1st grader, trip to Washington DC, Gettysburg, Hershey

[Catalytic]

What would you do to prepare/excite a 6 year old about a trip to DC and Gettysburg?  I'd like for it to be fun and educational, but he doesn't tend to enjoy these things (museums and battlefields aren't his thing just yet)

 

3 days in DC, planning to visit the Air and Space museum, National Archives, the monuments, Arlington, and then whatever else Smithsonian we have time for.  Probably will not be able to make it to the zoo :-(

 

Gettysburg, battlefields, not sure what else there is to do there, 2.5 days in that area, one day will be spent at Hershey. Not opposed to splitting up this day, Dad can take the teens to the battlefields if there's something fun for the 6 yr old to do instead.  (Currently we're thinking of he and I staying at the campground and hanging out at the pool/playground)

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Honestly, if he isn't into the museums and stuff, and the trip is mostly for him learning, I would skip the Archives and go to the zoo.

 

Gettysburg, I would suggest getting an audio tour that you can play in your car. We have one that is an audio drama, it can be done in 1, 2, or 3 hours. It was the most expensive one they had but still cheaper than taking my family on a bus tour that is crowded and time constrained. If you like hiking, you can get the Boy Scout guide (people at the visitor center will know what you are looking for), its cheap and has 4 different hikes to it. We really enjoy doing the 4 miles hike. My kids also like doing ghost tours at night, we have learned a lot of history on them, and we all giggle about the crazy stories all the way home.

 

Hershey is fun, I would save it for last as a reward for the fun learning he has endured. Oh and if you miss out on DC Zoo, Hershey does have a small zoo.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Oh and at Gettysburg, allow plenty of time for the kids playing at Devils Den! Kids absolutely love exploring those huge boulders. No joke, last year we did the 10 mile hike from the Boy Scout guide with 10 or so Cub Scouts. Devils Den was our halfway point and where we stopped for lunch. Those kids, as tired as they already were and knowing they still had a long way to go, spent about an hour there (which was nice for us out of shape adults ;) )

[desertflower]

Oh yeah. definitely go to hershey. My children loved it when we went. They were 6 1/2, 5, and 2 1/2 at the time.

[happypamama]

Gettysburg -- cannons! My little guys always like climbing the monuments and rocks too. He might enjoy the galleries at the Visitors Center.

 

In Gettysburg, there is a children's museum downtown (south of the circle) called Explore N More. I haven't been there, but I've heard rave reviews about it. The library is nice too and is down the street from the children's museum, and a couple of blocks up, there is a toy store called Codori's that is supposedly pretty cool. (I have not been in there. My DH has taken the older kids in a couple of times, but I have always stayed in the car with the tiny ones.)

 

There's also Mr. Ed's elephant museum and candy store, out west of Gettysburg a few minutes, but it's not a huge place and wouldn't take all day.

 

I would get the audio tour of the battlefield too. And if the 6yo isn't really into it, but the teens are, I'd quite honestly entertain the 6yo with toys and electronics during the ride, and I'd be sure to make a point of stopping for ice cream afterward. There are multiple good places for that in Gettysburg. But I could see my little guys (maybe not the little little one, since he's not quite three) being semi-interested, paying half attention during the ride, and getting out from time to time to look at monuments.

 

There's supposed to be a new museum downtown that focuses on the town and local people, although I've only been there when it was partially done. It looked interesting, though.

 

If you're doing Hersheypark, it includes admission to their zoo, which is smaller than DC but still pretty nice. And do make sure you get to Chocolate World for their free tour!

 

Have a great trip! Just don't come July 4 weekend. Gettysburg is a tiny little town. They say it gets packed July 4 weekend because of the reenactments.

[SKL]

When my kids were 6, they enjoyed the Smithsonian, especially the natural history one and the technology/inventions one.  They also liked the carousel on the lawn, and the subway.  :P  We did lots of walking and just checked out what everyone was doing - flying kites etc.  We had visited the monuments when they were younger; so far not a big thrill in the 4 trips we've made there (I travel there for a professional conference each year).  Another thing to consider is a boat ride on the river.

 

We haven't been to Gettysburg.

 

Hershey - consider doing the Hershey museum away from the park, which has some fun hands-on stuff, and you can make your own personal candy bar (and then eat it).  We didn't do the candy bar making in the park itself - too long of a wait and too expensive.  In the building by the park entrance, there is a "ride" that demonstrates candy production, and they give you a "free" candy at the end.  Other than that, Hershey is basically an amusement park, like other amusement parks.  If you stay in one of their hotels, there is a Hershey theme in the rooms / halls, and the breakfast includes a lot of chocolate.  :)  My kids approved.

[MinivanMom]

We did a trip when my kids were around that age. I would try to make time for the zoo if you can. If not, I think the Air & Space and the Natural History museums are the most fun for younger kids. And just be aware that it will be a ton of walking. Seriously. If you haven't been to DC before, all of the monuments and museums are much further away from each other than they appear on a map. If it's a hot day in summer, then be sure you are carrying lots of water & sunscreen.

 

I second the advice to buy the audio for Gettysburg. It's worth it. We were lucky to be there for the 150th, so we got to see all the big reenactments including a cavalry battle on horseback. My little boys loved that.

 

Definitely do a trip to the Hershey museum where you can go on the chocolate ride and make your own chocolate bars. And if it's possible to plan your route through Lancaster County, then you should. We were lucky to drive through on a morning when the sun finally came out after several days of rain, so everyone was outside: boys weeding fields, girls manning produce stands, moms hanging out the washing, lots of teens out & about in buggies. We stopped to buy lunch at a roadside stand (homemade bread & jam and fresh veggies) and a dozen little barefoot girls came tumbling out in their bonnets to exclaim over the French braids in my daughters' hair. That was quite the cultural experience.

[Mrs Twain]

Air and space is good for kids. They have hands on things and lots of planes and space ships to look at. They also have good IMAX movies.

The National Gallery of Art has a FUN scavenger hunt for kids you can print out. (You can Google it.) That way you can actually look at and enjoy some of the museum for yourself.

The Carousel on the Mall is very fun.

Look at (the outside of) the Washington Monument. Run around on the grass near there for a few minutes. Then get an ice cream cone from one of the vendors. Then walk down toward the Lincoln Memorial. On the way pass the reflecting pool and look at ducks. At the Lincoln, have your child run up the steps and look at Lincoln's statue. That will give you time to go in and read Lincoln's speeches inside the monument.

I vote for the zoo, too.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Mrs Twain

[jniter]

Ditto skipping the National Archives. They do have a *very nice* childrens area with coloring pages, projects, and books to read on US history (I really hope I'm remembering the right place), but they will enjoy it much more if they already know quite a bit of US History.

