked. It’s a beautiful stadium. Orioles came close to a tying rally in the 9th, but couldn’t follow through.
The entrance to Oriole Park:
Team store:
Food vendors:
We like to try regional specialties when exploring ballparks; we started with the crab mac hot dog:
“The ballpark that forever changed baseball”:
The view from our seats:
Lineups:
Lots of navy folks for Fleet Week:
Selfie:
Former Mariner Jarred Kelenic:
Crab shuffle game:
Time to try more food:
Chicken bacon ranch fries:
And crab chips:
Hot dog race:
Home run markers on the ground:
I looked for Mariners ones, including Ken Griffey, Jr on April 24, 1994:
Sam Haggerty on April 13, 2021:
Cal Raleigh on June 25, 2023:
Mascot:
Dippin’ Dots for dessert:
Final scores:
Oriole Park at Camden Yards:
Driving around Wasington DC
While staying near Washington DC, we did a quick drive through the city, around the Capitol and along the National Mall.
An interactive map:
US Capitol:
Other buildings:
Washington Monument:
More on DC soon.
Gettysburg National Military Park: memorials and cemetery
The second post about Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, including the battlefield memorials and Gettysburg National Cemetery.
The interactive map again:
The battlefield has a bunch of roads, dotted with monuments from the various states and military divisions that participated in the battle:
GIF:
Gettysburg National Cemetery:
Lincoln address memorial, where he gave his famous speech:
Gettysburg National Military Park: museum and visitor center
We visited Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, including a third-party museum and visitor center.
An interactive map:
Visitor center:
Gift store:
“Now we are engaged in a great civil war”:
Exhibits:
Theater:
The Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 360° painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting Pickett’s Charge, the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. It was painted in 1883, and measures 42 feet by 377 feet. The viewing of it started with a dramatization of the battle with light effects:
After the light show, it was shown without light effects. The foreground in front of the painting is a natural-looking landscape, blending into the painting:
An easter egg: a wounded President Lincoln is in this part, representing a wounded nation:
Impressive stuff.
The Gettysburg address:
Tomorrow, the battlefield and cemetery.
Manassas National Battlefield Park
We visited Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, Virginia, where the first major battle of the American Civil War took place on July 21, 1861 (plus a second battle later).
The NPS map; click or tap to interact:
An interactive map:
Visitor center:
Henry Hill Loop Trail:
Stonewall Jackson:
