Washington DC with a 6 yo, a baby, a wheelchair...and a partridge in a pear tree

[Kerileanne99]

We have decided to suprise my little activist 6 yo with a trip to DC after Christmas as hubby is off until next semester.

I have been once many moons ago, but was walking then.

 

We have plans to hit as many of the major sights as possible in the 8 days we have, and are staying at a central hotel. This trip will be primarily about her and what she enjoys, but our interests tend to run parallel many times:) She is a huge Abraham Lincoln fan (even memorized the Gettysburg Address!), loves science, math, and art. She wants to 'deliver' her letter written about the chocolate industry.

 

Any hints or tips?

Is the Metro doable?

We are flying into Reagan if that matters...

Thanks!

 

Any suggestions

[Faithr]

Reagan is very close and a short cab ride.  Or you can try to take the metro, though that is harder with a baby (but still doable).  

 

The Ford's Theater is a great place to go especially if she's into Lincoln.  We went there the summer before last, I think.  It was great.  It is small so not too overwhelming I think for little kids.  Here's the link: http://www.fords.org/home/plan-your-visit/daytime-visits-fords-theatre.  I think you'll have to carry the baby.

 

Other than the Ford's Theater, you can visit the museums.  The Air and Space museum is free but you have to pay if you want to see the movies.  You can get in some art by visiting the art gallery.  The East wing is modern art and connected by an underground walk way (with shop and cafe and waterfall) to the West Building.  I think a child might appreciate the West museum better.  She'll see lots of paintings that are very familiar.  When you enter the museum from the mall side, there is a room to the left which has computers that give a kind of tour/scavenger hunt type thing for kids.  Here's an example:  https://www.nga.gov/kids/scoop-avercamp.pdf  

 

A really nice way for tourists to get around is to buy a ticket for the trolley.  This drops you at various sites where you can see the sites and then you hop back on again and go to a different site.  Very convenient and the guides always seem to be super nice and well informed. http://www.viator.com/Washington-DC-tours/Hop-on-Hop-off-Tours/d657-g12-c97?pref=02

 

Have fun!

 

SUTH!  I completely missed that you are in a wheelchair.  Sorry.  I don't know about the on and off trolley but everything is handicap accessible, though Ford's theater might be a little bit limited for you, just cause it is in a narrow old building, but as I recall they had adapted it for wheelchairs as much as possible.  

 

 

Edited December 21, 2015 by Faithr

[Tess in the Burbs]

We went to DC when the kids were tiny one year...I remember finding elevators in the Metro difficult to find and often down dark corridors away from the crowds.  I remember we purposely did not do the stroller on the escalators and I don't remember if it is b/c there are signs or it was just so crowded and I didn't want to hold people up.  But those elevators were dark, stinky, and out of the way.  We had 2 in strollers.  It was challenging.  This was probably in 2004?  I would hope the disability laws have improved access to elevators by now.  

Edited December 21, 2015 by tess in the burbs

[Amira]

Metro (both trains and buses) is accessible, but in reality, elevators will be out of service and buses will be late and that can complicate things.  But if you're downtown most of the time, you shouldn't have to ride all that often if you plan things well. And people do use the elevators successfully most of the time. 

 

The Lincoln Cottage isn't downtown but the H8 bus goes right next to it from the Georgia Ave Metro.  The tickets to go inside are fairly expensive, but I thought it was well worth a visit to go to the museum and to see the outside of the building without paying for a tour.  She also might like Fort Stevens for some Abraham Lincoln history, although it's a small site and it may not be worth taking the time to get out there on public transportation.  If you're renting a car, then I'd recommend both.

 

The Renwick has some wonderful kid-friendly art right now.

 

Definitely go to Ford's Theater.  If you'll be in there in January you probably won't need to get tickets in advance. We were able to walk right in on a weekday morning in November.  

 

The Anacostia Museum isn't downtown but it's an interesting museum to visit.  You'd take the Metro and Metrobus to get there.  

 

I liked the new White House visitor center. If your daughter likes history and art, the Library of Congress might be a good place to visit.

 

She might like to go to part or all of the Downtown Heritage Trail.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Amira

[bettyandbob]

Would she be wanting to deliver her letter to your congressional rep or senators. You might call their offices ahead to see who will be in town.

[Daria]

Metro and buses in DC usually work well with strollers and wheelchairs, but sometimes they don't. The biggest problem is elevator outages. How much of problem they are depends on what back up plans work for you.  The easiest back up plans, would be:

Walk to the next stop (metro): If you're downtown, the next station is likely to be about 1/2 a mile away, sometimes less.  If the weather is decent, and you've got the stamina, it's not a big deal to walk to the next station.  If you're not downtown, it can be a bigger issue.  

 

Uber: Cheap, fast, and requires that you transfer, and that you can fit your wheelchair inside.  Also requires a carseat.  When DS was tiny and we didn't have a car, I usually used a snap and go type stroller so that we could use a car in an emergency.  Theo

 

Taxi:  There are taxis with wheelchair lifts, so that's good,  but you can wait a long time for them.  You can also hail a cab, which will be faster, and will have a bigger trunk than most Uber X, and a lower seat than most Uber XL's which are SUV's, so if you can transfer to a car but not an SUV, and have a folding chair, this might work.  Legally you don't need a carseat in a taxi, but of course the laws of physics still apply.

 

Shuttle: If the elevator is out, the metro will send you a shuttle.  It will take forever, but it will be wheelchair lift equipped.  It will just take you to the next station.