Susan in TN Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I had this great idea that we would save a ton of money on our trip to D.C. by bringing our snacks/lunch along and eating it on the National Mall between museums (there will be 10 in our group). But now I'm reading the "fine security print", and most of the places won't let you bring in food or water, or large "diaper" bags, and have no place to check a coat or bag. We are renting a house and plan to take the metro into town. So can you tell me if it's at all possible? Or do we need to try to scrounge up an extra $200 per day to feed/water us while we sightsee? I'd love to hear how you've handled meals/touring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 This info is a bit dated but I recall that all the museums along the mall had a place at the security check-in where you could leave items. Is there a way to double check this perhaps? Food is expensive, you are right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 There is a subway near the capitol building.....just down the street about a block...kitty corner from the Metro station...a 2nd story walkup. I would plan on buying $5 footlongs. It's certainly a lot cheaper to split sandwiches in two than to buy the $10-12 ones in the museums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 This info is a bit dated but I recall that all the museums along the mall had a place at the security check-in where you could leave items. Is there a way to double check this perhaps? Food is expensive, you are right. I don't recall seeing a bag check or lockers in most of the museums. The National Gallery of Art has a coat check, but it was pretty small. I've been in National Air and Space Museum and Museum of American History and didn't see any kind of a coat check or locker area. There are hot dog stands on the street behind Air and Space. When our kids were young, we would get dogs and waters there and go eat at the Hirshorn Museum near the fountain. We also used to walk over to the Ronald Reagan federal office building, which had a food court in the basement. The prices there were DC prices (ie, higher than the midwest) but were better than meals in the museums. DH and I ate at the cafeteria at the Museum of American History and I was surprised at how expensive the food was. They also have done renovations that actually reduced the size of the dining area, which amazed me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Been to DC for a couple of months the last two summers and we always brought our lunch. Carried in a backpack. They security checked my bag when I entered the museums and never said anything to me. One of my favorite memories is a picnic on the National Mall. :) Just an FYI, don't accidently bring a knife to cut your apple into the Air & Space Museum. It can be pretty embarassing. :blush: Though the Smithsonian Castle let me bring it in. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 We brought picnic lunches and checked our bags if needed. If you want to eat out one of those days, we've heard that the Native American Museum has wonderful food, though not necessarily cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) We often carried food w/ us there (on multiple trips over the years). Security checks your bags & most museums don't have a problem w/ carrying food/drinks as long as you don't eat or drink inside the museums. If you have a backpack, the art museums will make you either check your bag (they hold it for you) or you have to carry it in your hands (not wear it on your back). They do this to protect the artwork so that someone won't accidentally back into something & damage it. The Capitol apparently is very strict & you are not allowed to bring any food or drink there. Check their regulations ahead of time if you plan to go there. Really, we never had a problem & always had some food & drinks w/ us. We always would hang out on the Mall & snack after the museums close (so that we could skip rush hour on the trains). There are many people out & about (including softball practice, kickball teams, joggers, etc...) & it makes for a very pleasant time. A couple of years ago, there was a reenactment group (ancient Romans) that practiced outside Air & Space; I think they met on Monday evenings. They were super-fun to watch & talk w/ while we hung out. :D It's also fun to carry a small frisbee w/ you. Have fun! DC has lots of great green space to enjoy picnics & the great outdoors! ETA: If you end up not carrying food some of the time... If you end up looking for food or snacks, you can always get stuff like hotdogs & ice cream from the truck vendors. They aren't allowed to park on the Mall side of the museums, so you would need to go out the other side of the museums to find them. I have photos of my ds w/ different cartoon character popsicles from every single trip we've taken there. :lol: Also, if you want to try the food at the Museum of the American Indian, it is the one w/ the most unique food. It's a good place to stop & get a snack (rather than paying for a full meal). Dd loves the flatbread w/ honey there. If you are military or gov't workers, you can get discounts at some of the museum restaurants, so be sure to ask before you pay. If you think you'll end up eating in the museum restaurants pretty often, it's probably worth purchasing a Smithsonian membership so that you can get a (slight) discount on the food. Edited May 20, 2011 by Stacia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I would not bring a cooler, but anything else should be fine. I often pack at least a snack if we are going to be in DC and have never had a problem. Actually, we were just at the Air and Space museum today. :001_smile: There they have you put your bags through a scanner like at the airport while you walk through a metal detector. Just remember not to eat/drink in the museums. They don't like that. Buying food at the National Mall is very expensive. We usually eat McDonald's for about $17-18 dollars (2 adults/2kids). Ordering the same stuff we usually get at A&S today was $25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Kirsten~ Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 The National Archives also has a nice selection of tasty and reasonably priced foods in their cafeteria. I was shocked at the difference between it and some of the others (specifically the Smithsonians). I like to plug it when I can. However, picnicking on the Mall is awesome, so that's a much better plan! Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 :lurk5: I'm going to see what you get for replies here. That sounds like a wonderful idea! We're going in July. Where did you find a house to rent, if you don't mind me asking? There will be eleven in our group. I looked at the 3 main vacation rental sites - vrbo.com (which is where we found ours #212432), vacationrentals.com, and homeaway.com. They'll have listed how many people can sleep, per night costs, availability calendar, amenities, etc. The rentals I emailed for more information were very helpful in answering questions on transportation to the sights, where to find a grocery store, etc. Since we would have had to get 3 hotel rooms (and eat out for most meals), the vacation rental is more cost effective for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicalpoodle Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 When we went to the Smithsonian museums last year, we were in a touring group and got group rates at the cafeterias. I don't know how many people constitute a "group" or if it is less expensive than normal. You can try looking it up on their website. I had to take snacks in for my daughter who has type 1 diabetes, and nothing was ever said about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 Been to DC for a couple of months the last two summers and we always brought our lunch. Carried in a backpack. They security checked my bag when I entered the museums and never said anything to me. One of my favorite memories is a picnic on the National Mall. :) Just an FYI, don't accidently bring a knife to cut your apple into the Air & Space Museum. It can be pretty embarassing. :blush: Though the Smithsonian Castle let me bring it in. :001_huh: Ok - after reading through some of the fine print again, it looks like they "strongly discourage" people from bringing in large bags and backpacks into the Smithsonians, because they will have to be searched. I can live with a search. The National Gallery says it has a place to check bags, as does the Capitol Building, which forbids food/drink of any kind - and knitting needles, so better plan to leave those behind :D. I guess we can try to eat lunch beforehand or plan to stop at that Subway or a hotdog stand. Lord knows we won't starve.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rochellek Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I just took the kids the other day to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We brought in lunch... no problem. They looked in my backpack, I told them I had lunch with me, and I went on through. Even their website says we can bring food in. There is a designated place to eat, but I have to admit we ate some snacks in the halls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I just took the kids the other day to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We brought in lunch... no problem. They looked in my backpack, I told them I had lunch with me, and I went on through. Even their website says we can bring food in. There is a designated place to eat, but I have to admit we ate some snacks in the halls. Oh thank you! We are heading there next week and I was wondering about this. Did you metro or drive and park? My boys are almost 6 and haven't tried the metro yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Oh thank you! We are heading there next week and I was wondering about this. Did you metro or drive and park? My boys are almost 6 and haven't tried the metro yet. I'm not sure where you would park near the Mall. The Metro is REALLY easy. Though I have not done it with a 6 year old, we took our 16 month old and a stroller and went on the Metro fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Last time I was there, we found out where the nearest McDonalds was and walked to it. It was a few blocks off the mall. I know it's McD's and not the best choice, but I'm not very picky about McD's food. I kinda like it. (I know a lot of hivers hate Mcd's type food.) Anyhoo...you might be able to find cheapo food like that if you search for what restaurants are in that area. (Like the subway someone else mentioned.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Re: Picnics. We do them all the time. Have each person carry their own bag lunch in a small bag and you're fine. Or just stash your stuff. We have to do that all the time too. Of course, we don't do the Capitol or the government buildings much, but the museums are easy as long as its not a backpack. Re: Parking near the Mall. It's easy and there's usually plenty of spaces if you only want to be there for a couple hours and get there before the museums open (even just fifteen minutes before). For longer, take Metro. It's very easy and exciting for young children anyway. When mine were about 2, we used to just ride to Virginia and come back for the heck of it to amuse them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 We just got back. We had not problem carrying food in the different Museums. We did Natural History, Air and Space and American history. We had to practically unpack everything