Things To Do
George Washington's Mount Vernon
Open every day 9:00am - 5:00pm. Buy tickets online ahead of time ($26) and save using many available 20% discount codes and other discounts for military, first responders, and medical professionals. Must reserve a mansion tour time to enter the big house. George and Martha's tombs are viewable on the property. The museum and gift shop are great, too! Please note you will not have access to the mansion, tombs, grounds, or museum during the wedding. Gift shop will be open until 6:30pm day of the wedding - feel free to look around if you arrive early before the 4:30pm seating time or during cocktail hour!
DC Monuments & Memorials
All monuments and museums on the National Mall are best accessed via Metro "Smithsonian" station or Taxi/Uber/Lyft. The Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, Korea, Vietnam, and WWII memorials and White House and U.S. Capitol Building are all technically walkable but deceptively far away--bring good walking shoes! Recommend renting a bike or electric scooter if you want to see them all. Best viewed at night under the lights or in the morning to avoid the heat. Can reserve additional indoor tours through your House of Representative or Senator office.
Smithsonian Museums & Zoo
DC has so many great museums. All Smithsonian museums and zoo are free. Check specific websites for hours. Some require free timed-entry tickets (like the Air & Space museum and zoo). Here are some of our favorites: U.S. History Museum: See Lincoln's top hat from the night he was shot, the 1st lady inauguration dresses, star-spangled banner, and Dorothy's ruby red slippers. National Portrait Gallery: See the hall of presidents, other famous portraits, and the place where Mickey and Brenda got their engagement photos taken! National Zoo: Two giant pandas to arrive in late 2024!
Old Town Alexandria
Where we live! Conveniently located near our Friday night Welcome Event at Murphy's Grand Irish Pub and near plentiful hotels and AirBnB/Vrbo places to stay. Partially designed by George Washington himself, Old Town has a ton of history, shops, and restaurants on King Street. If you are staying for a few days, highly recommend booking a ghost tour. Nightly Spirits is a company that offers fun combined ghost tours/pub crawls.
Arlington National Cemetery
Free to enter. Open daily 8:00am to 5:00 pm. Metro subway accessible. Pay $20 to hop on/off cemetery tour tram. See JFK, Taft, RBG, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the best view of DC!
Food - Alexandria
Here are some of our favorite local food options near Old Town Alexandria: Breakfast/Brunch: Fresh Baguette - French pastries, coffee, and amazing breakfast sandwiches Call Your Mother - Hearty breakfast bagel sandwiches & coffee King & Rye - Southern comfort food Union Street Public House - beignets and a lot of history Bob & Edith's Diner - Best pancakes! Open 24 hours. Near where Mickey proposed to Brenda. :) Dinner: Old Hat Bar - best burgers in town! Where Mickey took Brenda before proposing. Only place in town that serves Wisconsin cheese curds and brandy old fashioneds Don Taco - Tacos, burrito bowls, and frozen margs Redrocks Pizza - try "Detroit style" Kisso Asian Bistro - best sushi, where we go for our anniversary Chadwicks - crab cakes & drinks Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Irish food & drinks (also has hearty brunch) Alexandria Bier Garden - German food & beer Dessert: Jenni's Splendid Ice Cream - Brenda's favorite flavor is Gooey Butter Cake
Food - DC
Here are some of our favorite food options while sight seeing in Washington, DC: Old Ebbitt Grill - Mickey's dad's favorite! Right by the White House The Hamilton - Also right by the White House Elephant & Castle - British pub, near museums/monuments Wok & Roll - Chinatown, near portrait gallery. Fried rice. V strong drinks. Yardhouse - Chinatown, near portrait gallery. 100 beers on tap and 100 TVs CAVA - Mediterranean. Our favorite "fast food" option. Think Chipotle/Qdoba but for gyros Shake Shack - Burgers, fries, & shakes Hamilton's Bar & Grill - Not to be confused with "the Hamilton." This is the Wisconsin sports bar will show all Brewers, Badgers, and Packers games. Near Capitol Building.