Hampton National Historic Site

 Date of Visit: August 25, 2016

We arrived around 9 a.m., so had about an hour to wait for the first tour of the mansion at 10 a.m. We spent the time exploring the grounds around the Hampton Mansion. There really isn't much to explore that is accessible, though, so Mik did get a little impatient. At least there was a Pokemon Go gym to entertain him at the top of the falling gardens that just required going in the grass a little to get the the gravel path in the backyard that leads to it.

We attempted to go to the cemetery because it seemed close enough that we could go there and back before the tour, but the gravel turned out to be quite thick on this path. This is also the path that goes down to the farm area, which I think might also have its own parking area, but we wanted to also fit in Fort McHenry today. Also, Baltimore is an easy day trip for us, so we figured instead someday we'll come back and remember the freewheel to make exploring the grounds not a big deal.

As a historic home originally finished in 1790, Hampton House is not exactly accessible. However, the tour starts in the hyphen with a ramp up to the entrance. Once inside there is then a lift to get to the first floor. The tour does end up going down to the kitchen and up to the second floor (3 bedrooms and special exhibit room), which I did while Dad waited with Mik, but really they didn't miss out on too much and got to see the best parts. In particular, we liked that the tour guide adapted the tour to include them the most by making sure they could hear when she talked about the bells in the hall on the way down to the kitchen and most of the information on that area. She also did the whole first floor area before we did the second floor, so they could wait outside and explore the grounds rather than wait inside for us again.

After the tour we headed back down the road to the museum shop to get our National Park Passport stamps. This road is a little steep for Mik's liking and we probably would've just parked at the top by the mansion if it had been open to get the stamps when we first got there.

Destination Info:
Hampton National Historic Site
535 Hampton Lane
Towson, MD 21286

Smithsonian Castle

Date of Visit: August 19, 2016

I know I've been in the Smithsonian Castle several times, but not sure if Mik ever has or just doesn't remember. I probably actually never took him inside, though, because I always just think of it as the visitor center and why not just go to the actual museums. Turns out it is actually a really great starting point to visiting the museums (or in our case just learn about Smithsonian history).

There are two public entrances to the building (north and south). The north entrance from the mall has a ramp entrance to the right. There is a button to open these doors. Make sure it actual activates to open both doors as we scrapped through when it only opened one side. It worked fine on the way out, so it just seems it may sometimes get stuck. The south entrance is also accessible, but it involves a lift to get up the steps that are right inside the entry.

We got there around 12:15 p.m. and ended up taking our time browsing the "Welcome to Your Smithsonian" and "The Smithsonian Institution: America's Treasure Chest" exhibits in the west wing while we waited to do the 1:30 p.m. Castle Highlights Tour. We particularly enjoyed the "America's Treasure Chest" exhibit as it has a sampling of the items in the collections of the different Smithsonian museums. Mik especially enjoyed the sports case.

Mik was a little hesitant to wait around for the tour, but he ended up really enjoying it. We learned a lot about the founding of the museum as well as the Castle's architecture. Also, while all the areas on the tour you can visit on your own, we would have missed some if we hadn't done the tour. In particular, we probably would've totally missed the Smithson Crypt because we didn't know about it and you only end up walking by it if you come in the north entrance with steps.

The Smithsonian Castle is probably the one part of the Smithsonian we aren't likely to revisit on our own, but it was definitely worth visiting once and likely a place we would start if we were with others that hadn't been before again.

Destination Info:
Smithsonian Castle
1000 Jefferson Dr SW
Washington, DC