in the back packs but it was no big deal. We found the food in these museums incredibly expensive. My son is still in shock over $3.50 for a banana! We ate several of our lunches on the mall. Also had no problems on the tour of the mint or the White House Visitor center. One other thought on food is to head for Union Station. I think they have every type for food imaginable there at fairly reasonable prices. Had to be at least 25 restaurants with a big food court in the middle. It was great because everyone could get what they wanted. If I might make a suggestion, contact your senators office and see if you can get a tour of the capitol and White House. One of our Senators aides gave just our family a private tour of the capital and Senate and House passes. Plus we could leave our backpacks in their office. The aide told us to bring as little as possible. I had a small purse and my camera. When I looked on line to see what was allowed in the Capital building they gave measurements for bags and my regular purse never would have made it. Take a day and get into the city after lunch, have a picnic for dinner and see all the monuments all lit up at night. That ranked as my families favorite activity. Have Fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 We just got back. We had not problem carrying food in the different Museums. We did Natural History, Air and Space and American history. We had to practically unpack everything in the back packs but it was no big deal. We found the food in these museums incredibly expensive. My son is still in shock over $3.50 for a banana! We ate several of our lunches on the mall. Also had no problems on the tour of the mint or the White House Visitor center. One other thought on food is to head for Union Station. I think they have every type for food imaginable there at fairly reasonable prices. Had to be at least 25 restaurants with a big food court in the middle. It was great because everyone could get what they wanted. If I might make a suggestion, contact your senators office and see if you can get a tour of the capitol and White House. One of our Senators aides gave just our family a private tour of the capital and Senate and House passes. Plus we could leave our backpacks in their office. The aide told us to bring as little as possible. I had a small purse and my camera. When I looked on line to see what was allowed in the Capital building they gave measurements for bags and my regular purse never would have made it. Take a day and get into the city after lunch, have a picnic for dinner and see all the monuments all lit up at night. That ranked as my families favorite activity. Have Fun! :eek: for a single banana? Thanks - this is really helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 Re: Picnics. We do them all the time. Have each person carry their own bag lunch in a small bag and you're fine. Or just stash your stuff. We have to do that all the time too. Of course, we don't do the Capitol or the government buildings much, but the museums are easy as long as its not a backpack. Re: Parking near the Mall. It's easy and there's usually plenty of spaces if you only want to be there for a couple hours and get there before the museums open (even just fifteen minutes before). For longer, take Metro. It's very easy and exciting for young children anyway. When mine were about 2, we used to just ride to Virginia and come back for the heck of it to amuse them. My kids are dying to ride on a train. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 My kids are dying to ride on a train. :) I think the train is my son's favorite part of any trip we make to DC. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 We just got back. We had not problem carrying food in the different Museums. We did Natural History, Air and Space and American history. We had to practically unpack everything in the back packs but it was no big deal. We found the food in these museums incredibly expensive. My son is still in shock over $3.50 for a banana! We ate several of our lunches on the mall. Also had no problems on the tour of the mint or the White House Visitor center. One other thought on food is to head for Union Station. I think they have every type for food imaginable there at fairly reasonable prices. Had to be at least 25 restaurants with a big food court in the middle. It was great because everyone could get what they wanted. If I might make a suggestion, contact your senators office and see if you can get a tour of the capitol and White House. One of our Senators aides gave just our family a private tour of the capital and Senate and House passes. Plus we could leave our backpacks in their office. The aide told us to bring as little as possible. I had a small purse and my camera. When I looked on line to see what was allowed in the Capital building they gave measurements for bags and my regular purse never would have made it. Have Fun! Ds just got back from a class trip. Museums weren't a problem, but at the Capitol they had to throw out ALL food and drinks. He had to toss 4 bottles of water, plus his granola bars, and single serve bags of pistachios. Having the backpack wasn't a problem though. And four of them, including my ds, got food poisoning from eating at McDonalds at the Air and Space Museum. So I would check regs on every place you plan to go, and plan accordingly. hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I haven't read all the replies -- did anyone mention Union Station? It's a few minutes' hike from the Capitol. Beautiful upstairs with shopping and large food court downstairs -- not necessarily super cheap, but lots of variety and seating. Pizza, Asian, sandwiches, etc, etc. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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