How to Spend a Weekend in Washington, DC

We are back from a short weekend trip to Washington, DC and we had the best time! My husband and I live near Philadelphia, so Washington, DC is just a couple of hours away from us and we have talked about visiting for a long time. This past weekend, we were finally able to make that happen and our trip just so happened to align with the cherry blossoms (which has always been my DREAM)! Here’s how to spend a weekend in Washington, DC, plus our trips and tricks for seeing the stunning cherry blossoms during this time of year.

Our Weekend in Washington, DC

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed at the Ven at Embassy Row and it was perfect. Like the title states, it’s located in DuPont Circle and in my opinion, it was a great location. The area and surrounding areas were very nice and it felt safe to walk around at night. There are a lot of great restaurants and coffee shops within a walkable distance. The Ven at Embassy Row is stunning and they offer a restaurant within the hotel called Fred & Stilla. We ate there one night and the food was incredible.

During the summer months, they have a rooftop pool and lounge area. The other amenities offered were a 24 hour game room and a gym. They also have an art gallery inside the hotel that’s really cool to walk through. I was so impressed with the style and decor of the hotel too. It was unique and so incredibly beautiful.

WHAT WE DID

Since we were only in Washington, DC for less than 48 hours, we tried to make the most of our time. We got up early and headed to Call Your Mother (highly recommended by all of you on Instagram). They have multiple locations throughout the city, but wow it was so cute. They have delicious bagel sandwiches and the decor and vibe is 10/10. It’s walking distance from the hotel.

From there, we walked to see The White House, The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument and plenty of other landmarks. It’s easy to walk to all of the attractions and there’s so much beauty along the way. It is a lot of walking though, but now you can rent scooters that can easily get you from place to place and they’re available through an app on your phone (so convenient)!

Once we finished up with some of the sights we wanted to see, we checked out a couple museums. We were only able to do two museums, the Smithsonian of Natural History and the Smithsonian of American History. We tried to do the National Air and Space Museum, but unfortunately it was closed due to construction and we also tried to do the Holocaust Museum but they were full for the day (I think it was a Covid-occupancy related issue). However, if you’ve never been to Washington, DC, all of the museums are located around a square and it’s really easy to hop from one to the next since they’re all right next to each other.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

To be completely honest, I was most excited about seeing the cherry blossoms! I have always wanted to go and see them in person and our trip just so happened to line up perfectly with the peak of the cherry blossoms. They truly are stunning in person. However, I just have to warn you that we witnessed a true Instagram vs. Reality moment when we arrived to see them. It was absolutely packed with people and almost impossible to get a photo without 100 people in it. I was told to either go super early in the morning or go later in the evening. With our schedule, it just worked out that we got there mid-day and it was packed with an overwhelming amount of people. But, still worth it.