Museums and National Archives

The rain on Mother's Day was forecasted to last all day, and the only thing we had scheduled was a 1:00 PM appointment at the National Archives Museum, so we decided to get a late start. After brunch at the hotel, we went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum for a quick visit to see the Hope Diamond.

I had written my first research paper in 4th grade on the Hope Diamond, so I had to stop by the Harry Winston Gem Gallery and pay it a visit. It wasn't quite as large as I had remembered, but it was still just as beautiful!

We then visited the National Archive Museum, where we saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and many other historic documents and records. Photos weren't allowed anywhere inside the museum, but we definitely enjoyed this museum!

Our last stop for the day was the Smithsonian American History Museum. Again, no photos were allowed, but we totally enjoyed the museum. Lynn and I loved the First Ladies' inaugural ball dresses and china patterns, and we all really liked seeing the Star Spangled Banner flag from 1812 in its new setting (which will hopefully better preserve it).

At the end of the day, the rain finally let up, and we were able to walk on the Mall a little to get back to the Metro.

We took Lynn to Il Porto, an Italian restaurant in Alexandria Old Town, for dinner, which she really enjoyed.