If you happen to travel to Washington D.C this summer—whether it be because you’re a simple 30 minute drive, or whether you’re flying in from across the country to visit family or friends in the area—these are a few of my personal favorite sites that I highly recommend checking out!

1. Newsum

An interactive museum of news and journalism. And even if you really aren’t into it, I would suggest going because there are some awesome things inside that you can check out. For instance, they have a NBC News Interactive Newsroom, where you can play the role of a reporter, and see yourself on TV. They also have “Today’s Front Pages Gallery” where you can view the cover page of Today’s Newspaper from the 19th and 20th century, and see major headlines that were trending back in the days. They have various different short films you can watch, such as ““I-Witness: A 4-D Time Travel Adventure”,“Press Box: The History of Sports Reporting”,“The Press and the Civil Rights Movement”, and so many more. They have the cutest gift shops with some cool souvenirs. There is a lot more to see once you get inside.

2. National Building Museum

Honestly, this is my favorite museum simply because of one thing. The BEACH. Yes, you read that right. Inside of the National Building Museum, is a 10,000 square foot beach, and it includes an “ocean” of nearly one million recyclable translucent plastic balls. Yeah. It’s pretty awesome. They even have beach chairs and umbrellas where you can sit by the shore, or grab a bite to eat at the food shop. You can swim, jump, or just chill on top of the balls. It’s one of those things were you just need to be there to understand what I mean. But it’s a lot of fun! I enjoyed this so much and I had so much fun going. This was honestly one of my most memorable visits, and I would definitely go back again!

3. Gravelly Point Park

I highly recommend going an hour to an hour and a half before sunset. This is such a beautiful area where you can sit and just watch the planes take off across from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. And even if you don’t go at sunset, take a nice picnic basket and picnic blanket with you and watch the planes. There are other options: if you want to ride your bicycle, or run, they also have a bicycle path along with a sidewalk where you can ride your bike or run along the Potomac River. This is such a nice and relaxing area, where you can just sit and admire the beauty around you.

4. Renwick Gallery

The Renwick Gallery holds two levels with different pieces of unique art. The perspective of these artworks make you look at them differently. You may glance at a piece of artwork and see one thing, but if you keep looking at it, you see another. My favorite exhibit is one where you’re lying down and looking up at the ceiling, and it appears like a cloth that’s constantly changing colors. Also, as you go up the stairs, the second floor has a chandelier where the lights are going from dark to light. And the cool perk about this gallery is that it’s only about a minute walk from the White House.

5. World War II Memorial

Where they honor the 16 million who served in the armed forces in the U.S., and more than over 400,000 who died. But the way they set up this memorial is so nice! They have all of the 50 states written on the walls. And it’s set up is so beautifully placed, because it’s right in between the Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. And you also have a water fountain right in the middle of the memorial, where you can sit and relax while taking in the sunshine and enjoy the beautiful view of the Rainbow Pool right across on the other side. Definitely get some SnapChat’s if you’re here!

6. Lincoln Memorial

Speaking of the Lincoln Memorial, this is also a site that I recommend seeing around sunset because you get a beautiful view once you get to the top of the stairs where Lincoln is, just turn around to face the other direction. Here you can take your epic selfie with Abraham himself, learn about him and the history of the Lincoln Memorial, or just sit by the steps and enjoy the beautiful day. But I highly suggest bringing a camera with you to this site because the view of the city is just so perfect from this point.

7. Georgetown Waterfront Park

This is such a pretty area where you can go hang out with family or friends, and have a nice lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants by the waterfront. You can get a beautiful view of the Potomac River, along with the boats that are along the shore. Or you can also take a walk along the boardwalk and visit some shops that are there too. This is such a great hangout spot with friends or family and I love visiting! And even if you’re feeling adventurous, they have Water Taxi’s that can take you around the Potomac River and you can explore some more!

8. Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Who doesn’t love to visit the all of the beautiful animals at the zoo? Going to the zoo is so much fun and you get to see all of the many different kinds of animals. This is such a great place for kids to go to, and they can learn so much about these wonderful animals! They have a gift shop of some really cute stuffed animals, and souvenirs. If you’re a local, I suggest taking the Metro because it’s easier to get there and to leave whenever, instead of dealing with crazy parking along the side of the streets.