A few months ago, I felt an intense desire to book a big adventure for July 4th this year in honor of the USA's 250th birthday. My first thought was, "Let's go to DC!!" mainly because 1) it would be amazing to celebrate in our nation's capital, and 2) we had been hoping to return since we first visited in 2022. Imagine my glee when point prices were exactly what I needed them to be, and there were still a few rooms left to book with points, too! I booked immediately, and the countdown began.
Although the main motivation was to experience DC again, we also took this as an opportunity to visit our last remaining state on the east coast: Delaware. Back in 2023, we set a family goal to visit all 50 states as a family before our son (who was 8 at the time) graduates from high school. At the time of this declaration, we had proudly visited 11 states. And as of this trip to Delaware just three years later, our count is officially up to 29!
We spent 2 nights in DC and 2 nights near Rehoboth Beach, DE for this quick trip, and it was a fun summer adventure that we all loved!
Two Nights in DC
We stayed five nights in this beautiful city back in
2022, and it was a special one because it was our first big trip on points as a family. Our plan for these two days was to revisit some favorite places and soak up all of the Independence Day festivities. In a lot of ways, this trip did not go as planned because of weather interruptions (
an intense heat wave and a severe thunderstorm warning), which was pretty disappointing in real-time. The good news is that we made the best of it, and we still enjoyed our short stay in the city. We were proud to wear our red, white, and blue to celebrate 250 years of the USA, too!
Things we did and saw while in Washington, DC:
-Smithsonian American Art Museum
-The White House (from a distance)
-US Capitol Tour
-Library of Congress
-International Spy Museum
-Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
-Washington Monument
-Lincoln Memorial
-MLK Jr. Memorial
-Worls War II Memorial
-Korean War Memorial
One of the highlights of being there for the 4th of July was experiencing numerous flyovers. Each one was absolutely thrilling, and we all loved it!
After spending two days in DC, it was time to head to Delaware!
We stopped in to visit Annapolis, Maryland on our way, and it was just the cutest place! We got some ice cream (because Kilwin's is a must for us whenever we see one, LOL) and walked around the downtown area which was right on the water. This is a place we would all love to return to someday, that's how charming it was! There was a World War II Memorial that we stopped to appreciate, and it was also really amazing to see some of the Naval Academy while passing by.
From there we headed on to Rehoboth Beach!
Two nights in Delaware
After dealing with crazy heat while in DC, we had a good bit of rain on this portion of our trip. Thankfully, we were still able to have some really fun beach time and enjoy a slower pace with less walking -- which was exactly what we wanted. The boardwalk area of Rehoboth Beach was SUCH a cool place that we really loved, and the beach was refreshing and packed with fellow beach lovers.
We were all really happy to learn that Rehoboth did their big Independence Day celebration on July 5th, which meant live music on the boardwalk and fireworks that felt redemptive after missing out on the ones in DC. Our hotel, also, had an indoor pool that was a blessing when it was raining and we couldn't be at the beach. Overall, we all agreed that we would absolutely come back to this area if given the chance!
It's pretty amazing that we have beached in South Carolina, Greece, and Delaware in a single summer, and I'm so grateful for the privilege and sacrifice that both played a role in making each of them possible. We have traveled together as often as we can in recent years, and I sincerely feel so thankful and proud. If you had asked me when I first became a mom if I would get to travel like this in the future, I would have laughed and said, “Probably not...My husband is a teacher and I am a SAHM…”
Look at us now.
*insert happy cry emoji here*
My husband is still a teacher and I’m still primarily a SAHM, but you wouldn’t think that by looking at us. With a whole lot of creativity and intention and favor, we have literally travelled the world together in recent years. And we’ll keep trying to see the world as long and as often as we are able.
What a gift to meet this great big beautiful world with great big beautiful smiles.
And what a gift to give my kiddos good stories to tell as they grow up!
Click here for a video of our trip to DC & Delaware!
And if you are confused about what I mean when I say I booked this trip primarily "with points," here is some insight in how we are able travel like this.
