Back on Veterans Day, we found ourselves with an unplanned free day.   Everybody had the day off except Sam’ preschool, but we let him play hookie.  It was a drizzly, gray day, but I decided it would be fun to hit the museums downtown, since we don’t get down there often enough.  I was especially interested in seeing the American History Museum, my favorite Smithsonian.

Thanks the federal holiday, we were able to drive down town and I snagged a great spot right near the museum.  Since we were only a short walk from the entrance, I suggested we ignore the icy drizzle and skip the coats, so we wouldn’t have to lug them around the museum.   Smart, right?   Until I realized the museum we parked close too was NOT the American History, but rather the National Gallery of Art.  I couldn’t remember which was AH, but decided I would drive the car down to a closer spot, while leaving Mike and the kids to hoof it.  In the rain.  With no jackets.   What was I thinking?!?

For the record, this is what the mall looks like:

They had to walk approximately 4 city blocks in the rain.  I found another sweet spot, this time close to the AH museum, but now I had to reconnect with the family.  I made sure Mike had his cell phone when I drove off, but neglected to bring mine!  Argh.   I accosted a dad with his kid and asked to borrow his.  He kindly obliged and I finally connected with Mike in the Natural History Museum (or as Mike likes to call it, the Museum of Evolutionary Lies).

We spent a little time there, checking out the Sant Ocean Hall:

Then we trudged down to American History to check it out.

We spent the bulk of our time in two main exhibits:  Invention at Play and the Spark Lab.  Both are hands on and geared for kids.   They all had a great time, except for maybe Adam, who couldn’t quite appreciate it on the same level as the other two.

The kids did a great job, especially with all the walking and we had a fun time.  When we got home, we enjoyed a late lunch, accompanied by hot chocolate and a warm fire.

It was a great way to end a fun outing.  Thank you, veterans for serving so faithfully and protecting our nation, allowing us to enjoy quality time as a family together.

Tags: around town, family, holidays, outings