We started the morning at the International Spy Museum. The online reviews I read indicated that it can get quite crowded, so we were there just minutes after opening and didn't face any problems with crowds. This museum was one of the boys' favorites, and it was pretty interesting even for the adults! When we arrived at the museum, we all chose "covers" and had to memorize the details in case we were interrogated later. (For the record, the boys both did better than Gene and I did with this assignment!) Here's Will's:
Throughout the museum, we learned all about different spy gear and techniques. Ninjas are the consummate spies!
And remember that George Washington was Agent 711 in the Culper Spy Ring? My favorite part of the museum was seeing this letter, written by George Washington, in which he agrees to pay Nathaniel Hackett to set up a spy network. Wow!
After visiting all the exhibits (including a temporary exhibit on James Bond), we grabbed lunch before heading directly across the street to visit the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. These two museums share a building that was formerly the U.S. Patent Office. I didn't take a single photo inside, but our favorite spots were the massive Bierstadts, the presidential portrait gallery and several photography exhibits. Will saw "Men of Progress" by Christian Schussele, which showcases 18 American inventors of the 1850s. The National Museum of American History has an interactive replica that Will studied in depth, so it was fantastic to see the original two days later. And Henry identified a bronze work called "George H.W. Bush as a Horseshoe Player" that we had seen in College Station. The two museums are amazing and we really enjoyed spending our time there.
After the museums, we headed a couple blocks away to visit Ford's Theatre. I had purchased tickets online weeks ago and am so glad we did because we wouldn't have been able to visit otherwise.
We purchased audio tours for all of us, which ended up being great for the boys as they had a special version just for kids. The boys haven't studied the Civil War or Lincoln yet, so the museum was a good introduction for them.
After visiting the museum, we walked upstairs to the theatre, where we saw the box where Lincoln was shot.
And then we headed across the street to the Petersen House, where Lincoln was brought immediately after he was shot, and where he died the next morning.
A replica of the bed where Lincoln died.
We ended up skipping most of the Center for Education and Leadership because of the detailed information about the hunt for John Wilkes Booth, which the online materials said could be disturbing for younger children. One fascinating part of the center is this massive Lincoln Book Tower, which features 205 repeating titles that go up three stories high. There have been over 15,000 books written about Lincoln!
Even though we'd already had a pretty full day by this point, we all still had energy and decided to visit one last spot, the National Postal Museum. Though it's now a museum, this Beaux Arts building next to Union Station was originally the main post office for the District of Columbia.
This Smithsonian museum was not crowded and was actually very interesting. We saw many rare stamps as well as airplanes, trucks, trains and stage coaches that were used to deliver the mail.
Our third day in DC was definitely a full one!
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