 

For the American History Museum, go to the lower level to the Tech/Industry area, where they have trains, etc. If you are movie watchers, the area w/Dorothy's red slippers and other movie memorabilia is fun.

 

Honestly, if you haven't studied much US History, I'm not sure your 6-year-old will get much from seeing the monuments. The Washington Memorial can be seen while on The Mall visiting the Natural History Museum or American History Museum, and that should be "good enough". Maybe walk by the White House? Houses tend to be more interesting.

 

My kids actually really enjoyed the US Postal Museum. Some fascinating interactive areas, videos on how stamps are made, huge vertical file drawers with stamps from all over the world and letters from famous people, and you get to see a mail wagon and Owney!

 

The US Conservatory has a lot of neat plants, and it can be easily done in about 90 minutes. They sometimes have kid backpacks to guide them through areas and find plants. 

 

We love the zoo! Must go!

 

If you're willing to wake up early and stand in line for tickets, I here the US Mint is really fascinating! 

 

If you are willing to pay: National Geographic Museum and National Building Museum. 

[Garga]

Be aware: there is a Hershey Museum and there is Chocolate World. People have been using the words "Hershey Museum" but meaning "Chocolate World" on this thread.

 

The Hershey Museum is a few (2 or 3 at most) miles from Hershey Park. It's a museum with various items and placcards describing the items. I can't recall if you can make your own chocolate there. I've only gone there for special "homeschool days" where they have you make chocolate, so I'm not sure how it's set up on regular days.

 

Chocolate World is a building that somewhat shares the parking lot of Hershey Park (Chocolate World and Hershey Park's parkinglots are side by side, but CW has it's own lot). In Chocolate World there is a ride through the "factory." My kids were about 11 when they finally caught on that the "factory" isn't the real factory--just a replica. They love the ride and the "factory". They give you a tiny piece of candy at the end of the ride. There's a part of CW where you can make some candy for yourself, but it costs too much money for me to feel it's worth it.

 

We go to CW in the winter and the kids ride the ride about 6 times in a row, eat some of the free candy, and then we buy some candy from the gift shop and head home. If it was summer, I'd skip CW and just stay in Hershey Park, which is an amusement park and has the zoo. To me, CW is something you do to kill time in the winter; not something you do in place of an amusement park. Save your energy for the rides in the park. Amusement parks will wear you out fast, so use your energy for the park. CW doesn't have enough to offer, I don't think.

[Catalytic]

Honestly, if he isn't into the museums and stuff, and the trip is mostly for him learning, I would skip the Archives and go to the zoo.

 

Gettysburg, I would suggest getting an audio tour that you can play in your car. We have one that is an audio drama, it can be done in 1, 2, or 3 hours. It was the most expensive one they had but still cheaper than taking my family on a bus tour that is crowded and time constrained. If you like hiking, you can get the Boy Scout guide (people at the visitor center will know what you are looking for), its cheap and has 4 different hikes to it. We really enjoy doing the 4 miles hike. My kids also like doing ghost tours at night, we have learned a lot of history on them, and we all giggle about the crazy stories all the way home.

 

Hershey is fun, I would save it for last as a reward for the fun learning he has endured. Oh and if you miss out on DC Zoo, Hershey does have a small zoo.

 

The trip is for the family, not just the 6 year old.  The rest of us want to see the National Archives and other places I mentioned, so he's just going to have to deal with it LOL.  I will look into the audio tours, that sounds interesting!  I forgot Hershey has a theme park, we aren't going to the theme park (we live next to a Busch Gardens right now and go there several times a month, so I don't see the need for the Hershey one)  Also, it isn't a vacation trip, we're moving and will pass through those areas.  We're currently in the Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown area, and we've done a lot of history type stuff here, and about the only thing he has really enjoyed is visiting the Battleship Wisconsin, but he REALLY enjoyed that.

 

Oh and at Gettysburg, allow plenty of time for the kids playing at Devils Den! Kids absolutely love exploring those huge boulders. No joke, last year we did the 10 mile hike from the Boy Scout guide with 10 or so Cub Scouts. Devils Den was our halfway point and where we stopped for lunch. Those kids, as tired as they already were and knowing they still had a long way to go, spent about an hour there (which was nice for us out of shape adults ;) )

 

I will definitely look that up, the 6 and 17 year olds LOVE to climb.  We used to go to Red Rocks and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs just for that reason.

 

Oh yeah. definitely go to hershey. My children loved it when we went. They were 6 1/2, 5, and 2 1/2 at the time.

 

Totally forgot about the theme park, did they enjoy other parts of Hershey?  We're planning to do the tour of the factory, because we all really enjoyed the Jelly Belly and Celestial Seasonings tours we did a few years ago.

 

Gettysburg -- cannons! My little guys always like climbing the monuments and rocks too. He might enjoy the galleries at the Visitors Center.

 

In Gettysburg, there is a children's museum downtown (south of the circle) called Explore N More. I haven't been there, but I've heard rave reviews about it. The library is nice too and is down the street from the children's museum, and a couple of blocks up, there is a toy store called Codori's that is supposedly pretty cool. (I have not been in there. My DH has taken the older kids in a couple of times, but I have always stayed in the car with the tiny ones.)

 

There's also Mr. Ed's elephant museum and candy store, out west of Gettysburg a few minutes, but it's not a huge place and wouldn't take all day.

 

I would get the audio tour of the battlefield too. And if the 6yo isn't really into it, but the teens are, I'd quite honestly entertain the 6yo with toys and electronics during the ride, and I'd be sure to make a point of stopping for ice cream afterward. There are multiple good places for that in Gettysburg. But I could see my little guys (maybe not the little little one, since he's not quite three) being semi-interested, paying half attention during the ride, and getting out from time to time to look at monuments.

 

There's supposed to be a new museum downtown that focuses on the town and local people, although I've only been there when it was partially done. It looked interesting, though.

 

If you're doing Hersheypark, it includes admission to their zoo, which is smaller than DC but still pretty nice. And do make sure you get to Chocolate World for their free tour!

 

Have a great trip! Just don't come July 4 weekend. Gettysburg is a tiny little town. They say it gets packed July 4 weekend because of the reenactments.

 

We'll be at Gettysburg July 11th through 14th (probably pull out early on the 14th).  We will be staying at Artillery Ridge campground.  I think he would love a children's museum, so that sounds perfect!!!  I think we'll be doing Gettysburg on the 11th and 12th, and Hershey on the 13th, trying to figure out the Hershey day because we're just planning to drive up from Gettysburg, and she will cry all day long in the camper...don't want to annoy our neighbors.  For the days we're in DC I have a sitter who lives near the campground we'll be at.  Sent a message to someone through DogVacay, maybe she will be able to take her that day in Hershey.

