I love it when I can combine education with vacation.  We recently traveled to DC, NY and Cape Cod with our daughters.  DC on the fourth of July is about as patriotic as you can get.  We watched fireworks on The National Mall.  All 27 minutes of the display were splendid!

We visited the White House and completed an informative and exhaustive tour of The Capitol with a wonderful intern that even captured the attention of the 12 year-old.  The mosaic floors were stunning.

All of the museums were educational, enlightening and even magical, at times.  In particular, the American History Museum was a hit given it had an exhibit displaying the original Star Spangled Banner!  The sobering Holocaust Museum did not frighten my kids and although the passbooks with individuals outlined added a personal touch, I thought the museum could have really brought the concept to life, if visitors followed that person’s journey though the exhibits, too, rather than just on paper.

We ended the DC portion of our trip in Arlington Cemetery.  My daughter commented that “true heroes lived here.”  I could not have come up with a more accurate statement.

In New York City we rented bikes and strolled through Central Park, meandered through a very crowded (and eclectic) Times Square, and visited the 9/11 Memorial.  Again, a trip steeped in meaning and lots of questions from the kids.

Cape Cod was also quintessential Americana with American flags draped on just about every building.  Cape Cod was the most low key of the places we visited; no heavy museum tours and miles of walking, just good, relaxing family time.