Museum of Natural History

A couple weeks ago we trekked into DC to visit the legendary Mall. I hadn't been to the museums since college and Dave hadn't been in even longer. Even though it's only an hour away, the fact that we ALWAYS somehow wind up in Virginia on our way home makes the whole trip less appealing.

On our way in we noticed everyone the red cheeks and noses of everyone walking around. Could it really be that cold? Sure enough as we exited the car (after driving around for an hour looking for a space because there's no parking garages!) the cold hit us head on. Thankfully I had gloves, mittens and hats for the kids. What we didn't have was a stroller. Apparently, in the confusion of deciding which car to take down we forgot to switch the stroller back into the correct car. But we were determined to make a go of it—even if that meant we had to carry our little portly fellow around all day. So off we went. First stop—the Museum of Natural History.

The museum was fantastic! Of course the rotunda area when you enter hadn't changed a bit. We were still greeted by the same huge African Elephant. But the Mammal exhibitshad been totally updated. Everything had been done so beautifully. The old stuffed animals were given swanky new digs. Who knew taxidermy could be so chic?

And of course the dinosaur exhibit was a big treat as well. We have a great dino exhibit at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, but it's always a treat to see the extensive collection of dino bones they have just steps away from the Capitol. Plus, it's completely free to the public. Woo hoo!

One of the stops we made in the museum was to the Discovery Room. It's where children can touch and explore items from all the various exhibits—anything from looking at a starfish through a microscope to trying on traditional clothing from around the world. I made sure both children were heavily Purelled-up after our visit.

We had lunch in the cafeteria located in the basement of the building. I was shocked by the variety of fresh healthy food. It sure had changed since my many school field trips to the museum. There was plenty of fresh fruit, vegetarian wraps, hot sandwiches, soups, salads, juices and of course french fries and chicken strips. Be warned though—it is not cheap. So if you're on a tight budget make sure you brown bag it.

After our lunch we went to visit the Museum of American History. However, it is closed until Summer of 2008. They're giving it a major face lift. Instead, we went over to the Air and Space Museum which showcased some of the best items from it's sister museum (American History). We saw the hat Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated, one of the scrips from The Wizard of Oz, the first light bulb and Einstein's pipe. Jonah and Ellie was most impressed with Kermit, which narrowly beat out the Barbie dolls.

All in all we made it. Jonah never napped and he gave our arms a serious workout but it was all worth it. Even the surprise snow we got while we were there (it was the first real snow of the season).

So here are some tips if you're planning a visit to the DC museums:

1. Pack a stroller. Then double check to make sure it is with you. After a third check you can relax because there's no stroller rentals to be found once you're there.
2. Try out the museum cafes for a variety of fresh fruit and veggies. You can even grab a hot dog if you must. Believe me, I know how picky little ones can be.
3. Use hand-sanitizer liberally. There's a lot of fingers that touch those exhibits. Bleech!
4. Check the weather forecast before you leave. We didn't and were a tad surprised. Although in all fairness to us, it WAS in the upper 60s the weekend before.

Now on to the pictures...