 

When my kids were 6, they enjoyed the Smithsonian, especially the natural history one and the technology/inventions one.  They also liked the carousel on the lawn, and the subway.  :p  We did lots of walking and just checked out what everyone was doing - flying kites etc.  We had visited the monuments when they were younger; so far not a big thrill in the 4 trips we've made there (I travel there for a professional conference each year).  Another thing to consider is a boat ride on the river.

 

We haven't been to Gettysburg.

 

Hershey - consider doing the Hershey museum away from the park, which has some fun hands-on stuff, and you can make your own personal candy bar (and then eat it).  We didn't do the candy bar making in the park itself - too long of a wait and too expensive.  In the building by the park entrance, there is a "ride" that demonstrates candy production, and they give you a "free" candy at the end.  Other than that, Hershey is basically an amusement park, like other amusement parks.  If you stay in one of their hotels, there is a Hershey theme in the rooms / halls, and the breakfast includes a lot of chocolate.  :)  My kids approved.

 

We won't be doing the park...is the museum the one with the factory tour?  That's what we are planning to do.  (We agree about most amusement parks being the same, since we've been to Busch Gardens about 2 dozen times in the past year, we didn't think there was a need to do the Hershey one)  We won't be staying in Hershey, we're just going to drive up from Gettysburg for the day.

[Garga]

I tried taking a 7 year old to see the archives. It didn't go well. The line was about an hour long, and even though we'd studied the documents, it was a huge yawn fest for him. A huge waste of time.

 

He liked the Native American museum at that age. Did not like the American History museum (at that age) because the lines to see things were sooooo long and he wasn't that interested, even in seeing Dorothy's slippers or real Muppets.

 

It sounds like you have teens and they're at the right age to see these things, but it will be hard on your 6 yo. While they're in the archives, right across the street from the archives is the Sculpture Garden for the National Gallery of Art. Maybe you and he could wander through that garden? It's not very big. But there's a full sized tree made out of chrome so it looks like a silver tree. There's a water fountain in the middle of the park that turns out spouts from time to time. There's a sculpture that looks like a giant spider, and a sclupture of a house that seems to change shape as you walk toward it. He might like that. If you've watched Night at the Museum, Smithsonian, then you could pop into the museum (again, just across from the archives) and look inside there and find the places where the movie was filmed.

 

 

Gettysburg:

 

I'll just second happypamama's ideas. She and I live close to there. Gettysburg is a tiny town and is NOT sophisticated. It's very down-home. There is a children's museum there (Explore and More), but it's a tiny little thing. Don't expect a children's museum like you'd see in a big city. There are children's museum's in Baltimore with all the bells and whistles. Explore and More is set up in a house and is fun for kids, but is not fancy in the slightest. Actually, my kids never liked it, but most of the kids I know did like it. I don't know why mine didn't like it and I always wished they did, as it would have been an option to get us out of the house, but whatever.

 

Try taking your 6 yo. I took my kids and after 10 minutes they wanted to go home. I told the people there that my kids weren't happy and wouldn't stay and they gave me my money back (that's the benefit of a small town, down-home place. The people are nice and acommodating.)

 

I agree with someone else about Devil's Den. My kids love climbing over the boulders there. My nephew, from age 13-16 when he'd stay with us in the summer would insist on going to Devil's Den when he visited. I personally didn't like going because I was in a state of perpetual nervousness than someone would fall off a boulder and get hurt. My dh never had that fear and he was the one who would take them.

 

 

ETA: Here's the blog post I wrote about one time at Devil's Den. There is a good picture of the boulders in there. Also, I'd forgotten about snakes. I doubt that they live in the areas with the endless supplies of tourists, but on that hillside with the white monument on top of it (see in the blog post) there most assuredly are snake dens. Stay in the tourist areas. Don't decide to walk up or down the hillside among the boulders. Go on the paved road. Friends of mine go to that hillside in Gburg to find snakes and they do find them every time they go, when they get off the main path. https://dustylizard.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/do-not-leap-over-the-snake-pit-of-death/

 

 

ETA: And more pictures of the boulders: https://dustylizard.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/snake-pits-of-death-bologna-sandwiches-and-grey-hair/

Edited May 25, 2016 by Garga

[desertflower]

We only toured the factory.  They loved the ride or perhaps it was the free chocolate candy in the end. ;) 

[Garga]

Ah--now that I see you're not going to Hershey Park, then Chocolate World will be a great choice.

 

There is a cavern nearby called Indian Echo Caverns. We love caverns and if you like them, too, that's another option. You could do CW and the caverns in the same day.

[Catalytic]

We did a trip when my kids were around that age. I would try to make time for the zoo if you can. If not, I think the Air & Space and the Natural History museums are the most fun for younger kids. And just be aware that it will be a ton of walking. Seriously. If you haven't been to DC before, all of the monuments and museums are much further away from each other than they appear on a map. If it's a hot day in summer, then be sure you are carrying lots of water & sunscreen.

 

I second the advice to buy the audio for Gettysburg. It's worth it. We were lucky to be there for the 150th, so we got to see all the big reenactments including a cavalry battle on horseback. My little boys loved that.

 

Definitely do a trip to the Hershey museum where you can go on the chocolate ride and make your own chocolate bars. And if it's possible to plan your route through Lancaster County, then you should. We were lucky to drive through on a morning when the sun finally came out after several days of rain, so everyone was outside: boys weeding fields, girls manning produce stands, moms hanging out the washing, lots of teens out & about in buggies. We stopped to buy lunch at a roadside stand (homemade bread & jam and fresh veggies) and a dozen little barefoot girls came tumbling out in their bonnets to exclaim over the French braids in my daughters' hair. That was quite the cultural experience.

 

Right now, our plan to to do the Air and Space museum (at the airport) and Arlington on one day, I think he'll be OK for the museum, Arlington will be boring, but he'll survive.  I've purposely kept our nice stroller for this trip and for NYC eventually, and we'll have tablets with us, so he can hang out in the stroller with iPad or something for Arlington.  Hubby was in DC for a few hours last week, so he kinda got the lay of the land as far as all the walking and how spread out things are.  We're planning on the water and sunscreen, hopefully it won't be raining LOL, but we're going in July so we expect it to be miserably hot.

 

Air and space is good for kids. They have hands on things and lots of planes and space ships to look at. They also have good IMAX movies.

