The Epic Northeast Road Trip Part Three

This is the last part of our epic northeast road trip!

Check out parts one and two!

Picking up where we left off, we had another full day in Washington, D.C.  The city has some fantastic museums.  Our first stop was the National Air and Space Museum.  It was a hot day, so we got a nice break with some much-needed air conditioning.  My kids couldn’t believe that airplanes of all sorts were inside.  There were a few you could go in and check out the cockpit and seating areas.

There was just about any aircraft you could imagine.  You can also find rockets, spacecrafts, and satellites.  At one of the gift shops, there was some freeze dried ice cream.  Lindsey and I thought it was good.  The kids did not.

Liam was mad about something.  Oh well, life happens.

You’ll also find an IMAX theater, planetarium, simulators and much more.  We didn’t get to experience it all because we only had a day and a half.  So it was time to move on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzefBVIZbNc

While trekking between all of the sights we also saw a glimpse of the U.S. Capital.

Most of the museums are free in D.C., so one place we knew would not disappoint was the National Museum of Natural History.

We were so impressed with all of the displays.  My kids couldn’t figure out if the animals were real or not.

Some of the things they found to be very real were all the bugs.  This bug was like the same ones used in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

There many areas to explore such as the Mammals area, Ocean Hall, Human Origins and the Last American Dinosaurs section.

The one thing we had wanted to see was the White House.  So after some pool time at the hotel, we headed out.  It was later in the evening and not too hot.

We then went around to the other side where we could get a much closer look.  The kids kept asking why the President’s house wasn’t bigger.

A tour inside would have been fantastic, but you have to reach out to a member of Congress in the state you live in as much as three months in advance.  But just being that close was pretty impressive.  Our next and last day in D.C. started off with money and lots of it.  Lindsey scheduled a tour at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  Seeing money printed isn’t something you get to do every day.

Here’s a million dollars!

Below you can see how much Truett is worth based on his height.

Moving on we went to the Arlington Cemetery to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  If you have never heard of it, you should check it out.  The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year in all weather conditions.

Have you ever been to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky?  That was our next stop.  The Ark was another wow moment for us!  The Ark Encounter is about 45 minutes from Cincinnati, Ohio.  It was built precisely to the specifications in the Bible.  There’s a petting zoo, restaurant and zip line outside.  The inside of the Ark is dedicated to how life looked for Noah’s family and how they were able to keep the animals alive and healthy during the flood.  It also displays what happened leading up to the flood itself.  The Ark is definitely a must see.

It turns out the Ark is very photogenic.  Another cool thing is that the Ark is lit up with the colors of the rainbow at night.

Noah was also available for questions.

We headed to our hotel for some much-needed sleep, because the next day we had one or two more stops.  

St. Louis is known for the Gateway Arch which is set on the Mississippi river, but let me tell you that it has one of the most amazing kids’ museums we have ever seen.  If you are in St. Louis, you need to check out City Museum.  It was recently voted the number one family attraction in the world by trip.com.  And anyone who goes there can see why.  There is so much to see and do.  Our pictures don’t do it justice.  Besides, we were too busy having fun to take pics.  But I will say the enormity of this place was beyond belief.

Liam loves to pose for pictures.

How about a huge ball pit?

There is even a circus inside.  A circus.

Here’s a tip.  Stay with your kids because there are slides that can take you to different floors.  So you’ll probably want to ride the slide with them.  Also, some of the areas can get pretty dark, so have some flashlights for your kids to use.  

My kids loved the giant underwear.  

As we headed home, we made a little pitstop in Uranus, Missouri.  Uranus was a great place to stretch our legs before the final haul home.  We even had a snack and went to the bathroom in Uranus.

After our visit, our kids knew what Uranus meant.

I had the best fudge in Uranus.  I could go on and on folks.

It has been said that all good things must come to an end.  We couldn’t stay on our epic northeast road trip forever, could we?  No.  We were tired, but we had so much fun!  In total, we drove 3,650 miles.  Were we tired of driving?  My wife wasn’t since she drove 30 minutes.  But was I?  Yes.  Did we have the time of our lives?  Yes.  For us, it’s all about our family spending time together.  And that’s exactly what we did.   

Have you ever been to Uranus?