lynn Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 We have 3 days. How do your sort it all out I am overwhelmed just trying to sort Smithsonian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 We went to D.C. last Memorial Day weekend. I got a guide book and passed it around so everyone could pick the things they found to be of the most interest. When I pulled the lists together it was easy to narrow down our activities. We didn't see everything nor did we try and we had a great trip. A family favorite was a sunset cruise on the Potomac. That was a great way to see Washington and informative. We rented a town house through VRBO and used Parking Panda to prearrange our parking which saved time and $$. We did most of our eating at the Smithsonian. Lots of options and some really beautiful venues. Also very convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 We went to D.C. last Memorial Day weekend. I got a guide book and passed it around so everyone could pick the things they found to be of the most interest. When I pulled the lists together it was easy to narrow down our activities. We didn't see everything nor did we try and we had a great trip. A family favorite was a sunset cruise on the Potomac. That was a great way to see Washington and informative. We rented a town house through VRBO and used Parking Panda to prearrange our parking which saved time and $$. We did most of our eating at the Smithsonian. Lots of options and some really beautiful venues. Also very convenient. What is Parking Panda? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 We've done it in small, one day or half-day shots. I agree, I would feel overwhelmed trying to plan three perfect days! I would plan it out within an inch of my life, beginning with reviews from tripadvisor. Our limited personal experiences: Air & Space Museum. Very popular, enjoyed by everyone in our group of 8. We also enjoyed just walking up and down the Mall, up the steps of the Capitol, around to view the White House from behind the gates, etc. Natural History Museum. So far, the most overrated museum in DC, imo! My kids (14 & 18) liked it well enough I guess. I was so bored. American History Museum. Right next door to the Natural History Museum. Dh and I liked this a lot better, and we didn't get to spend as much time inside as we would have liked. National Art Gallery. Also right next door to the Natural History Museum. Kids and I went there earlier this year. We all loved it. We also quickly made our way through the outdoor sculpture garden, but it was raining, so not optimum. Last weekend, we visited the Lincoln Memorial and surrounding memorials, Vietnam Veterans, WWII, and Korean War, which are situated at the ends of and between the reflecting pool. Loved this, a perfect couple of hours. A few other places on my soon-to-visit list include the National Zoo, the Portrait Museum, and the Holocaust Musuem. If you're into baseball, it might be fun to go watch a game. The Smithsonians get crowded quickly as the weather warms up. By the early afternoon, there are often long lines outside to get in. I don't think it takes a long time, but you do have to wait. Many of the Smithsonians have wonderful small lockers to rent for a very small price ($2 or less?). It's a great way to stash your jackets or anything else you might otherwise be carting around. You know that the Smithsonians are free, right? Food is notoriously $$$ anywhere near the Mall. (I honestly don't know if you can bring food along anywhere, but it would be worth checking into if you are interested.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 If you're going one of the weekends in May (especially early May) be warned that it's also college graduation time. DC has tons of universities. You used to need reservations for the Holocaust Museum, I'm not sure if that's still the case. It's tough…but I would prioritize based on your interests. You don't need to see everything. Smithsonian is great because if one Museum isn't working for you, you can go to another. (Also it's free.) It can be nice to see the monuments on the mall at night. National Zoo is lovely, but it's a long metro ride from downtown. UrbanSpoon is great for food ideas. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Parking Panda https://www.parkingpanda.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=adgroup&utm_campaign=SF%2BAttraction is a web site that allows you to purchase parking in advance at a discount. For us it saves time, stress and $$. The cost is usually much less than public transportation x6. In D.C. we were able to park within a block of the Mall each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 can you use the metro? We always parked outside of town for free and took the metro into DC. You could spend 3 weeks at the Smithsonian alone! Find out what is a priority for your family. If it is aviation, then certainly put the Air and Space on the top of the list. If it is sculpture, the the Hirshorn would be at the top. Perhaps select which monuments to visit. I say perhaps because we always bypassed the monuments in favor of the museums. The West Wing and East Wing are always 2 of my favorites. Are you planning on a day at the National Zoo? Will you try for any surrounding areas like Mt. Vernon? Traffic can be a nightmare in and around the beltway. Try to avoid rush hour as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Don't try to do everything. If you're wanting the classic DC experience, I would say do the monuments, do the Archives, do Air & Space, American History and Natural History, and then call it a day. That's a ton of stuff for three days. Of course, there's plenty of art here (and for some reason that baffles this art museum geek, no one ever seems to visit it... not that I'm complaining about having the Sackler to myself in the dead of tourist season or anything), there are fun things like the Spy Museum, there's the zoo, there's tons of history like at Mt. Vernon. So you can make different choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Air and Space Museum on day 1 American History museum on day 2 Spy Museum on day 3 We did a whirlwind trip in DC 2 years ago and these three were our favorites by far! Especially the spy museum. The kids LOVED it. The Natural History Museum was a dud for us too. Boring. I love DC! Have fun. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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