 

The National Gallery of Art has a FUN scavenger hunt for kids you can print out. (You can Google it.) That way you can actually look at and enjoy some of the museum for yourself.

 

The Carousel on the Mall is very fun.

 

Look at (the outside of) the Washington Monument. Run around on the grass near there for a few minutes. Then get an ice cream cone from one of the vendors. Then walk down toward the Lincoln Memorial. On the way pass the reflecting pool and look at ducks. At the Lincoln, have your child run up the steps and look at Lincoln's statue. That will give you time to go in and read Lincoln's speeches inside the monument.

 

I vote for the zoo, too.

 

We tried really hard to work the zoo into the schedule, but on paper, it doesn't work.  Things could change once we get there, and the zoo is high on my "want" list, so if we can find time, we'll definitely go.

 

Ditto skipping the National Archives. They do have a *very nice* childrens area with coloring pages, projects, and books to read on US history (I really hope I'm remembering the right place), but they will enjoy it much more if they already know quite a bit of US History.

 

For the American History Museum, go to the lower level to the Tech/Industry area, where they have trains, etc. If you are movie watchers, the area w/Dorothy's red slippers and other movie memorabilia is fun.

 

Honestly, if you haven't studied much US History, I'm not sure your 6-year-old will get much from seeing the monuments. The Washington Memorial can be seen while on The Mall visiting the Natural History Museum or American History Museum, and that should be "good enough". Maybe walk by the White House? Houses tend to be more interesting.

 

My kids actually really enjoyed the US Postal Museum. Some fascinating interactive areas, videos on how stamps are made, huge vertical file drawers with stamps from all over the world and letters from famous people, and you get to see a mail wagon and Owney!

 

The US Conservatory has a lot of neat plants, and it can be easily done in about 90 minutes. They sometimes have kid backpacks to guide them through areas and find plants. 

 

We love the zoo! Must go!

 

If you're willing to wake up early and stand in line for tickets, I here the US Mint is really fascinating! 

 

If you are willing to pay: National Geographic Museum and National Building Museum. 

 

Hubby absolutely won't skip the archives, he thinks it's very important for the teens (he was actually there unexpectedly last week).  If I have to, I'll do something else with the 6 year old, because I'm not as enamored with the Archives as he and the teens are.  The American History museum sounds really cool (I'm going to print all this out for hubby to read so he can make our game plan)  The monuments are for hubby, the teens and I...we realize DC will be boring for little man, but he'll just have to suffer.  (That's why we held on to our stroller, so he could be comfy and play tablets if needed, thankfully he's tiny so he fits fine in it)  About the only thing none of us really care about is the White House.  We've done the US Mint in Denver before, not sure the one in DC will be open when we are there?  Will ask DH to check if that's something we will have time for, the 6 yr old might like that.  We are willing to pay, making a note of those museums.  (I would be the only one interested in the Postal museum, unfortunately.)

 

Be aware: there is a Hershey Museum and there is Chocolate World. People have been using the words "Hershey Museum" but meaning "Chocolate World" on this thread.

 

The Hershey Museum is a few (2 or 3 at most) miles from Hershey Park. It's a museum with various items and placcards describing the items. I can't recall if you can make your own chocolate there. I've only gone there for special "homeschool days" where they have you make chocolate, so I'm not sure how it's set up on regular days.

 

Chocolate World is a building that somewhat shares the parking lot of Hershey Park (Chocolate World and Hershey Park's parkinglots are side by side, but CW has it's own lot). In Chocolate World there is a ride through the "factory." My kids were about 11 when they finally caught on that the "factory" isn't the real factory--just a replica. They love the ride and the "factory". They give you a tiny piece of candy at the end of the ride. There's a part of CW where you can make some candy for yourself, but it costs too much money for me to feel it's worth it.

 

We go to CW in the winter and the kids ride the ride about 6 times in a row, eat some of the free candy, and then we buy some candy from the gift shop and head home. If it was summer, I'd skip CW and just stay in Hershey Park, which is an amusement park and has the zoo. To me, CW is something you do to kill time in the winter; not something you do in place of an amusement park. Save your energy for the rides in the park. Amusement parks will wear you out fast, so use your energy for the park. CW doesn't have enough to offer, I don't think.

 

OK, then Chocolate World is definitely wear we want to go.  We did a Jelly Belly "factory" tour in Wisconsin (we rode a golf cart train around to different movie screens and saw how the beans are made, it wasn't a true factory) and the Celestial Seasonings tea factory (I think that was actual factory, kiddo was too young to go in, so only the teens, Grandma and hubby went in there) and the family really enjoyed both of those.  We aren't planning the make your own thing at CW.  What we're really looking for is a Hershey store, like the M&Ms store and Coca-Cola stores in Vegas, or the Coca-Cola store in Atlanta.  (I know that's silly, but we love looking around those stores)  We'll probably get some desserts somewhere, too ;-)

 

I tried taking a 7 year old to see the archives. It didn't go well. The line was about an hour long, and even though we'd studied the documents, it was a huge yawn fest for him. A huge waste of time.

 

He liked the Native American museum at that age. Did not like the American History museum (at that age) because the lines to see things were sooooo long and he wasn't that interested, even in seeing Dorothy's slippers or real Muppets.

 

It sounds like you have teens and they're at the right age to see these things, but it will be hard on your 6 yo. While they're in the archives, right across the street from the archives is the Sculpture Garden for the National Gallery of Art. Maybe you and he could wander through that garden? It's not very big. But there's a full sized tree made out of chrome so it looks like a silver tree. There's a water fountain in the middle of the park that turns out spouts from time to time. There's a sculpture that looks like a giant spider, and a sclupture of a house that seems to change shape as you walk toward it. He might like that. If you've watched Night at the Museum, Smithsonian, then you could pop into the museum (again, just across from the archives) and look inside there and find the places where the movie was filmed.

 

 

Gettysburg:

 

I'll just second happypamama's ideas. She and I live close to there. Gettysburg is a tiny town and is NOT sophisticated. It's very down-home. There is a children's museum there (Explore and More), but it's a tiny little thing. Don't expect a children's museum like you'd see in a big city. There are children's museum's in Baltimore with all the bells and whistles. Explore and More is set up in a house and is fun for kids, but is not fancy in the slightest. Actually, my kids never liked it, but most of the kids I know did like it. I don't know why mine didn't like it and I always wished they did, as it would have been an option to get us out of the house, but whatever.

 

Try taking your 6 yo. I took my kids and after 10 minutes they wanted to go home. I told the people there that my kids weren't happy and wouldn't stay and they gave me my money back (that's the benefit of a small town, down-home place. The people are nice and acommodating.)

