Macrina Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 My 9yo and I are going to have three days in April in DC. Suggestions from those who have been there as to what our top priorities should be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 we live in the area now and honestly haven't done a lot of sightseeing, but wanted to tell you that you can reserve the tour at George Washington monument on the National Park page. it's a free tour but tickets get gone early in the morning. So reserve your tour for $1.50 each so you get to do this. :-) Based on prior years visiting we like the Smithsonian museums. Air/Space and Natural History. And if you like air stuff go to the Air/Space Museum at the Dulles airport. It's $15 to park but the museum is free and we really enjoyed this one. Tons of planes, a shuttle and you can watch the planes land at Dulles. Amazes me how 3 planes come in a once :001_huh: But we did go to Mt Vernon on a COLD day recently and still spent ALL DAY there and didn't do everything we wanted and will go back. It's south of DC, but a wonderful day trip and in April I believe the distillery is open. Hope you have a nice trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Besides the Smithsonian, check out the National Archives! And be sure to allow time to walk to the major monuments - Lincoln Memorial, WWII, Korean, Vietnam. If you contact your congressman's office asap you MAY be able to get a tour of the Capital - it may be too late for that but worth a try. The Library of Congress is gorgeous inside - our kids were bored by hubby and I loved it! A photo in front of the White House is mandatory. Beware any protesters (they have to stay across the street) - a local warned us to keep the kids away from them (the current ones had graphic anti-abortion photos). But it is fine to walk up and peer through the fence, take photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 One of the things I remember most from when I was 10 and my aunt took us to DC was visiting the Bureau of Printing and Engraving and seeing the big sheets of money! So cool! The Smithsonian museums were also a hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We went last year. We loved the Smithsonian, the Holocaust museum, Arlington Cemetary (our scout boys got to lay the wreath!), toured the capitol building, and that is all we had time for. We want to go back and go to the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials and to the Spy Museum. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 1. Walk the National Mall--capitol past the Smithsonians and monuments and memorials down to the Lincoln Memorial and by the White House. 2. Go to the Bureau of Engraving & the Holocaust Museum (which are by each other) 3. If a 9 yo boy--go to the Spy Museum. If a 9 yo girl (who is into more girly things), go to the butterfly pavilion at the smithsonian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 The Smithsonian is always great! If you have kids that would enjoy the Air and Space Museum be sure to check their website in advance for details. They have a shuttle bus that runs out to the Annex near Dulles Airport so that you can visit both branches. Very convenient if you don't want to deal with driving. Don't forget Mt. Vernon and Woodlawn/Pope-Leighey House. Another spot often overlooked is the National Cathedral. Have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I really dislike it when people don't tell you the distances between things. We just got back from DC and the Washington Monument is walking distance and directly across from the Lincoln Memorial. On the way from Washington to Lincoln, you'll easily find the Vietnam Memorial which is really poignant. Personally, these three things (with the walking) is enough for one day for me. I'm not sure where to eat, but a good backpack worth of food would be a smart idea. We did the Air & Space on our second day. My seven year olds enjoyed it for about 10 mins. and then were done. The other thing you should know: Arlington Cemetary is super close to the Washington and Lincoln. It's across a very busy road from Lincoln so I'm not sure how to get over there without a car. . . but it's very, very close. It's right there. A friend was at Arlington in Aug. and loved seeing it. A lot of history. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lincoln buried civil war dead right up to the door of the house of Lee. Just a lot to hear and see. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) My ds and I toured all of the Smithsonians and the National Gallery of Art:D Our top hits were Natural History Museum and the National Gallery of Art as well as the Space and Science Museums. The capital is also great and you could get tickets if you call your representative or senator to see the House and Senate in session. The American History Museum is also great and has a Spark Science Lab for kids. As for eating, the Natural History museum, the Air and Space museum, the National Gallery of Art, the American Indian Museum, and the capital all had nice cafeterias. I would check out the Smithsonian web site to see what exhibits and special events they have at their 13 mueums. The National Zoo is also great. Edited February 14, 2011 by priscilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I really dislike it when people don't tell you the distances between things. We just got back from DC and the Washington Monument is walking distance and directly across from the Lincoln Memorial. On the way from Washington to Lincoln, you'll easily find the Vietnam Memorial which is really poignant. Personally, these three things (with the walking) is enough for one day for me. I'm not sure where to eat, but a good backpack worth of food would be a smart idea. We did the Air & Space on our second day. My seven year olds enjoyed it for about 10 mins. and then were done. The other thing you should know: Arlington Cemetary is super close to the Washington and Lincoln. It's across a very busy road from Lincoln so I'm not sure how to get over there without a car. . . but it's very, very close. It's right there. A friend was at Arlington in Aug. and loved seeing it. A lot of history. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lincoln buried civil war dead right up to the door of the house of Lee. Just a lot to hear and see. Alley Which is why I tell EVERYONE who comes here that if you REALLY want to see everything, or as much as you can; Just pay the stinkin' $35 a pop for 2 day tickets for the Double-Decker bus. http://www.opentopsightseeing.com/index.php They make stops EVERYWHERE (Zoo, Georgetown and National Cathedral included) and it's hop-on/Hop-off. The weather should be GORGEOUS in April, so it will be a nice ride and you don't have to walk everywhere. And if you get really tired and need a rest, you can just hop on and stay for a full circle tour that lasts about 2 hours. It's relaxing, and you get to see all the sights. I agree, no one realizes or mentions much, how much walking is involved- LOTS! The metro takes time and still involves lots of walking, and cabs are expensive and no where near as cool.... JUST PAY FOR THE DOUBLE DECKER! (That's my PSA for the day) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 There are several Smithsonian museums; if you can only see a few, I'd vote for the American History museum, or if your kids are very into science, the Natural History museum. We also found the Native American museum to be fairly interesting, though IIRC, smaller than some of the others. We never made it to the National Gallery of Art when we lived there, and now that our children are older and would appreciate it more, I wish we'd seen it. The Air and Space Museum is pretty neat too, and Mount Vernon is beautiful. If the weather is nice, the Zoo is fun -- my kids loved seeing the pandas and elephants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) My son loved the Spy Museum. It's expensive ($20/person), but they get a secret identity and get to role play their way through the museum. The zoo was a bit disappointing. The holocaust museum was extremely touching, but might be too much for a 9 year old. Although, they have the most disturbing video displays where kids under a certain height (4' I believe) can't see them. There's a children's museum at the holocaust museum, but we didn't have time to see that one. Oh yeah, Air & Space was a huge hit as well. Something else that really touched my sons was the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier at Arlington. Don't count on the metro too much. We found that it was cheaper to drive and pay for parking than to take the metro. Besides, during rush hour, it's standing room only. Edited February 14, 2011 by Cheryl in NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Any favorite places to stay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Any favorite places to stay? If you can afford the higher price Old Town Alexandria is great. Lots of nice places to eat for dinner. A few sights in its own right and most hotels are located in walking distance from the metro. If not find a hotel that is near or offers shuttle service to a metro stop. That will save on driving hassles and parking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Which is why I tell EVERYONE who comes here that if you REALLY want to see everything, or as much as you can; Just pay the stinkin' $35 a pop for 2 day tickets for the Double-Decker bus. http://www.opentopsightseeing.com/index.php They make stops EVERYWHERE (Zoo, Georgetown and National Cathedral included) and it's hop-on/Hop-off. The weather should be GORGEOUS in April, so it will be a nice ride and you don't have to walk everywhere. And if you get really tired and need a rest, you can just hop on and stay for a full circle tour that lasts about 2 hours. It's relaxing, and you get to see all the sights. I agree, no one realizes or mentions much, how much walking is involved- LOTS! The metro takes time and still involves lots of walking, and cabs are expensive and no where near as cool.... JUST PAY FOR THE DOUBLE DECKER! (That's my PSA for the day) :iagree::iagree::iagree: We used the trolley: http://www.trolleytours.com/ Even with that it was still a lot of walking. It picked us up at our hotel in the morning and dropped us 2 blocks away at night. It was great! We also travelled without purses or other bags, so we were waved through security very quickly. We purchased a Smithsonian membership at Air and Space, which entitled us to a discount at all Smithsonian gift shops and restaurants. The food wasn't cheap, but it was good, with a decent selection, so the discount paid for the membership and then some. Oh, and if your ds is a Star Wars fan, the National Cathedral has a Darth Vader gargoyle. Bring binoculars! We stay at the Holiday Inn Capitol when we go. They have Starbucks for dh and I, Pizza Hut at the deli and with room service for ds, and 2 restaurants on site. I don't want to worry about where we are going to eat each night. They also have some good off season rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLT Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 The children's part of the museum at the Holocaust Museum was WONDERFUL. So well done and it wouldn't take super long to go through it. I would not recommend the rest of the museum for a child, but that one for the children was perfect and right on the main floor when you go in. I haven't actually been to DC with children (we will this fall) so I can't help you out much with that. There was TONS of walking. I got so sick of it. :tongue_smilie: As far as where to stay, we were lucky and have family there and we didn't eat out anywhere, because the prices were so high most places. The Metro actually worked out really well for us because parking was so confusing as to where you could park and when and for how long. We just avoided what would have been busy hours. i had tons of fun and can't wait to go back with the kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photo Ninja Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 The Spy Museum is fantastic. It is worth getting tickets before you go so you can choose your entry time. If possible, get them for the first or second entry time in the morning. There is a lot of hands-on stuff to do there and if you are later then it is difficult to get to do the hands-on exhibits. The first tour in the morning has opportunity to do it all without long waits. Pay for the trolley/bus so you can get on and off all day long. That way you can do all the Mall monuments in one day and still be able to walk the next day. You can see them all in one day this way. Get tickets for the Capitol tour. It is well worth waiting in line for tickets. That was the only way we could get them, but you can check and see if you can get then ahead of time. The cafeteria in the Supreme Court building has the best prices for lunch. It is a small cafeteria, but is much better than the other food places around the mall or in the museums. The Holocaust museum is worth seeing, but straightforward and emotional. There is an exhibit for children, and if your dc are under 12 or so, I would stop with it. My dd was 15 and we liked the entire museum, but there were a couple displays that I told her to skip. She didn't need to see them because they were so graphic. Mr. Vernon is well worth going to. If you want to spend the time, you can take a boat ride from Old Alexandria to Mt. Vernon and back again. If your dc like space and planes, then the Air and Space Smithsonian is great. If they like history, go to the History Museum (C3PO and R2D2 are there, among lots of other displays). The National Archives are nice to see, but if you dc are young, they may not like it as much. We had to wait in a very long line (1.5 hours) to see the documents. My dc appreciated seeing them, but they were in high school and understood their history and meaning to our nation. A copy of the Magna Charta is also there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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