Grade: A

I’ve been somewhat of a “Debbie Downer” about the Groupons I’ve used recently — however, this week, I’m excited to tell you all about 2 deals I’ve used that have been awesome!  First one…Newseum!

Sunday afternoon I redeemed my Groupon at the Newseum and thought it was AWESOME.  During a high school field trip to DC, I went to the old Newseum, but all I remember about that visit is recording a video with a friend in which we pretended to be weather people on the news.  The newly renovated Newseum exceeded my expectations.  I went in expecting to see just the history of news — radio, television, internet, etc. — but the museum had so much more.  Six floors of news — top headlines throughout history, international media, ethics in the news, a memorial to those lost while reporting the news, and more.  They also had awesome exhibits on significant events throughout history, in which they focused on how these events were covered by the media, such as September 11th and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Looking down into the Newseum from the top floor

The front pages of today's newspapers from around the world and U.S.

Pieces of the Berlin Wall

September 11th Headlines/Front Pages

My favorite part of the museum was the “News History” portion, which started with newspapers from 1455 and worked its way up to this year.  I was never a “history buff,” but looking through all of the newspaper headlines brought so many historical events to life.

The Newseum is my new favorite museum in Washington, DC.  If you live here and haven’t visited or if you’re planning a trip to the district, I highly recommend visiting the Newseum!

One of my earliest memories is walking to the door on Halloween and being met by someone in a very scary mask (or at least a mask that was scary to a 3 year old).  I cannot recall what type of mask the person was wearing, but I remember running away from the door screaming and being afraid to answer the door at night for the next few years of my life.  Looking back, I’m sure that teenager got a huge kick out of my reaction.  After that I remained a pretty scared child, and have never been a fan of scary movies or haunted houses since.

Last night, Ted and I went to Fright at the Museum at the Museum of Crime and Punishment with our Groupon.  We grabbed dinner at the District Chophouse & Brewery next door and I was so nervous that I could barely carry on a conversation (which, yes, I admit is pretty pathetic).   As we stood in line at the museum, the loud haunting music got me even more spun up and I told Ted a few times that I wanted to leave…I’m such a wimp.  (I also had read last weeks review in the Washington Post, which didn’t help.)

We were paired with two girls and the four of us were instructed to stay together in the museum.  In the beginning they showed us a video that I barely watched in hopes that not knowing the story behind the haunted house might make it a little less scary.   When the video was over we were sent on our way — I must admit that I jumped and screamed at least once when ghosts seem to pop out from everywhere and follow you throughout the museum….but the scariest and creepiest may have been the ghosts that didn’t say anything, just looked at you and followed your every move.

Note: Photos were not allowed during the haunted house.  Photos below are borrowed from The Washington Post.

I ended up getting way to nervous before hand.  While at times I admit that I was scared, I survived easily and did not have any nightmares.  If you have the same feelings about haunted houses as I do, this is probably a good one for you…but if you are looking for the fright of your life, you might not want to pay the $20.