 

I agree with someone else about Devil's Den. My kids love climbing over the boulders there. My nephew, from age 13-16 when he'd stay with us in the summer would insist on going to Devil's Den when he visited. I personally didn't like going because I was in a state of perpetual nervousness than someone would fall off a boulder and get hurt. My dh never had that fear and he was the one who would take them.

 

 

ETA: Here's the blog post I wrote about one time at Devil's Den. There is a good picture of the boulders in there. Also, I'd forgotten about snakes. I doubt that they live in the areas with the endless supplies of tourists, but on that hillside with the white monument on top of it (see in the blog post) there most assuredly are snake dens. Stay in the tourist areas. Don't decide to walk up or down the hillside among the boulders. Go on the paved road. Friends of mine go to that hillside in Gburg to find snakes and they do find them every time they go, when they get off the main path. https://dustylizard.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/do-not-leap-over-the-snake-pit-of-death/

 

 

ETA: And more pictures of the boulders: https://dustylizard.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/snake-pits-of-death-bologna-sandwiches-and-grey-hair/

 

We love the Night at the Museum movies, and I will have the little one rewatch them right before we go to DC.  Thank you for an excellent plan on what to do with him while DH and the teens do the Archives!!!!  Thank you for the blog posts, we will read over those tonight!

 

We only toured the factory.  They loved the ride or perhaps it was the free chocolate candy in the end. ;)

 

Awesome!

 

Ah--now that I see you're not going to Hershey Park, then Chocolate World will be a great choice.

 

There is a cavern nearby called Indian Echo Caverns. We love caverns and if you like them, too, that's another option. You could do CW and the caverns in the same day.

 

I seem to be the only one interested in caverns :-(  We aren't terribly far from Luray Caverns right now, and I can't convince anyone to go with me.

[SKL]

 

We won't be doing the park...is the museum the one with the factory tour?  That's what we are planning to do.  (We agree about most amusement parks being the same, since we've been to Busch Gardens about 2 dozen times in the past year, we didn't think there was a need to do the Hershey one)  We won't be staying in Hershey, we're just going to drive up from Gettysburg for the day.

 

We were intending to go to the museum at the factory itself, but we ended up at another place - small building, not connected with a factory.  I don't remember the exact name.

 

PS the museum / candy bar making I'm talking about isn't at Chocolate World, it's away from the park.  (In case my posts are confusing.)  Chocolate world was fun though.

 

Edited May 25, 2016 by SKL

[SKL]

Here's the Website - Hershey Story Museum.  As you can see, there is hands-on stuff for the kids and also interesting history for the older folks.  https://hersheystory.org/

[Garga]

In Gettysburg, there is also the Land of the Little Horses. You'll want to check out the website, but probably only your youngest would like that.  Maybe you and he could go on the day that the rest of the family is on the battlefields.

 

My kids liked it when they were young.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Garga

[Garga]

If only you were coming to Gburg a week later!  We're having our meetup the Tuesday after you go.  Your 6 yo could come and play with everyone.  Oh well. 

[jniter]

Check out the US Postal Museum website and see if you can entice them. It is essentially connected to Union Station, and that's a fun place to wander around too. But no worries.

 

The Childrens Room in the Archives is pretty interesting for kids, so you might enjoy it w/the 6yo.

 

Also, I would skip the Air and Space Museum in DC and consider driving down to VA to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum instead. That's where the Discovery shuttle is, tons of real fighter planes, IMAX theater, observation deck, historical planes, etc. You wander around a huge hangar full of planes, memoribilia, uniforms, and historical information. The Air and Space Museum in DC is in serious need of an update. It is really showing its age and compared to Udvar-Hazy, it is almost kitschy. The museum is free, just a parking fee. Oh...and the only food available is McDonalds. My kids love going there to see the SR-71, F-series planes, helicopters, etc.

 

Edit to add: this is also a Smithsonian museum, and it is near Dulles Airport. Not that far from DC.

Edited May 25, 2016 by jniter

[Catalytic]

Here's the Website - Hershey Story Museum.  As you can see, there is hands-on stuff for the kids and also interesting history for the older folks.  https://hersheystory.org/

 

Thank you, that looks fun.  I just printed the reciprocal list for the Battleship Wisconsin membership to see if any of them are on there.  That be an employee for a day thing looks really cool.

 

In Gettysburg, there is also the Land of the Little Horses. You'll want to check out the website, but probably only your youngest would like that.  Maybe you and he could go on the day that the rest of the family is on the battlefields.

 

My kids liked it when they were young.

 

One thing we can't do is anything near/around horses, I'm deathly allergic unfortunately.

 

If only you were coming to Gburg a week later!  We're having our meetup the Tuesday after you go.  Your 6 yo could come and play with everyone.  Oh well. 

 

Drat, that would have been fun!

 

Check out the US Postal Museum website and see if you can entice them. It is essentially connected to Union Station, and that's a fun place to wander around too. But no worries.

 

The Childrens Room in the Archives is pretty interesting for kids, so you might enjoy it w/the 6yo.

 

Also, I would skip the Air and Space Museum in DC and consider driving down to VA to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum instead. That's where the Discovery shuttle is, tons of real fighter planes, IMAX theater, observation deck, historical planes, etc. You wander around a huge hangar full of planes, memoribilia, uniforms, and historical information. The Air and Space Museum in DC is in serious need of an update. It is really showing its age and compared to Udvar-Hazy, it is almost kitschy. The museum is free, just a parking fee. Oh...and the only food available is McDonalds. My kids love going there to see the SR-71, F-series planes, helicopters, etc.

 

Edit to add: this is also a Smithsonian museum, and it is near Dulles Airport. Not that far from DC.

 

YES, that's the Air and Space museum we're going to.  (That is like, priority number 2, with Arlington being number 1.)  Another post coming with some more ?s.

[Catalytic]

A few more questions.

 

1.  Anyone recommend parking in DC?  I was looking at the Parking Panda website and am planning to reserve through them?  The Ronald Reagan building looks like it would work well for our plans, except there's no number to call.  What I want to know (if anyone has parked there) is whether or not we can come and go from the vehicle?  We were planning to take a cooler and leave it in the van with fresh drinks?  I know vehicles and people are searched, and I know we can only drive in once and then drive out once, but I'm not sure if we're allowed to go in and out of the vehicle while it's parked?  If not, can anyone recommend a similarly located parking place that would allow that?  DH can trot back and forth to the van to get drinks.  (We do know it's a long way, he kinda scouted things out last week when he ended up in DC unexpectedly.)  If it matters, we're planning to be in DC itself on a Saturday and a Sunday.  Not interested in the Metro or whatever.

