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Washington DC tours-best?


happyWImom
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We're only going to be there for 2 nights & part of the time will be taken up by a dr.s appt.  But it's always been my ds's dream to go, so we need to see as much as we can.  We arrive at 11am, so my thought is to do a half day (translate 2-3 hour tour) tour that day, then the following day-all day-is free.  He wants to go to Air & Space Museum, dd wants to go to Natural Hist. Museum.   :scared:

 

Keep in mind, dd suffers from fatigue, due to Lyme disease, so we can't be going from dawn til dusk.

 

Both of them really want to go to the top of the Washington Monument and to see the Lincoln Memorial.  That's why I thought the half day tour would be good.  Thoughts?  Am I crazy to try to fit it all in?  I was going to have them both research the top things they wanted to see at both museums, knowing we'll only scratch the surface.  

 

Also, we'll be there the very end of June, so I'm sure the crowds will be horrendous.

 

Thanks!  (I need to book tour ASAP, so... )

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If you want to go to the top of the monument you have to be in line an hour and a half before they open to get tickets. Tickets are free, but limited.  About three blocks down you can get similar tickets for the printing and engraving tour; also free but limited.

 

Stefanie

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Maybe consider a night time tour to see the monuments. Depending on how much of each museum you plan to see that could be a lot to fit in especially for someone with fatigue issues.

 

Consider looking at the museum websites and picking parts of the museums that are must sees so you don't end up overwhelmed.

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If you want to go to the top of the monument you have to be in line an hour and a half before they open to get tickets. Tickets are free, but limited.  About three blocks down you can get similar tickets for the printing and engraving tour; also free but limited.

 

Stefanie

Ugh, why did I not forsee this?  I know the one tour is supposed to include going up to the top, so I wonder if we would bypass the whole line thing that way.  I hate lines & crowds; I guess I'm so used to being able to do everything on off days & off season, because of hsing.

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I'd double check with the park service about the independent tours going to the top. My DH talked personally with a park ranger about the most sure way to guarantee going up, and getting there early was what was recommended.  The tour groups have to stand in the same line for the same tickets and they can only get 10 tickets vs. a private group's 6.

 

Stefanie

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I've been to DC numerous times, but I've never paid for a tour.  Just to warn you, walking from end to end of the mall is a hike.  It's farther than it looks on the map, IMO.

 

I've been to both museums that you mentioned, so if you have questions about those I might be able to help.  I saw in your signature that your ds is learning Astronomy.  Air and Space has a planetarium, so if your dd needs a break from all of the walking, that might be helpful.  They also have an IMAX.

 

Sorry that you're going to DC for a doctor's appt., but I hope that you have a good visit!

 

 

 

edited to fix a typo that I saw when someone quoted this.  Ack!

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We loved the night time tour of D.C. monuments. It doesn't include the Washington monument, it's a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time. The bus stops at several for a half an hour of walking around. I know we spent time at the Lincoln, Vietnam, FDR, MLK, and Marine. We drove by the White House and many others. We had a great guide/driver who gave us some great history-- he was awesome. This was a favorite part of our trip.

 

As someone mentioned, the distances are far greater than it appears on a map. 

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I'll be the third poster, at least, to say that distances around the Mall are much greater than they appear on a map. Imo, neither the Washington Monument nor the Lincoln Memorial would be worth the effort if one child tires easily.

 

My suggestions:

 

-- try a DC Ducks tour. You do not get on or off, but you are on an amphibious vehicle that put you pretty close to everything. Plus there is a cool factor when you go directly from land onto the water.

 

-- for views from high places, the Old Post Office has a tower and it is less crowded than WM. Or Kennedy Center at night. You can park and tour even if you are not attending a performance. Plus the rooftop restaurants are nice.

 

-- for big buildings, your dc might like an evening ride around the Mall. It is beautiful at night and the traffic is almost gone. You can include a trip over Memorial Bridge to the gates of Arlington, then circle around the LM numerous times.

 

-- the museums sound great. Also, Supreme Court and/or Library of Congress have good tours and give you a sense of government and history without having to wait in long lines, as you would at the Capitol.

 

-- walking on the Mall is nice, even if you don't go the whole length. There are benches to sit on and so many memorials. Imo, the memorials can be very moving, and there are no lines.

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We loved the night time tour of D.C. monuments. It doesn't include the Washington monument, it's a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time. The bus stops at several for a half an hour of walking around. I know we spent time at the Lincoln, Vietnam, FDR, MLK, and Marine. We drove by the White House and many others. We had a great guide/driver who gave us some great history-- he was awesome. This was a favorite part of our trip.

 

As someone mentioned, the distances are far greater than it appears on a map.

This sounds so relaxing.

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-- the museums sound great. Also, Supreme Court and/or Library of Congress have good tours and give you a sense of government and history without having to wait in long lines, as you would at the Capitol.

 

 

 

If you contact your congressman's DC office, they can reserve you a time for the Capitol tour ahead of time.

 

Stefanie

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've been to DC numerous times, but I've never paid for a tour.  Just to warn you, walking from end to end of the mall is a hike.  It's father than it looks on the map, IMO.

 

I've been to both museums that you mentioned, so if you have questions about those I might be able to help.  I saw in your signature that your ds is learning Astronomy.  Air and Space has a planetarium, so if your dd needs a break from all of the walking, that might be helpful.  They also have an IMAX.

 

Sorry that you're going to DC for a doctor's appt., but I hope that you have a good visit!

It looks like my dd picked the Nat. History Museum.  We're going to have to go the day we arrive, so we can only hit the highlights.  I'm going to have the kids look over the website & pick out the things they want to see the most, because we will probably only have about 4 hours, tops.  Which is all my dd could probably handle (if that) due to fatigue.

 

Any tips/must sees, there?

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It looks like my dd picked the Nat. History Museum. We're going to have to go the day we arrive, so we can only hit the highlights. I'm going to have the kids look over the website & pick out the things they want to see the most, because we will probably only have about 4 hours, tops. Which is all my dd could probably handle (if that) due to fatigue.

 

Any tips/must sees, there?

If they picked it because of the dinosaur hall, that's closed for renovations. I know a friend's DS was really disappointed when they went recently. They've put the fossils elsewhere, but it wasn't what he had pictured. (Probably from the Night at the Museum movie.)

 

The gems and minerals exhibit is my favorite. The taxidermy animals simultaneously fascinated/freaked my DS (5 at the time). It's good that they're updating things!

 

If you get hungry and you have a wheelchair, there's a cafe in the American Indian Museum that has really good food. Much more reasonable than most in the downtown area. My DD still remembers the fry bread for some reason. It's across the mall and over a bit towards the Capitol from Natural History, which means away from the Metro stop. Will you have a wheelchair or stroller (I apologize; I cannot see your DD's age on my phone.)?

 

If you have time, the Ducks tour is fun. My kids loved it.

 

I hope you have a wonderful trip! :)

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If they picked it because of the dinosaur hall, that's closed for renovations. I know a friend's DS was really disappointed when they went recently. They've put the fossils elsewhere, but it wasn't what he had pictured. (Probably from the Night at the Museum movie.)

 

 

 

Nooo!

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The last time we went, we didn't spend much time in the museum.  We were with a little girl named Sarah who wanted to see the dinosaur that shared her name -- Tri-Sarah-Tops.   :lol:

 

The gemstones were pretty neat.  This was probably my favorite part, but my kids wanted to zip out of there.

 

And the huge elephant at the main entrance is kind of a popular photo-op -- although it's huge and you have to back up forever in order to get the whole thing framed.

 

 

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Nooo!

 

There's a small exhibit with some nice pieces in a weird corner upstairs somewhere if anyone is dinosaur mad. We sort of miss it too though. But when it's done it will hopefully be as good as the redo for the Ocean Hall or the Hall of Human Origins or the Hall of Mammals, all of which are pretty amazing and way better than the dinosaurs. Those are, btw, my picks for the Natural History highlights. And the Hall of Gems and the Bug Zoo, which is cool.

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