2023 Family Trip to Washington DC - Smithsonian Museum Natural History, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress - Day 05 - 2023/05/02

It's Day 5 for our 2023 Washington DC trip. We've got a lot to squeeze in today. Since it's a Tuesday, we're hoping it will be a little less busy all around compared to the weekend. 

Our first stop is the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We missed out on the Butterfly Pavilion over the weekend, so we were hoping to get a return time today. 

And sure enough, we were able to get tickets! Just need to return around 12:45pm. That means we have more time to explore the rest of the museum. 

We really liked the gemstones, so we wandered back to marvel at them again. 

And then it was time to look at the collection of animals the museum has collected. 

Look out Ian! 

A cute little bear cub. 

Trash panda. 

And all the dinosaur bones are impressive too. 

Petrified trees from Arizona. 

Our time to see the butterflies has arrived. We had our tickets checked and filed in to a small room with a bunch of other guests. 

We were given instructions on what we were and weren't allowed to do. Obviously no touching the butterflies, but if they land on you, you are a lucky one. We were given a few tips on how to possibly have one land on you. You have to be very still. 

Someone is determined. 

Finding some very pretty butterfly wing patterns. 

That blue is striking. 

It's interesting watching them drink the nectar from the flowers. Uncurling their proboscis and probing each of the different little flowers. 

He's not giving up yet. 

And he has been chosen! I'm glad he didn't freak out when it completely skipped his arms and went straight to his hair! 

Patience pays off. 

It's a Monarch butterfly, just like the two we adopted back in California! We always joke when we see one that it's the same butterfly we watched hatch on the other side of the country. You never know! Maybe it's one of their off-spring! 

Someone is pretty proud of themselves. 

While most groups were content to shuffle through the small exhibit, we took our time, even moving back towards the entrance (there's no one-way requirements here). 

Other people walking by were surprised and delighted to see the butterfly in Ian's hair. 

After 12 minutes of hanging out with Ian, the butterfly chose to fly off to be with its friends. 

Well if it happened once, it could happen again. 

Learning that the might be attracted to bright lights. 

Presenting the perfect perch. Do you thing butterflies! 

But it was not to be. Still, we had a very fun time hanging out with the butterflies. We stayed in the area for about 40 minutes! 

Going to see the caterpillar chrysalises after the exhibit. 

I don't remember the story behind this one. 

It's been a fun time at the Natural History Museum. We've seen lots of amazing creations of our world. 

Next we headed over to the National Gallery of Art. 

T and I both like seeing Monet paintings. 

Not just because of the pretty scenes. 

But in person, you can really see the texture of the painting. It's much more difficult to see and appreciate that from a scan or a photograph. 

The Four Dances by Degas. Where have I see this one before...

I remember! It was in an ice cream shop in Arkansas where they replaced or added cows to various classical paintings.  

We quickly wandered the National Gallery, but the kids just weren't super into it. They like creating artwork a lot more than looking at artwork on a wall. 

Walking by the Capitol Building. 

On our way to the next stop of the day. The Library of Congress. 

The Court of Neptune fountain was inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome. 

Reservations required, but luckily we'd planned ahead. 

There was a small scavenger hunt for the kids. 

It had us searching all over the Great Hall for different animal sculptures. 

We do love books. We read a book out loud before bed every night. From Magic Treehouse, Encyclopedia Brown, Ranger's Apprentice, Brotherband Chronicles, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and lately Project Hail Mary and The Martian. 

Looking at books belonging to Thomas Jefferson. These books behind glass are part of the 6487 books he sold to Congress after the original library was burned by the British in 1815. 

Next we waited in a short line for our turn to go up the steps and overlook the main reading room. 

Sadly we did not get on a tour that would let us actually go into the reading room, so we'll just have to observe it from above. 

It been busy day. It's time to get some food and head back to the hotel. 

McDonalds for some. A pizza place right beside it for Ian. And we wandered over to a grocery store to grab some snacks for tomorrow. 

I'm always on the lookout for interesting new things to try for a taste test. I think I'll be skipping this one though.