 

2.  Any links for those Gettysburg audio tours?  The ones you specifically prefer?  Found this one the NPS had a link to.

 

(About Lancaster, we may make it there, I want to, but if we don't, we will be living near a Mennonite community.  I realize they aren't the same, but maybe we can catch Lancaster on the way back down south after this duty station)

[happypamama]

It's been a long time since we got the Gettysburg audio tour, but I think we just bought it at one of the shops. I'll look tonight and see if I can find the name. I know which one it was, but I can't recall the name. Garga, might recall -- it's the one that used to have the wax museum and the light up thingy, but now it has the story of Gettysburg museum. It's got a big parking lot to its right. They also rent iPad tours, but those are pricey, and last I knew, you couldn't just download an app to your iPad, but you have to rent their iPads.

 

There's a book also that has a guided tour. I'll see if I can find that too.

 

The store at Chocolate World is lots of fun, with many different varieties of Hershey products, and often, excellent deals on chocolate. ;)

[Garga]

We use parking panda for parking in DC. I don't know about that particular garage (Ronald Regan bldg), but I've never parked in a garage anywhere that cared if you came back to your vehicle throughout the day. Just be sure to bring a printout of your receipt or keep it on your phone to show them.

 

I'm always a little lost in DC, but the last time we were there (2 weekends ago), our garage was right across the street from the National Gallery of Art. It was called "colonial" something or other. It was on the Parking Panda website. They didn't care if you came back or not.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

One the one occasion we drove into the city, we parked at Metro Center.  I would also consider parking somewhere and getting metro passes for the day.  Driving and parking in the city can be a nightmare.  We now drive to the furthest north metro station (Shady Grove) and park there when we go to the city.  We camp at Little Bennett State Park if we are staying more than a day... nice campground and very affordable.

 

When we did our 10 mile hike we stayed at Artillery Ridge.  It was nice but be prepared for TONS of kids, they host scout groups all the time.  Scout groups are usually very nice to deal with, but if you need the showers you may need to sneak in really early or go after the kids have ventured out for the day.

 

I had to laugh about the snakes that were mentioned.  Walking from Devils Den to Little Round Top we had to avoid a copperhead.  He was the only snake we saw, thankfully, but totally not the snake I want to stumble upon.  As long as you stick to the paths, you should be fine.. but ticks are a very real issue there.  Even in the worst heat, they recommend long pants with long socks over them... but Off with DEET has worked well for us.  Just do a tick check every night (and maybe every morning).

 

If you don't plan on doing Hershey Park, I would skip it, seriously.  Chocolate World is fun in the winter when we have nothing better to do, but in the summer when the park is open it's crowded and not very interesting.  Definitely not worth standing in line for a few hours to ride the ride that is short and sweet.  The 4D movie is fun but not super cheap, the make your own candy thing kind of sucks since all you do is select things on a computer screen and then watch it go through some over animated machinery.   Maybe instead, you could go to the pretzel factory that is nearby (forget which one does tours), or spend some time in Lancaster County, or Indian Echo Caverns. 

 

PS, I'm totally jealous of where you are leaving.  The time we have spent in the Williamsburg/Jamestown area has been some of my very favorite times ever!

 

 

 

 

 

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

This is the tour we have, http://www.amazon.com/Gettysburg-Story-Battlefield-Auto-Tour/dp/1450722075/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464209560&sr=8-3&keywords=the+gettysburg+story  I totally recommend buying used, we paid about 40 bucks for it (but again cheaper than 6 bus tickets for the tour). 

 

http://gettysburgstory.com/tour  is a website for it.  Not sure what all is there but I found it when trying to find the disks we have.

 

ETA the site has some samples, if you click on tour you can listen to them.

 

We really enjoy this tour, it makes it feel alive.  We loaned it to a friend who did this while we hiked the 10 miler (grrrr lol), and they loved it enough to buy their own copy.

Edited May 25, 2016 by FawnsFunnyFarm

[Catalytic]

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I didn't know DH was on leave from July 1 on, so we have added a day to the DC area and will be hitting the zoo!   (I'm so excited, I wanted to move the whole trip up, but then we'd run into July 4th messes, so we just added a day in DC)

 

 

 

We use parking panda for parking in DC. I don't know about that particular garage (Ronald Regan bldg), but I've never parked in a garage anywhere that cared if you came back to your vehicle throughout the day. Just be sure to bring a printout of your receipt or keep it on your phone to show them.

I'm always a little lost in DC, but the last time we were there (2 weekends ago), our garage was right across the street from the National Gallery of Art. It was called "colonial" something or other. It was on the Parking Panda website. They didn't care if you came back or not.

 

Awesome, glad you've had good experiences with Parking Panda.  DH said water prices weren't terrible at the vendors around DC, so he said he'd rather not even deal with going back to the van for more, we'll get them from the vendors, so I guess I'll stick with the RR building.

 

One the one occasion we drove into the city, we parked at Metro Center.  I would also consider parking somewhere and getting metro passes for the day.  Driving and parking in the city can be a nightmare.  We now drive to the furthest north metro station (Shady Grove) and park there when we go to the city.  We camp at Little Bennett State Park if we are staying more than a day... nice campground and very affordable.

 

When we did our 10 mile hike we stayed at Artillery Ridge.  It was nice but be prepared for TONS of kids, they host scout groups all the time.  Scout groups are usually very nice to deal with, but if you need the showers you may need to sneak in really early or go after the kids have ventured out for the day.

 

I had to laugh about the snakes that were mentioned.  Walking from Devils Den to Little Round Top we had to avoid a copperhead.  He was the only snake we saw, thankfully, but totally not the snake I want to stumble upon.  As long as you stick to the paths, you should be fine.. but ticks are a very real issue there.  Even in the worst heat, they recommend long pants with long socks over them... but Off with DEET has worked well for us.  Just do a tick check every night (and maybe every morning).

 

If you don't plan on doing Hershey Park, I would skip it, seriously.  Chocolate World is fun in the winter when we have nothing better to do, but in the summer when the park is open it's crowded and not very interesting.  Definitely not worth standing in line for a few hours to ride the ride that is short and sweet.  The 4D movie is fun but not super cheap, the make your own candy thing kind of sucks since all you do is select things on a computer screen and then watch it go through some over animated machinery.   Maybe instead, you could go to the pretzel factory that is nearby (forget which one does tours), or spend some time in Lancaster County, or Indian Echo Caverns. 

 

PS, I'm totally jealous of where you are leaving.  The time we have spent in the Williamsburg/Jamestown area has been some of my very favorite times ever!

 

We're camping at a nearby military installation, and I despise public transportation.  DH seems confident everything we want to visit is within walking distance of the parking garage at the Ronald Reagan building, so we're just planning to drive in and park, not drive around the city.

 

No problem with Scout groups, we've been part of them ourselves in the past (and probably will be again), and we have a pretty decent bathroom in our camper we can shower in.  My teens usually head to the public showers, but it's not a big deal for all of us to shower in the camper, our water heater doesn't take too long to recover.  We are discussing what you said about skipping Hershey.  I may call our final destination tomorrow and see if we can move our reservation up a day and then cut Gettysburg by a day.  (Pretzel factory sounds neat, going to Google that and see if I can find it.  Maybe Lancaster.)  Do you think that other chocolate museum is worth the drive?  

 

 

This is the tour we have, http://www.amazon.com/Gettysburg-Story-Battlefield-Auto-Tour/dp/1450722075/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464209560&sr=8-3&keywords=the+gettysburg+story  I totally recommend buying used, we paid about 40 bucks for it (but again cheaper than 6 bus tickets for the tour). 

 

http://gettysburgstory.com/tour  is a website for it.  Not sure what all is there but I found it when trying to find the disks we have.

 

ETA the site has some samples, if you click on tour you can listen to them.

 

We really enjoy this tour, it makes it feel alive.  We loaned it to a friend who did this while we hiked the 10 miler (grrrr lol), and they loved it enough to buy their own copy.

 

That tour sounds MUCH better, I ordered it, should be here Friday.  (Went ahead and ordered new for $30, because we will be out of the house soon and won't have an address)  About how long does it last?  (I'm kind of embarrassed to admit I've never done an audio tour, or even listened to an audio book)

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

We have never gone to the Hershey Museum. We seem to get more snow than I'm willing to drive an hour in for a museum every time they have a homeschool day. I think one of our ventures to Chocolate World during the winter blahs we will have to find the museum. Sorry I can't help with that.

 

The audio tour, we did the longest option. We stopped regularly and explored a lot. It probably took us over 4 hours, but that included a detour to Devils Den. If I recall, the tour does not take you to Devils Den but its an easy detour to stop at it.

 

Walking down in town is fun, not the touristy shops where they sell nothing but souvenirs, but down at Lincoln Square. Roaming a few blocks each road coming in will lead to some interesting stores. There is a super fun candy store with really crazy candy.

 

If you have a dog or know someone you can get a small Milk Bone from, throw it in your console. You will learn about a Pittbull that was living with a unit. You can stop and see a memorial to him and many leave him treats. My kids love this.

 

You can go into the Gettysburg National Cemetery, there is almost always a ranger in there who will tell you sooooo much. Also if you go to the visitors center don't forget to get the kids the Junior Ranger books to do, they are free, go to the ranger desk.

 

You can go to Eisenhower's home. Its interesting, kind of. My littler kids liked the barns, and they too had a Junior Ranger program.

Edited May 26, 2016 by FawnsFunnyFarm

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

The audio tour will leave you feeling like you just lived in a very moving movie. Seriously, I found myself crying and then laughing, and then crying. It really pulls you in.

[Ellie]

 

Honestly, if you haven't studied much US History, I'm not sure your 6-year-old will get much from seeing the monuments. The Washington Memorial can be seen while on The Mall visiting the Natural History Museum or American History Museum, and that should be "good enough". Maybe walk by the White House? Houses tend to be more interesting.

 

 

You do the monuments because they show up in media all the time--movies, Internet, TV, magazines, etc.--and the dc will remember that They Were There. And when they study those events in history, they'll remember that They Were There, and *then* the monuments will be meaningful.

[Ellie]

Watch the second "Night in the Museum."  Seriously. :-)

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

One more thought, parking in one spot and walking... I am pretty sure every block in DC is equal to 3 regular blocks. Like said upthread, what looks close on a map is ridiculously far apart. Be really prepared to walk a lot. We have done it, it's totally doable but heading back to the vehicle may seem like the never ending journey lol.

 

Oh and the monuments, totally cool even for your little guy! Pictures do not do them justice! They are amazing!

[Garga]

Yes, bring the stroller when you go to DC. I remember every few summers having to visit DC as a kid when our relatives would visit from the west coast. My family would try to fit 50 musuems and 3000 monuments into one day. The cousins and my feet would hurt soooo bad. For every one step the adults took, the kids took 3 or 4, first because kid's legs are smaller, and also because they don't know to conserve their energy and they bounce around for the first couple of hours. I hated DC as a kid because it was so painful.

 

Everything is pretty far apart and you walk miles inside the museums.

 

But if you see the Lincoln memorial, be sure to have a $5 bill on hand so you can get a picture of you holding it, showing the picture of the monument on the back of the bill, with the actual monument behind you.

 

Also, if you stand at the top of the steps of the monument, it's a great angle to get one of those forced perspective shots where it looks like you're pricking your finger on the top of the Washington Monument.

[itsheresomewhere]

IMO, the Hershey Museum is just ok and not worth the cost. If I wasn't doing the park then I would choose chocolate world over the museum. The trolley tour is a little pricey but neat. We like the Hershey gardens (love the butterfly part).

[Mrs Twain]

I agree with a previous poster about the stroller.

Today I was thinking what you really need is a stroller stocked with snacks and an iPad to get your six year old through the museums. 

 

[Catalytic]

We have never gone to the Hershey Museum. We seem to get more snow than I'm willing to drive an hour in for a museum every time they have a homeschool day. I think one of our ventures to Chocolate World during the winter blahs we will have to find the museum. Sorry I can't help with that.

 

The audio tour, we did the longest option. We stopped regularly and explored a lot. It probably took us over 4 hours, but that included a detour to Devils Den. If I recall, the tour does not take you to Devils Den but its an easy detour to stop at it.

 

Walking down in town is fun, not the touristy shops where they sell nothing but souvenirs, but down at Lincoln Square. Roaming a few blocks each road coming in will lead to some interesting stores. There is a super fun candy store with really crazy candy.

 

If you have a dog or know someone you can get a small Milk Bone from, throw it in your console. You will learn about a Pittbull that was living with a unit. You can stop and see a memorial to him and many leave him treats. My kids love this.

 

You can go into the Gettysburg National Cemetery, there is almost always a ranger in there who will tell you sooooo much. Also if you go to the visitors center don't forget to get the kids the Junior Ranger books to do, they are free, go to the ranger desk.

