An Anniversary Idea + A Romantic (Budget) Weekend in DC

Earlier this summer Dan and I traveled to Washington D.C. and Georgetown for an anniversary getaway. We had both been to the city before, but I’ve always wanted to return and explore Georgetown, specifically. I’m a sucker for quaint, charming, historic cities filled with beautiful homes and amazing shopping. Plus, it’s on the water and everything is totally walkable…even better! It can sometimes be stressful to think of fun, romantic getaways for the ordinary anniversaries. You know, the ones that aren’t milestones like 5, 10 or 20(!)… yet you want to do something memorable. I thought I’d share my experience, an anniversary idea, plus the perfect budget romantic getaway.

Washington D.C.

What to do // The nice thing about DC is (almost) everything is free. It’s a beautiful city filled with so much history and it’s rather affordable to explore, so the possibilities are endless here. We decided to spend a day being “touristy” in the city and saw many of the monuments including the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, White House, and Washington Monument. We even took a night tour, which was fun to see the monuments basking in the moonlight. If you’re exploring during the day, they have fun Segway and bike tours galore. Also, take a walk around the Tidal Basin or ride in a swan paddle boat and take in the scenery with your significant other. We visited the Renwick Gallery which is a really cool art gallery close to The White House. It’s 100% free and they have multiple galleries- totally Instagram worthy! Visiting the pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is another free daytime activity, but take an Uber unless you want to pay for overpriced parking.

Where to eat // After researching and talking with many locals prior to our trip, it seems like the food scene in Washington DC has really grown a lot in the past few years. We were only in the city for about 3 days so we obviously didn’t get to try as much as we would have liked, but some of our favorites were Dolcezza (for coffee – multiple locations in the city), LeDiplomate (brunch), and Graffito (really good Italian dinner…Top Chef Mike Isabella’s restaurant). My biggest tip for dining out on vacation is to make reservations ahead of time! I usually recommend making them about a month out from your trip (especially for bigger cities).

Georgetown

What to do // Georgetown reminded me so much of my all time favorite city in the world…Charleston! The homes, the streets, the shopping – you name it. There is so much character in this small town. For our first day we decided to walk up and down M Street in Georgetown, which is a shopper’s paradise. Any and every store you can think of is there…and then some. You could probably spend an entire day just doing that. However, there are other fun things to see such as The Washington Harbour and Georgetown Waterfront Park (maybe pack a picnic!). I also suggest walking around Georgetown’s beautiful campus. You can also take a boat over to Old Town Alexandria which is another cute waterfront town.

Where to eat // Starting with Georgetown Cupcakes (because, obviously) – we had heard that lines would be terrible, but we only waited about 20 minutes! Although if you do not want to wait you can order your cupcakes online the day before and pick them up the next day…without having to wait in line. Some of our other favorites were Kafe Leopold (great lunch spot), Chez Billy Sud (romantic French dinner), and The Four Seasons Hotel for drinks on the patio.

Where we stayed // We are big time Airbnb users anytime we travel. I usually check there before I check anywhere else because you can find some really cool, unique places at a fraction of the cost of a hotel. This time we stayed in this charming spot on Embassy Row. We actually stayed on site with the owners, but had a private entrance to our suite and had a wonderful experience; we’ve done this 2 or 3 times before and never have issues. Sometimes people think we are crazy for staying in a private room or suite attached to the house, but often times you save a TON of money on these particular listings. Just be sure to read reviews and communicate with the owner a few times before your trip to make sure you feel comfortable.

Overall it was a great trip and experience… I could definitely see us returning sometime soon. I had so many friends on Instagram give such good advice before our trip – thank you! I’m curious…How many of you have visited DC and what are some of your favorite spots?