If you're coming to DC in December I'm going to tell you about the five best things to see and do for the holidays.
HELLO! Welcome to Trip Hacks DC. My name is Rob.
I'm a tour guide here in the nation's capital. if you're coming to Washington DC
and you're looking for the best tips, tricks, and hacks for exploring the city, make sure to subscribe to this channel and hit the bell
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Monumental Christmas tour, head on over to TripHacksDC.com
afterwards, to check it out. If you've been to DC around the holidays before,
leave a comment on this video and let me know what your favorite festive thing to do is, otherwise,
let's get started... 1. Christmas trees. If you come to DC before Christmas, you have to check out the holiday trees.
There are two primary trees on the National Mall that you should seek out. First is the
National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, on the south side of the White House.
This is not to be confused with the White House Christmas Tree,
which is actually
inside the East Wing of the White House. The first time a tree was decorated and lit up in this spot was in
1923, and every president since Franklin Roosevelt has given a speech during the yearly lighting ceremony. The National Christmas Tree is a
permanent tree,
but it's not the same one that was planted back in the 20s. Most recently in the winter of
2011, a big windstorm
took down the National Christmas Tree. A new one was planted on that spot a month later, but a year after that it was declared dead
because of transplant shock. In 2012 a Colorado Blue Spruce was planted
and it is still the National Christmas Tree as of the making of this video. A mile and a half down the street the
Capitol Christmas Tree stands on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. This is not a permanent tree,
so just like the one in your own house, every year a tree is chopped down and transported to the Capitol. In
2017 it is an 81 foot tall
engelmann spruce from Montana. And a bonus tree that you can check out is at the Canadian Embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue.
So if you're walking down
Pennsylvania Avenue, stop by say "eh" and check out the tree that they bring down from Canada for the holidays.
2. ZooLights. Tina and I talked about this in our National Zoo video.
This is an annual event where they decorate the National Zoo in Christmas lights and set them to music. For the kids
there's a glow-in-the-dark play area, a holiday carousel, and a trackless train to drive them around the zoo, and since it'll be cold
there's plenty of coffee, hot chocolate, and mulled wine to keep you warm. In addition to roasted nuts,
S'mores, Christmas
cookies and other goodies. The best thing is that other than any souvenirs or beverages that you choose to buy, the National Zoo is always
completely free. 3. The Botanic Garden. Every year the U.S. Botanic Garden has a display called Season's Greetings.
You'll see their famous model train winding its way through the gardens,
they have planned live holiday music,
and there's a mini theme every year as well. In 2016 that theme was National Parks and Historic Places, and this year's
2017 theme is Roadside Attractions, which features plant-based recreations of things like the Cadillac Ranch in Texas, and Lucy the Elephant
from New Jersey. 4. Union Station. This is the main train station in Washington DC,
it's also one of the most festively decorated buildings for the holidays.
There are wreaths with red and green lights on the outside, a giant Christmas tree on the inside, and no train station would be complete,
without a special holiday themed model train in the Great Hall.
5. The downtown Holiday Market. If you're interested in doing some Christmas shopping
but the big chain stores don't really interest you,
then a stop at the downtown market is worth your time. The market runs every year from Black Friday until
December 23rd. The market provides space for over a hundred local artisans to sell their crafts and locally made goods.
You'll find things like jewelry, paintings, clothes and other little things that make for great gifts.
There's also seasonal food and hot drinks to keep you caffeinated and warm as you shop. If you've stuck around this far
I want to tell you about a special seasonal Trip Hacks DC tour called a Monumental Christmas.
This is a special three-hour tour that combines the two most popular stops on my
Monuments at Twilight tour with some other really cool things that you can only see around the holidays. The tour starts after
dark at the Lincoln Memorial,
and then goes to the World War II Memorial so that you can see both lit up at night
in all of their glory. After that you'll walk over to the White House to see the National Christmas Tree lit up and
then take a stroll across the street to see the decorations at the famous Willard Hotel. Finally
we'll take a stroll down
Pennsylvania Avenue
to end at the Capitol Christmas Tree, with a stop for hot chocolate along the way, since it is December and it will be cold. If
you're interested in taking that tour you can click on the Capitol dome on the left side of my head,
That'll take you over to TripHacksDC.com
where you can see all the tours that I offer. And if you found this video helpful
and you want to sign up for more DC tips and hacks, make sure to subscribe to the channel. Enjoy your trip!