Top Vacation Spots in Washington DC
If you had the pleasure of reading Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’, one of his very recent novels, you must be aware of the way he talked about Washington DC. The author had a very tasteful manner of explaining the sights and sounds in DC – it was almost as if someone wrote a guide for vacationers. Hmm… speaking of vacations, Washington DC is one of the hottest regions in terms of vacation spots.
So, if you’re planning to hit the road this summer to spend some quality time with your friends and family members, Washington DC is a place you wouldn’t to miss at all. How so? Well, for starters, DC has always been an ideal location for spring break vacationers. Every time the authorities make preparations for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, there’s a general ambience of delight and happiness floating around.
Top it all off with the spring school break, and you get kids scurrying around excitedly. By the way, if were aiming to take part in the National Cherry Blossom festival, you just missed it by a few months. The event is already over because it was held on March 26 – 2011 – April 10, 2011. Better luck next year though.
On the bright side, this event is something that vacationers can always take part in, on annual basis. If you missed this year’s highlights, Washington DC is always open to you for the next year – so on and so forth. The National Cherry Blossom parade happens to be an eye candy to a lot of tourists. There’re bike ride tours, walking tours, bus tours and Park Ranger tours available during this festival.
As a side note, you must know that Washington DC has a lot more than the Cherry Blossom thingy. The entire state is crawling with monuments and buildings that tourist and vacationers visit throughout the year. If you’ve chosen DC has your vacation spot, here’s a list of things that you, your family, or your loved one would be interested in doing over there:
- The Smithsonian Institute:
o In our honest opinion, the ideal vacation to Washington DC should start from the Smithsonian Institute. If you’re having trouble locating this building, search it through Google Maps application on your smart phone or the nearest internet café. In this building, there’s tons of information available to tourists; information that can point them towards other locations of interest throughout Washington DC.
§ Don’t forget to watch IMAX movies at the Natural Air and Space Museum while you’re at it.
- The National Monuments:
o The national monuments in Washington DC are a marvel. They’re spectacular and as much as an average American citizen is proud of them, the tourists also treat these monuments with utmost respect and awe. The ideal time for visiting these locations is at night, which is quite possible if you’re planning to hop onto a tour bus.
- The Infamous Houses of Government:
o Known as the Three Houses of Government, you have three buildings at your disposal.
§ The U.S. Capitol Building
§ The White House
§ U.S. Supreme Court
Though the government is pretty giddy in terms of allocating justice, supreme power and stuff like that, the buildings often remind us of a time when law and order really used to be in order. By the way, during rush hours, the tourist areas of the buildings can get quite jammed up; it’d be nice to follow an early schedule.
- Georgetown – A Walk It Is:
o Recognized as the historic waterfront of Washington DC, Georgetown is always at the brink of life and different multi cultured activities. Besides serving as a heaven for shoppers, the area is lined up with all sorts of restaurants. Once you’re in Georgetown, there’s not going back because you’ll eventually end up at a popular eatery, or a marvelous shop. Tread at your own “risk”!
- The Bike Ride Along C&O Canal:
o In mood for spending your vacation time somewhere isolated? Take a bike ride along the C&O Canal in Washington DC; there are lots of bike tracks and trails that were specially made to serve their purpose. Rumor has it that vacationers take their entire family, just to see what this historic area is all about.
The above article should be taken as a reference post. Washington DC is such a huge region that it’s impossible to sum up all the detailed information regarding everything in one article. Just go and explore on your own, your vacations will definitely leave a good impression on you.