Beth in SW WA Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Our fam of 6 will visit the DC area next spring break (while ds has the week off). Where should we stay? What should we see? Tours or self-guided? Any input is appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Me! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 22, 2010 Author Share Posted August 22, 2010 I'll hire you to be our tour guide!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkholland Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 This was a highlight for us and we go to DC often. We lived in NC at the time and called our representative's office to set up a tour of the Capitol building and they took us in to see congress in action. Maybe you can check to see if congress will be in session when you are there.... Anyway, one of Elizabeth Dole's aides took us under the building to the subway system which connects the Dirksen office building with the Capitol and we rode with Hillary Clinton! The kids thought that was pretty cool. This aide gave us a great tour with lots of stories about the art around the capitol building. So give your rep or senator a call and see if they can accommodate your family when you are there. It is well worth it! And of course go up in the Washington Monument. We stayed close to the mall in a private owned old-time hotel called The Harrington Hotel. It has the original marble staircases and little elevators. We thought it was fun and some of the rooms can hold a family of five comfortably. The price is pretty good for where it is...one block off the mall right near the Old Post Office (which also has a tower you can go up in and see all around the mall area). That way we could walk most places. Just a few ideas to get you started. Have fun planning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 We went last spring and winged the museums. I would read descriptions and kids would pick one based on how it sounded. The things they liked surprised me (they loved folk and modern art) and older dd begged to do the portrait gallery. :). They also enjoyed the one on African art. For olders, I always recommend the Holocaust museum--which we did on a previous trip. But... It is very heavy and disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 (edited) Me! :D :iagree::iagree::iagree:she will serve you brownies and lemonade!!! :D If you do a search here for Washington DC, I got some good ideas on a thread started maybe a year ago or so, and then I started one last week. I'm here now!!! We're LOVING it! AND, we're meeting MarianNova on Wednesday to go to the National Cathedral!!! We visited the Smithsonian Castle today and we visited the Postal Museum. I can't say I'd recommend the PM but we did enjoy it. Ds really wanted to go there. I'm glad we did, but you won't spend a lot of time there. Tomorrow we're going to the Air and Space Museum, and I really want to take the shuttle to the other A&SM. You'll see that recommendation in my thread. We also will see the Art/Sculpture museum and hopefully will have time for the Holocaust Museum. If not we'll do it Tues before our tour. We're still deciding which guided tour to do, and whether to do it day or night. Ds's passion/hobby is photography and he is leaning towards the night tour for some beautiful evening shots. If you don't get recommendations here, please PM me next week and I'll tell you how we liked ours. Mariann says Georgetown is not to be missed. We're going to check it out on Wednesday. I don't know what your requirements are. I'm staying at the Radisson in Crystal City and it's close to the Metro, which we're using to get into DC after driving around a bit in the morning while the locals were still sleeping. Or in church. ;) The Marriott is RIGHT BY the Metro so I wish we had actually stayed there, but this location is blocks away from a slew of restaurants from all around the world, which is also nice, ESPECIALLY when you have teen boys who LOVE to eat! My guestimate is that the Metro ride into DC is 10 - 15 minutes, and ds, even at 15, LOVED riding the Metro and going through Union Station. I can't think of anything else right now. I'm tired and ds is getting ready so we can go eat dinner. Oh, and with kids, DON'T MISS the National Zoo~!!! I wish we had time to go there!!! I will return with the family and visit the zoo and the Botanicals among others. This trip is all about ds and what he wants so I keep quiet about what I want, which irks him to no end. ;) Edited August 22, 2010 by Denisemomof4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 22, 2010 Author Share Posted August 22, 2010 :iagree::iagree::iagree:she will serve you brownies and lemonade!!! :D If you do a search here for Washington DC, I got some good ideas on a thread started maybe a year ago or so, and then I started one last week. I'm here now!!! We're LOVING it! How wonderful!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 If you get lucky, the beautiful cherry blossoms may be out! Have to see those, but will be very crowded! If you are coming around that time (not sure when they predict they will bloom but you could google and find out) I would get reservations early. The National Zoo (free to get in, but must pay to park or ride the metro). We are going to this museum for school this year http://dc.about.com/od/museums/p/NaturalHistory.htm and it has a live butterfly exhibit you may be interested in http://dc.about.com/b/2008/02/13/butterflies-plants-partners-in-evolution.htm . Of course there are tons of other museums including the National Gallery of Art. There is a botanical gardens http://www.usbg.gov/ near the capital that might be especially pretty in the spring. There is also Arlington National Cemetary (great history lesson) that you can get to by metro. Mount Vernon (home of George Washington) is within driving distance if you have a car http://www.mountvernon.org/. There is also a spy museum (in Roslyn I think), but I believe you need to buy tickets for that. If you are driving, I would stay in No. Virginia near a metro station. You can get to pretty much everything downtown by metro. Most of all, have fun! It's a great place to visit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 (edited) We took a whirlwind tour with three full days on our way to a family reunion in N. Carolina. We still talk about it as the perfect family vacation. We stayed at one of the Embassy Suites, which is great for a family. We used the Metro and taxis to get around as well as walking. We visited Arlington and the National Cathedral on the first day. A woman I met in a shoe store here, who was a native of Georgetown, gave us a great lunch recommendation, Cafe Deluxe. That evening we took the free walking tour of the monuments that is offered by DC by Foot. Our guide was an ex-history teacher and he created a memorable experience for us. I highly recommend them if you have the time. Our second day, we took a tour of the Capitol building (arranged through our senator's office), had lunch at Union Station, and visited the Library of Congress. After dinner, we checked out the National Archives. Our final day, my dd (15) and I went to the Holocaust Museum and the National Art Gallery while the men (dh, ds 13, ds10) went to the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum. Unfortunately, the American History Museum was closed while undergoing renovations. We spent our last evening wandering the Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt memorials at night. Unforgettable! Everyone was happy, tired, but not too tired. We love DC and can't wait to go back. The best advice we were given came from a swim family that had lived there for several years. They told us to budget for the occasional taxi so we didn't waste time. Have fun. Swimmer Dude loves the Metro. ETA - we also ate it Cafe Deluxe's sister restaurant, Tortilla Coast. There happened to be a beautiful, young people's party in process. The older kids were mesmerized. The food and atmosphere was great at both locations. Edited August 23, 2010 by swimmermom3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I second the rec. for Cafe Deluxe for anyone going to the Cathedral (it's just up the block) or maybe the zoo as it's not too far from there. It's one of our favorite semi-nice restaurants because it's so surprisingly kid-friendly. I also like to tout the noodles and dumplings at our favorite Chinese place in Chinatown - Chinatown Express at 6th & H - you can watch the guy make the noodles in the window sometimes and it's super cool. But it's a true hole in the wall kind of place. We live here so I often have a skewed perspective on the museums and the what to see thing... but I also like to tell people to take a quick detour to see the Einstein Monument, which is basically across the street from the Vietnam Wall. It's really cool and kind of a secret spot that is often missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 We stayed close to the mall in a private owned old-time hotel called The Harrington Hotel. Thanks!! I just made reservations here. I think it's the only room for 6 left that week. Decent price also!! We're thinking of making a 2-week trip and going north on the train and flying back to PDX from New York or Boston. Is that a crazy proposition??? Or should we just stay in the DC area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 If you are driving, I would stay in No. Virginia near a metro station. You can get to pretty much everything downtown by metro. This is what we are doing. I see how the traffic is out here. No thank you. I sat in it for multiple HOURS and I won't do it again. Like I said, that Marriott in Crystal City is right on top of the Metro. Literally. I wish I had known that. Our hotel is a block away from the metro but it's the bus system which doesn't go to the Smithsonian and is likely too slow for me to tolerate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Thanks!! I just made reservations here. I think it's the only room for 6 left that week. Decent price also!! We're thinking of making a 2-week trip and going north on the train and flying back to PDX from New York or Boston. Is that a crazy proposition??? Or should we just stay in the DC area? wow! This looks GREAT! I'll keep it in mind for next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I planned our trip with the Fodor's Washington, DC guide. It is a great book. If you like open air stuff, go to the top of the old Post Office Building. I think it is the 4th highest building in the area. You can see in all 4 directions and like I wrote, open air unlike the Wash. monument. It is also close to Ford's Theatre, which darn it, was being renovated when we were there. There is also a food court in the basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVA Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 We live in No VA and my dh works at the Capitol. We just went to the spy Museum for the first time last week. It's actually in DC- about 3 blocks from Metro Center (subway stop). We really liked it- especially the extra little 'tour' where you can be a spy and do stuff. It's a bit expensive- $20/person approx. but well worth it. Considering that almost all the other museums are free in town, I'd go if I was a visitor. The Capitol Visitors Center is great. There are now hardly any lines to get into the Capitol and the tour is great! My husband just LOVES the building as it's so historical. Try to see the Library of Congress- absolutely beautiful building. You can arrange with your rep to get tickets for a White House tour. Quite fun and there is now a WH Visitors center. The air and space museum near Dulles is a great experience if you like planes and such. Free entrance but the parking is $12. If I had the time, I wouldn't miss Mt. Vernon or even Monticello- Monticello would be a day trip to Charlottesville, VA. Gorgeous drive . There is NOTHING like VA in the Spring time. There are usually serveral concerts going on around- free. check the websites for the military bands. In the summer, there are 3 or 4 a week at the various monuments. I hear the new Newseum is amazing. You can spend a whole day there. It has an entrance fee. It's downtown near Constitution or Independence Ave. Don't miss the WWII, Vietnam, Korean War and Roosevelt memorials. They're close to each other and you can walk- but it IS some walking. It's fun to go to those at night. The tour buses and Duck tours are good for an all-around overview of the city. Don't miss Arlington Cemetary, Ford's Theater and Folger Theater (Shakespeare- if that would be of interest. It's near the Supreme Court so you can see it while you're on the Hill) If you come during cherry blossom time, you'll have to take Metro. The place is packed down by the Tidal Basin. One time when I couldn't drive around because of the traffic, we scooted up Mass. Ave (Embassy Row) and saw cherry blossoms at the National Cathedral. The grounds there are beautiful and the tour is great. Check out the Herb cottage shop on the grounds. Getting a kids book about the city is fun and I've learned new things from those. There is just SO much to do. We've been here 15 years and still haven't seen it all. I hope you enjoy it. You could make it the highlight of your American Government study! That's what I've done when we've traveled- make it teaching focus. Blessings on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 My sister lives in DC and we stay with her so I am no help with lodging (although my sister is fond of The Embassy Suites in Chevy Chase). My kids favorites are Mt. Vernon and The Smithsonian. They also enjoyed the year we did the monuments. Very moving. The bus tour is a lot of fun. You can get on and off at different stops and they give a wealth of information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 So many great ideas! Thank you! Does this plan look crazy? Is it too much in too little time? We'll need to go back again when the little girls are older anyway. Day 1 - 5: DC & Mt. Vernon (no car) Day 6: Gettysburg (rent car) Day 7: Philadelphia Day 8: Drive to Newport, RI Day 9-12: Boston Day 13: Home I'm dreaming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nichole Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 We were in DC with my 2-year-old and then-4-year-old a few months ago. We went to the Air & Space museum and the Natural History museum, which the kids enjoyed. They were packed, though, and I needed a little break from the crowds after we left. So we stopped into the Hirshhorn museum. There were very few people there, and my daughter loved it! It's all contemporary art, and one of the exhibits was giant, brightly colored canvases. I don't think they get a lot of preschoolers or toddlers; one of the security guards shot us a dirty look (and the kids weren't doing anything to warrant it!). I'd also recommend the cafeteria at the American Indian museum. The food is amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 (edited) Our fam of 6 will visit the DC area next spring break (while ds has the week off). Where should we stay? What should we see? Tours or self-guided? Any input is appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!:001_smile: Get a weekly Metro pass to go where you want and be able to jump off wherever you want w/o worrying about paying more. (Expect delays on Metro, and be prepared to do a lot of walking even w/ Metro!) Trick for the National Zoo if you have a stroller (don't think you will, though) is to get off at the station PAST the zoo and walk down hill to the zoo. Then when you leave, walk down to the station below it. All down hill, which helps w/ walking so much at the zoo. We haven't been there in YEARS. We just went to the Newseum yesterday and really enjoyed it. There are some depressing things in there (9/11, Katrina, OK City bombing, DC Sniper exhibits, etc. but we really should NOT have taken our ds into the Pulitzer photography exhibit at all. We got him out of there pretty quick. There were some great conversations last night sparked from what we saw there.) It's not all sad, though, and there is a neat hall full of newspapers' front pages and a station for playing games and you can have your dc do a "live report" and get a picture or a dvd for $5. Fun. It's right across the street from the National Gallery of Art too. 'Nuff said? Read Chasing Vermeer? A Lady Writing is there with 3 other Vermeers (total: 3 + 1 attributed to him.) And Rembrandts and some by Murillo and Velazquez, and then there's the National Portrait Gallery, and well, all the Smithsonians....we needed more time yesterday, but packed in a lot of stuff as it was. More on this later. Enjoy! Let me know when you'll be there. We're always looking for an excuse to go there and even if we just met you (and Chris and others nearby!) b/t exhibits, it'd be fun! :) Edited August 23, 2010 by Angie in VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 Hubby just booked flights. We're doing a 2-week road trip starting in DC and ending in Boston. Stay tuned for more questions regarding hotels in Gettysburg, Philly, Newport & Boston. Excited!!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 If you can, do at least some of the monuments at night. I went to the Lincoln Memorial at night the last time I was there, then walked the Vietnam Wall en route back to my hotel. Very moving and beautiful. I also second an earlier poster about getting a tour of the Capitol through your congressman. The cars under the building were definitely fun, and it was a good way to be able to ask your guide (a staffer in our case) as many questions as you want. The National Building Museum is a little known attraction that's neat. They're doing a Lego exhibition through fall 2011. The portrait gallery is excellent too. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketmaker Amy Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Gettysburg trip must! Hire a tour guide to ride in your car. You can book it on the Gettysburg Park website. It was WONDERFUL! We chose the 2 hour tour...and it ended up being about 2 1/2 hours. He drove our car and that made it super easy! He was a great storyteller and historian. Highly recommend doing it!!! I love your trip...we've gone to all of those places...and loved every stop. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Gettysburg trip must!Hire a tour guide to ride in your car. You can book it on the Gettysburg Park website. It was WONDERFUL! We chose the 2 hour tour...and it ended up being about 2 1/2 hours. He drove our car and that made it super easy! He was a great storyteller and historian. Highly recommend doing it!!! I love your trip...we've gone to all of those places...and loved every stop. Have fun! Yes! Definately hire the guide! We hired a guide for Gettysburg and she was so wonderful! She stayed with us nearly 3 hours...and we got thru Day 2 of the battle. I wanted to hire her for the next day to finish the battle but she was booked for a bus tour. She actually looked disappointed that she had to say no. So the next day, I hired another guide and told him we needed to start with Day 3. :lol: He was great...gave a quick review/quiz to the kids :D and dove right in. Day 3 with him lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes! We also hired a guide when we went to ANtietam/Sharpsburg. He was awesome! He was pretty famous, it seemed...everywhere we went people were calling out to him and telling us how lucky we were to have such a great guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185973 http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/244/Washington%20DC%20%20The%20Ultimate%20Core%20Knowledge%20Field%20Trip.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 25, 2010 Author Share Posted August 25, 2010 I love all these suggestions! Thank you!! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 I need help with my itinerary. PLEASE! :) Pulling my hair out today to find rooms to accommodate 6 of us. If we checked out of our hotel in DC in the morning, can we drive to Gettysburg AND do a tour that day? OR do we wait for the following morning? I have reservations at the Gettysburg Hotel for 2 nights -- but I think I only need one night there AND then one night in Philly. I can't find a hotel in old town Philly to accommodate. Can we drive from Gettysburg to Philly and tour Philly in one day? Can we drive from Philly to Newport RI in one day? We will be traveling on the weekend. Thank you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 I need help with my itinerary. PLEASE! :) Pulling my hair out today to find rooms to accommodate 6 of us. If we checked out of our hotel in DC in the morning, can we drive to Gettysburg AND do a tour that day? OR do we wait for the following morning? I have reservations at the Gettysburg Hotel for 2 nights -- but I think I only need one night there AND then one night in Philly. I can't find a hotel in old town Philly to accommodate. Can we drive from Gettysburg to Philly and tour Philly in one day? Can we drive from Philly to Newport RI in one day? We will be traveling on the weekend. Thank you!!! Depending where you are in DC, yes, you can get to Gettysburg and do a tour the same day. I'd call the park and see if you can make reservations, though. I am not sure how it works...it used to be 1st come, 1st served. You can still drive around the battlefield & go through the visitor's center if you can't take a tour. If you can't get a tour the first day, then just get up first thing the 2nd day and get a tour scheduled. It's good to have an idea of the layout of the battlefield before the tour. (With that in mind, you can also read up on the battle before hand.) Google Maps says it is about 2 hrs from dc to gettys. and 2.5 hours from gettys to philly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Thank you! We'll leave DC, drive to Gettysburg, attend the museum/cyclorama and tour the city. Day 2, our guided tour starts at 8 AM. We'll hang around Gettysburg a bit and then drive to Philadelphia that afternoon. I feel better now that this is worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Ray Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Thank you! We'll leave DC, drive to Gettysburg, attend the museum/cyclorama and tour the city. Day 2, our guided tour starts at 8 AM. We'll hang around Gettysburg a bit and then drive to Philadelphia that afternoon. I feel better now that this is worked out. We are going in the spring of 2011 as well. We are flying from CA to MO and the driving to VA...spending a couple of days there and a few days in WA. My son wants to see the Iwa Jima at night. Did you try to get tickets for a white house tour? I sent my request through our local house re web site I think. That was a few weeks ago. They finally answered today - but still not sure if we get in for the self guided tour. Have fun! We are excited. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Hey, us too! I haven't even started planning yet, but you all are giving me great ideas. Dh is going for a work conference so I will tag along. I'm thinking we will go without kids, so that probably puts a little different spin on activities ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Ray Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Hey, us too! I haven't even started planning yet, but you all are giving me great ideas. Dh is going for a work conference so I will tag along. I'm thinking we will go without kids, so that probably puts a little different spin on activities ;). Awesome! You can do more adult things. I know we talked about perhaps visiting the Holocaust museum - but my child would probably skip it and hang back with someone who has all ready been there. So much to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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