Brad's Visit PART 1: Smithsonian

 My friend Brad visited us at the beginning of last week, so we took some time off and showed him around a bit. In today's blog, we'll take you to the Smithsonian's American History Museum and historic Savage Mill. We attempted to visit several other Smithsonian museums, but all the others were closed for some reason on a Tuesday!

(L to R: Tom, Brad, Rob on the Washington Mall in the COLD!!)

WHAT IS THE Smithsonian National Museum of American History? The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is the original Star-Spangled Banner. The museum is open Friday–Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Beginning April 4, 2022, the museum will be open seven days a week.

NOTE: The museum was undergoing a LOT of renovations, and new exhibits were going in, so there were only a few to see. One was about America in wars and another was about baseball (which Brad went into by himself!). We couldn't get into the first ladies' exhibit.

HIGHLIGHT - We saw the flag that flew over Fort McHenry, Baltimore that inspired the "Star Spangled Banner." It's preserved in a giant, dark display case to help keep it from deteriorating. According to the Smithsonian museum website, "Upon entering this exhibition, visitors are immersed in the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write his famous lyrics. The almost 200-year old, 30-by 34-foot flag is displayed in a special environmentally-controlled chamber. An interactive table with a tactile image allows visitors to investigate key details of the flag and how it was made. The exhibition explores the flag as a family keepsake in the 19th century, the Smithsonian Institution’s efforts to preserve the artifact since 1907, and how Americans have used the Star-Spangled Banner—both the flag and the song—to express diverse ideas of patriotism and national identity." Please note: Photography is not permitted in this exhibition (RIGHT: this is a museum image of the exhibit).

FIREFIGHTER EXHIBIT - Apparently, we missed the firefighter exhibit, but an old fire engine remained in an almost empty room.

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WASHINGTON MALL  - We briefly walked around outside on the Washington Mall, despite Wind Chills in the 30s - and took a picture of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, but it was way too cold and biting to linger outside.

Other photos include the American Indian Museum (although I thought it was called the Native American Museum) and a sculpture of woven branches that constructed some kind of maze-like house located  outside of the Botanical Gardens.

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