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:
exploring
Attractions and other places we visit.
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.
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:
Blue Ridge Parkway north end
After leaving Shenandoah National Park, we continued south for a few miles on the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
This park, barely wider than the highway, is 469 miles long, between Shenandoah National Park in Virginia at the north end and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina at the south end. We certainly didn’t have time to drive the whole way, but we went to the northernmost visitor center before turning around. We’ll probably visit the southernmost visitor center in the parkway in a few weeks time.
Visitor center:
Jenn had a nice long chat with the volunteer there:
Shenandoah National Park
We visited Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, a drive-through park southeast of Washington DC.
NPS map; click or tap to interact on their site:
An interactive map of our route, heading south through the park, then returning outside the park:
Shenandoah National Park north entrance entrance sign:
Visitor center:
I’m sure the vistas would be much more impressive in the fall:
Picnic lunch:
Highest point on drive, elevation 3,680 feet (aww, how cute):
Visitor center:
There are a few commercial waysides in the park:
