How it all started
In the summer of 2018, my husband found out that he was chosen for a one-year temporary assignment with NASA in Washington, D.C. Since we homeschool our 3 kids a temporary move would be an easy and unforgettable experience.
After lots of research, we were able to find an affordable apartment in the Pentagon City area of Arlington, VA within walking distance of 2 Metro stations. We would have to do very little driving.
Early on in our planning, we decided that we would use every opportunity to visit museums, historical sites, and nearby cities. It would be a year of real-world learning for our 3 kids. History would come alive!
So in October of 2018, our adventure began!
October
Upon arrival in Arlington, we were greeted with cool Autumn air and falling leaves. This would be the first time our kids actually got to experience all 4 seasons. We immediately put away our Florida shorts and flip flops.
November
In November, we went on our first 2 road trips. We spent Veteran’s Day weekend in Pennsylvania visiting the Amish countryside and Gettysburg. Then for Thanksgiving, we were able to drive up to Albany, New York to see my grandmother and other relatives. During that trip, we drove through our first snowstorm and experienced single digits temperatures.
- November 3 – Visit the Museum of the Bible. See Museum of the Bible with Kids.
- November 9-12 – Visit Strasburg and Gettysburg Pennsylvania. See 2 Days in Strasburg with Kids, Part 1, Indian Echo Caverns with Kids, Part 2, and Gettysburg with Kids, Part 3.
- November 17 – Union Station and National Postal Museum. See National Postal Museum & Union Station with Kids.
- November 21-25 – Thanksgiving trip to Albany, NY. See New York State Museum with Kids.
December
December started out with us in Arlington but ended with us stuck in Florida during the 35-day federal government shutdown. Before going home for Christmas we were able to see the National Christmas tree on the White House Ellipse.
- December 1 – Air Force Memorial. See United States Air Force Memorial with Kids.
- December 5 – National Museum of American History and the National Christmas Tree. See Christmas on the White House Ellipse.
- December 19 – Travel from Arlington to Florida for Christmas break.
- December 22-January 25 – Federal Government shutdown.
January
Most of January was spent in Florida. Thankfully before leaving Arlington for Christmas, we had a sneaking suspicion that there would be a long government shutdown so we packed up all the kids’ homeschool books and brought them home with us. They didn’t lose any school time. We also used this extra time in Florida to visit the Brevard and Central Florida zoos. We loved having extra time with family and friends but were also eager to return to Washington, D.C.
- January 1 – Brevard Zoo and Viera Wetlands. See Viera Wetlands with Kids and Rediscovering the Brevard Zoo.
- January 19 – Enchanted Forest. See Titusville’s Enchanted Forest Sanctuary with Kids
- January 25 – Central Florida Zoo
- January 27 – Travel back to Arlington.
February
In February we were finally back in Arlington. We got to experience a couple of snow days. The kids were thrilled! We also took advantage of the long President’s day weekend to visit Philadelphia.
- February 2 – Pentagon Memorial. See National 9-11 Pentagon Memorial with Kids
- February 15-18 – Visit Philadelphia, PA. See 2 Days in Philadelphia with kids
Independence Hall 
National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge
March
In March the weather started warming up and spring flowers appeared all over Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Cherry Blossoms were spectacular and definitely a highlight. We also visited more museums around the District.
- March 2 – National Museum of the American Indian
- March 9 – Smithsonian Castle and National Mall
- March 10 – Udvar Hazy Center. See Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center with Kids
- March 16 – National Building Museum. See DC’s National Building Museum with Kids
- March 30 – Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin
April
April brought some family to town for a short visit. They were fortunate to catch the tail end of the blooming Cherry Blossoms. During their visit, we also explored some of the sites along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. At the end of April, we traveled back to Florida for spring break.
- April 6 – Lyndon B Johnson Memorial, Navy and Marine Memorial, Roosevelt Island. See Theodore Roosevelt Island with Kids
- April 18 – Travel back to Florida for Easter and Spring Break
May
May was a busy month. Early in the month, we returned from Florida. Then we visited the National Zoo. Over Memorial Day weekend we took a road trip to Niagara Falls. This was one of the family’s most memorable and fun trips during our time in Washington, D.C.
- May 4 – Travel back to Arlington.
- May 11 – National Zoo. See What you need to know about the Smithsonian National Zoo with Kids
- May 18 – George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria
- May 25-29 – Visit Niagara Falls. See 3 Days in Niagara Falls with Kids Part 1, 3 Days in Niagara Falls with Kids Part 2, and 3 Days in Niagara Falls with Kids Part 3
Bridal Falls 
French Castle at Old Fort Niagara
June
In June we had a short visit from my parents. Then we explored both sides of Great Falls. We also visited a couple more museums. The kids loved the International Spy Museum. It is well worth the admission fee!
- June 8 – Great Falls Maryland. See Great Falls: Virginia vs Maryland
- June 15 – Great Falls Virginia. See Great Falls: Virginia vs Maryland
- June 22 – International Spy Museum. See What you need to know about the International Spy Museum
- June 29 – DEA Museum in Arlington
July
July was another busy and memorable month. I celebrated my 40th birthday and we took 2-weekend road trips. One to the Shenandoah Valley and one to West Virginia’s Canaan Valley. In between those trips we visited more museums and took part in the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary festivities.
- July 5-7 – Visit Shenandoah National Park. See A Weekend in the Shenandoah Valley with Kids
- July 11 – United States Supreme Court
- July 13 – National Portrait Museum
- July 19 – Apollo 11 50th Anniversary show, “Go for the Moon”, on Washington Monument
- July 27-29 – Visit West Virginia’s Canaan Valley. See A Weekend in West Virginia’s Canaan Valley.
August
In August we started winding down our time in Washington, D.C. We spent our final weekends completing our bucket list of places to visit. At the end of the month, we began a 15 day New England road trip. Traveling around New England was one of the first things we decided we would do during our year away.
- August 3 – Library of Congress
- August 16 – Washington Nationals baseball game
- August 24-September 8 – 15 day New England road trip. See 15 Day New England Roadtrip Part 1: CT and Rhode Island, Part 2: Massachusetts, Part 3: Maine, Part 4: New Hampshire, and Part 5: Vermont.
September
September was our last full month in Northern Virginia. We visited Ford’s Theater and made a quick weekend trip to Annapolis and Baltimore, Maryland.
- September 14 – Ford’s Theater
- September 21-22 – Visited Annapolis and Baltimore, MD.
October
The beginning of October was spent packing up our apartment and shipping things back to Florida. The weather was finally cooling down and now it was time to go south. Instead of driving straight back to Florida we took the long way down the Blue Ridge Parkway. After that trip, we have now traveled on every portion of the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, we were too early to catch many Fall leaves. The cool weather was nice though.
- October 6 – National Cathedral
- October 7 – Visited the top of the new Witmer building in Arlington
- October 12- Return to Florida via Blue Ridge Parkway.
Grandfather Mountain 
Mabry Mill Blue Ridge
Home Sweet Home!
How did we enjoy city life? It was nice to have everything within walking distance. We drove to very few places. But the noise and busiest was hard to get used to. I for one, prefer our quiet little town and my house in the woods. There are so many things to do and see around D.C, we were never bored.
Would we do it again? Sure. Not right away, but if the opportunity came up in a few years I’m pretty sure we would go. The experience, not only for the kids, but my husband was priceless.
For more information on vacationing in Washington, D.C. check out my post 4 Days with Kids in Washington, D.C.
If you have any questions about our experience, leave me a comment below.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. I was not compensated for this post.
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