Washington, D.C.

Growing up, I lived only 40 minutes away from our nation's capitol; the lovely Washington D.C. Many people think of it as the place where the White House is and Congress meets and where many of our government's important buildings are. However, I want to convince you of other reasons why you should visit D.C. besides the usual tourist destinations of the White House, the Capitol building, and the Supreme Court. Although these are important things that I believe everyone should experience, hear me out on other reasons why you should visit Washington, D.C.

1) The Cherry Blossom trees
In March or April these beautiful trees are in full bloom, displaying their wonderful and delicate pink and white petals. During this time the district also has a National Cherry Blossom Festival which embraces these trees with cherry blossom themed food, drinks, and even spa packages.

2) You can get your picture taken with Abe Lincoln

At the end of the National Mall you will see a Greek style constructed building. In there you will find the man himself: Abraham Lincoln. The 16th president is represented with a 19 foot statue, guarded by 36 columns (representing the 36 states of the Union at the time of Lincoln's death) that are each 7 feet in diameter. You won't want to miss this photo opportunity.

3) The 4th of July celebration

More specifically, the Capitol Fourth concert, which I have been watching on television since I was a little girl. Located on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, this FREE concert celebrates Independence Day while featuring pop culture stars that sing, speak, or pretty much do whatever they want. Each year the National Artistic Achievement Award is given out to a significant artist of the year as well as a performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture by the National Symphony Orchestra (complete with cannon fire from the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery and the concluding verse sung by the Choral Arts Society) and the National Park Service's fireworks show above the Washington Monument.

Hopefully, now when you're looking to travel somewhere on the East coast you are inspired to visit Washington D.C. for these fun reasons. Planning your trip around one of the events would ensure a great time had by all. One suggestion however: get to the Capitol Fourth early because the lawn will fill up quickly.

Happy traveling. 

all images found on Google Images.