National Postal Museum

Later on the second day, we headed over to the National Postal Museum. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love sending and receiving mail. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a lovely letter waiting in your mailbox. We went to the National Postal Museum because I really wanted to see it, but in the end we were all glad we went!

The National Postal Museum is the most child friendly, hands-on Smithsonian Museum we have been to yet! (Mind you we have visited all the museums on the National Mall.) I recommend it to anyone with children or looking for an interactive museum. As you enter the building, don't be fooled by the somber atmosphere.

Just look at that ceiling! Isn't it beautiful!

There is quite the view as you enter and take the escalator down into the actual museum.

Love the ceiling above the entrance!

There was so much to look at and take in the moment you stepped off the escalator.

We started at the Binding the Nation exhibit which slowly takes you through the history of the Post Office and mail service in the United States. It was incredible and full of things to do!

The kids loved getting to climb inside the stagecoach!

Maybe they loved playing around a little bit more!

What one does they all need to do!

The Pony Express exhibit was really cool. The kids learned what it took to become a Pony Express rider.

Seriously, it was such a beautiful museum. Since it isn't directly on the National Mall there aren't huge crowds. You can really enjoy yourself and get the most out of each exhibit.

Hotch had fun too!

There was this old mail room where we learned how they used to move mail in heavy volumes.

Every mode of transportation used in moving mail throughout the world was discussed.

The kids got to try their hand at encoding for the Post Office. Hotch actually did that job while working the graveyard shift for two years when we lived in Utah.

They were also able to try sorting packages by destination.

Their favorite seemed to be using the scanners to read addresses.

Mailboxes from all over the world.

We moved into a cool exhibit that displayed stamps from all over the world. We had to find stamps from Australia since we have some new friends that live there.

Here they are!

We thought this door looked like one of the doors in Gringotts Wizarding Bank. (Harry Potter again.)

Another neat exhibit had stamps from every letter of the alphabet.

Just love my boys! Can you tell that Hotch as ready for a nap?

My treasures! Whatever would I do without my kids!

We bought these neat toys called Fidgets. They entertained the kids as we rode the Metro to the end of the Red line just to say we had and then back to the end of the Orange line.

The little ones just couldn't stay awake. They crashed on me on the way back to our vehicle.

We had a blast! So grateful that we tried something new and a little off the National Mall. We are definitely going to return to the National Postal Museum again. It was so much fun!