Union Station

This is technically my Day 3 but since Day 2 was friend’s graduation we didn’t do much so I’m considering this as Day 2.

Start your day early and get breakfast then make your way to Union Station. From Union Station you can walk towards the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and Capitol Hill. Make sure you’re doing this on a Saturday or a weekday just because the Supreme Court is closed during the weekend and the Library of Congress and Capitol Hill is closed during Sunday. Also, make sure you’re doing this in the morning because it can get packed during the day and you can do a tour of the Library of Congress and Capitol Hill.

Supreme Court

Supreme Court: Although the Supreme Court does not offer guided walking tours, visitors are encouraged to tour the building on their own and take advantage of a variety of educational programs including Courtroom Lectures, a visitors’ film, and court-related exhibitions.

The Courtroom is located on the First Floor.  Court sessions are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to the Courtroom, portions of the First and Ground Floors are open to the public.

I’ve never really done this because for some reason, Courtroom was never in session when I went and the last time was a weekend so it was closed.

Library of Congress

Library of Congress: You can take a free one hour walking tour of the historic Thomas Jefferson building or you can just walk in to check out the amazing architecture and many books that the library holds. You can’t go into the actual library but can see it from above through the Thomas Jefferson Building. You can also obtain a FREE library card by filling out an application and bringing proper ID.

Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill: There’s a tunnel that connects the Library of Congress to Capitol Hill. From here you can take a tour of Capitol Hill. You can either reserve in advance or get same-day tour passes that may be available at the Information Desk located on the lower level of the Visitor Center.

I would get lunch at this point or keep walking towards the National Mall. This is where you get to visit the other side.

Hirshhorn Museum

Some of the must visits are the United States Botanic Garden, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum, and the outside of the Smithsonian Castle. I think these places just have great photo opportunities and interesting exhibits. The most time you would probably spend in is the National Air and Space Museum just because there’s a lot to see and  it is one of the most popular, but then sometimes it is a bit overrated.

Other than that you’re probably done with your day. My friends and I went to dinner after this, but I really do recommend you to go to Georgetown. There’s an amazing Italian Restaurant called Filomena Ristorante and it has the best Lobster Ravioli ever and the Pesto Pasta is just so good. From here, you can just walk around the canals maybe shop on M St. and walk around the Waterfront. Make sure you make reservations at Filomena as it is a popular restaurant!