So September is gone and we’re settled back into the pace of another school year. Although “What I did over my summer vacation” essays are usually shared in the first few days of school, I wanted to bring back some of the fun of summer as fall settles in by sharing two essays from students about their experiences traveling with Smithsonian Student Travel this summer. Our first essay comes from Hailee, a 9th grade student from Texas, who was also kind enough to share photos from her tour. Enjoy!
WASHINGTON, D.C. (whooo!)
My friends and I were super psyched to be going to Washington, D.C., (whooo!). To give you an idea of how excited we were, every time someone said Washington, D.C., (whooo!) we’d, well, whooo! and wave our hands in the air!
On our departure day we willingly woke up at 4:30 in the morning and put up with a fast food breakfast in the airport. When we arrived in Washington, D.C., (whooo!), we hopped on our tour bus and met our tour guide for the trip. He was enthusiastic and fun. You could really tell he knew what he was talking about.
We jam-packed each day full of historical landmarks, memorials and Smithsonian museums. I remember on the first day we stopped at the National Archives, which houses the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
I remember going across the National Mall and craning my neck to try and catch both the breathtaking Washington Monument and the majestic Capital Building at the same time. I had of course seen pictures but could never have imagined what it was actually like being there.
We also went to the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History. The museums were unlike any museum I had ever been in before. I actually found the exhibits fun and interesting. I remember all the airplanes hanging from the ceiling in the Air and Space Museum. We also had the opportunity to stop and take a picture with a friendly elephant.
We also visited a lot of the memorials. One of my favorites was the Iwo Jima memorial. We also visited the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial among several others.
We took a little trip up to the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Our tour guide there was fabulous! We even did our own mini reenactment of a battle with everyone falling on the ground “dead.” Yup, it was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip! 
We also went to Arlington National Cemetery. It was really neat to see the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Kennedy gravesites.
We went for a tour inside the Capitol Building. Again our tour guide was great! It was really interesting to learn about Lady Liberty, the statue perched at the top of the capital building.
Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, was really beautiful. It was amazing to think that I was walking in the same place the first president of the United States had walked. We also went to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home.
We also went to the top of the Kennedy Center to see the view. It was beautiful!
We went to the Newseum right before leaving Washington, D.C., (whooo!) for Williamsburg. It housed a really interesting piece of history: part of the Berlin wall. I think my favorite part of the museum was the Pulitzer Prize photos.
Before heading home to San Antonio, we visited colonial Williamsburg. Everything was done as of the time period. People were driving around in horse-drawn carriages and there were even old stocks! There were old trade shops where people actually made things like they did in the colonial time period. It was really neat!
The overall experience was just awesome! Not only did I learn a lot, I also got to have fun with my friends and visit places I probably never would have had the chance to. I’ll never forget Washington, D.C.…
(WHOOO!)
Check back tomorrow to read about one student’s favorite site on her Washington, D.C., tour!