Christmas in Washington D.C. and Amazon's Top 20 Children's books of 2016

If you ever find yourself in Washington D.C. for the holidays, here are a few fun things to do (almost for free), that we enjoyed.

Botanical Gardens Train Display. We were not able to get into the official display due to the line. The tip we were given is to arrive 20-30 minutes before the building opens and get in line. Then you can get in on the first group and you only have to wait the 20-30 minutes out in the cold. We enjoyed walking through the building. I was impressed with the art displays made entirely of plant material. Amazing! This is a picture of one of the pieces made to celebrate the U.S. National Parks 100th birthday.
Willard Hotel Gingerbread House. The National Christmas tree is a must-see; while you are on Pennsylvania avenue take a few minutes to drop by the Willard Hotel lobby. This is such a historic place, which has hosted many great Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr. when he made his
"I have a dream" speech. The pastry chefs there put together a gingerbread likeness of a building in the city each year. This year the subject was the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
National Zoo Lights. My kids are crazy about the zoo! This was such a great fit for us. We went on a warmer afternoon. Parking is a small fee, but the zoo is free. We saw some of the animals (the zoo closes at 4:00 pm) then we walked to the Visitor Center and muddled around until the lights came on at 5:00 pm. The Visitor Center has a gingerbread display and a little train display which open at 5:00 pm. The lights are really cute. Mostly they are animal themed light displays and there are other things set up like, bouncy houses, music, tube slides and carousel (for a small fee). It is a very fun vibe and the lights were really cute! As we left, people were pouring in. Glad we timed it the way we did.
Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center/ National Air and Space Museum. If you are in the mood to see planes and spacecraft, I would recommend the Air and Space museum out by Dulles Airport. Yes it is a drive outside the city, and yes, you have to pay a small parking fee, but it is worth it! We saw the lines for the National Air and Space Museum on the Mall, they were around the building! The Udvar-Hazy center is amazing and because it is SO big, it can handle the crowds easily! The only thing we didn't do because of crowds was go up to the observation tower. If that is something you've never done, it is probably worth the wait, but we decided that this time, we would skip it.

That's a wrap. Planning next Christmas? Ha ha. Just had to share some fun tips, and pictures!!

Something else we enjoyed over Christmas break were a few of the recommended Amazon's Top 20 Children's books of 2016. We were able to get these three from our library:
The Night Gardener, Fan Brothers
This story is really creative and sweet.

Ada Twist Scientist, Andrea Beatty
Love this book! We got a kick out of little Rosie Revere Engineer coming back at the end of this one!

The Bear and the Piano, David Lichtfield
Cool story, the kids really liked it. The artwork is stunning!

We have another waiting for us at the library. It's the biography of E.B. White. I'll let you know how we enjoy that one. Happy reading.



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