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In DC, the eighth grade visited many awe inspiring museums. On our first day, we visited two: the Holocaust Museum and the Smithsonian of the American Indian. We visited two exhibits in the Holocaust Museum. The first was Daniel’s Story, which gave the perspective of a Jewish boy during World War II. It truly opened our eyes to see the horrors of the time through a child’s eyes. The second area we visited was the Hall of Remembrance, where there were walls with the names of different concentration camps on them. In front of each wall was a set of candles and wooden sticks. Some of the candles were unlit, so you could take a stick and light the candles out of respect. I said a little prayer after each lighting. At the Smithsonian of the American Indian we had lunch at the cafeteria, which was nice after a hectic morning. They had many unique meals to choose from, each based off one of the many cuisines of various tribes. I personally did not have one of these one-of-a-kind dishes, but I saw many enjoying the special food. We watched a special video about American Indian culture and were then allowed to explore the museum.

We didn’t go to any museums on our second day because we visited memorials instead, but on the third day we went to the Smithsonian of American History. We saw an exhibit called the Price of Freedom, which outlined the many wars we have been in and the damage they caused to our country. After lunch we were allowed to explore the museum, during which my friend and I saw a very memorable exhibit; the flag that inspired the national anthem. It was amazing! There was a little bit about the actual battle, but it was quite amazing to see the flag.

Our fourth day is when we went to Gettysburg, which was quite the treat! We watched a movie about the Civil War, and saw a cyclorama detailing the battle of Gettysburg. We walked through a long exhibit specifying the details of the entire Civil War, filled with real uniform, weapons, etc. Afterwards, we took a long bus tour along the Gettysburg battle front, with a very knowledgeable tour guide named Don. He definitely knew what he was talking about, and was able to share many interesting facts from the origin of the term “OK” to the range of a cannon.

There was no rest on our final day. We visited the National Archives, where we saw the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. When I said seeing the flag that inspired the national anthem was memorable, let me tell you about the documents that created our country today! The feeling was indescribable, standing inches away from 230 year old papers. The signatures of many famous politicians were visible, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and of course John Hancock. The last location of our trip was the Air and Space Smithsonian. We were able to explore on our own there, and it was amazing! There were several planes hanging from the ceiling, and quite a few early planes in booths of their own. There were also many spacecrafts, such as the Mars Rover Curiosity and an Apollo craft.

My favorite museum must have been the National Archives. None of the other places were able to give me the wow-factor that the documents did. Overall, the trip was filled with many interesting sights that won’t fade from memory any time soon!