 

You can go to Eisenhower's home. Its interesting, kind of. My littler kids liked the barns, and they too had a Junior Ranger program.

 

 DH found Devil's Den on the map (well, showed it to me on the map, he already knew exactly where it was...darn history buffs!) and he's been reading everything you all are saying.  We're still on the fence about Hershey, but we did add the DC zoo in.  We don't mind small towns, so Gettysburg really sounds right up our alley. (Esp after DC, we're not the most social people on the planet...)  We do have a dog, I'll try to remember to bring a dog treat!  Will definitely be looking for Junior Ranger programs!

 

The audio tour will leave you feeling like you just lived in a very moving movie. Seriously, I found myself crying and then laughing, and then crying. It really pulls you in.

 

Oh awesome, that will definitely appeal to DH and the 18 year old.  (Our cable has 4 channels...GSN (Game Show Network), The History Channel, American Heroes Channel (used to be the Military Channel), and the Smithsonian Channel...and DH INSISTS I keep cable just because he and DS18 love those channels)  I'm hoping it will draw the 6 year old in, and I know it will get my attention from listening to the samples.  DS17 is a bit of a brat, but he'll listen just to argue some point with Dad or brother.

 

You do the monuments because they show up in media all the time--movies, Internet, TV, magazines, etc.--and the dc will remember that They Were There. And when they study those events in history, they'll remember that They Were There, and *then* the monuments will be meaningful.

 

Well, definitely that, but also because you never know what will stick in a kid's head.  We've done 3 cross country driving trips (California to Florida, Florida to Alaska, Alaska to Florida) and took 3 different routes.  On the trip from California, the kids were 8, 7, 3, and 20 months.  (3 then is 18 now)  The 3 and 20mo didn't remember anything, but we visited Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Mesa Verde, and Denver.  What do the oldest two (now 24 and 22) remember most?  The La Brea tar pits in LA, and a little bit of memory of a ghost town we happened to stop in on the way to  Las Vegas.  At the time we actually did it, my 24 year old was enamored with the Hoover Dam, and we really thought the Grand Canyon would make a big impression.  They have zero memory of the Grand Canyon lol.  But those tar pits...they come up in conversation several times a year!!!

 

Watch the second "Night in the Museum."  Seriously. :-)

 

We own both of them and the kids watch them a couple of times a year, at least.  We will make sure the 6 year old at least attempts to watch them (DH isn't sure they'll hold his attention yet, but who knows)

 

One more thought, parking in one spot and walking... I am pretty sure every block in DC is equal to 3 regular blocks. Like said upthread, what looks close on a map is ridiculously far apart. Be really prepared to walk a lot. We have done it, it's totally doable but heading back to the vehicle may seem like the never ending journey lol.

 

Oh and the monuments, totally cool even for your little guy! Pictures do not do them justice! They are amazing!

 

Yes, DH nixed that idea today (He was trying to save money when he hatched that plan about the cooler (before he went to DC last Friday).  Now that he's seen bottled water is only $1.50, he said we're just going to buy it)

 

Yes, bring the stroller when you go to DC. I remember every few summers having to visit DC as a kid when our relatives would visit from the west coast. My family would try to fit 50 musuems and 3000 monuments into one day. The cousins and my feet would hurt soooo bad. For every one step the adults took, the kids took 3 or 4, first because kid's legs are smaller, and also because they don't know to conserve their energy and they bounce around for the first couple of hours. I hated DC as a kid because it was so painful.

 

Everything is pretty far apart and you walk miles inside the museums.

 

But if you see the Lincoln memorial, be sure to have a $5 bill on hand so you can get a picture of you holding it, showing the picture of the monument on the back of the bill, with the actual monument behind you.

 

Also, if you stand at the top of the steps of the monument, it's a great angle to get one of those forced perspective shots where it looks like you're pricking your finger on the top of the Washington Monument.

 

Yeah, DS6 has been out of the stroller for a few years, but we would take it when we went to the zoo (on the side of a mountain lol) in Colorado Springs.  When we got orders to the East Coast, we held on to it for the eventual trips to DC and NYC.  DS would probably use it if I would take it to Busch Gardens with us, he's pretty beat at the end of the day there, too.

 

IMO, the Hershey Museum is just ok and not worth the cost. If I wasn't doing the park then I would choose chocolate world over the museum. The trolley tour is a little pricey but neat. We like the Hershey gardens (love the butterfly part).

 

Hmmm.  I love butterfly gardens...do they land on you?  We had a lot of fun at a butterfly enclosure in Hawaii when we lived there, we went at least once a month.

 

I agree with a previous poster about the stroller.

Today I was thinking what you really need is a stroller stocked with snacks and an iPad to get your six year old through the museums. 

 

I think DH said you can't take anything food/drink into the museums except bottled water, but we'll definitely have the iPad with us!

[cougarmom4]

We did this trip last summer with our 7 year old and three teens. Dd7 did fairly well at museums (loved all of the buttons she could push on displays...as long as there were interactive buttons, all was well). Her favorite thing while we were in DC was using the DK sticker book for Washington DC...she could keep track of monuments, museums, etc as we saw them by placing the sticker into the book. And now it's a great little keepsake. Best ten dollars we spent on the trip. (Amazon has them, we bought ours at the art museum gift shop). Strongly recommend.

 

My memories of Gettysburg are what caused me to reply to your post...we did the audio tour in our van but dd7 did. Not. Enjoy. A. Single. Thing. About that day. Oh, my....if I could do it over again, I would have figured out something else for she and I to do because she totally ruined my day! She even knew quite a bit of the history before going, but after seeing one cannon and battlefield, she was done. The rest of our crew are serious history buffs and loved reading every single word on every single sign....while I just felt crazy because I wanted to enjoy it but was stuck dealing with her. So...my suggestion is if you would like to spend any time experiencing it, to tag team somehow. A children's museum sounds perfect....library...swimming pool...playground.

 

Hope you guys enjoy the trip!

[Catalytic]

Ordered the sticker book, thanks very much for that recommendation!

 

We'll see how he does on the audio tour with his iPad, he's used to being stuck in the van for hours on end, so he may be ok (and I can sit with him while dad and brothers read signs or explore, if needed).  If not, it looks like everything is fairly close to the campground, so he and I will just go back and hang out at the pool or playground while the others do the tour.  (And we will have 2 vehicles with us, so we won't be trapped at the campground if DH is off with the van)

[xixstar]

The childrens museum in Gettysburg is geared for the younger crowd and he will be hitting the top of the range. It is quite small and contains a water play room, dramatic play area setup in historical fashion, art room with supplies, building with blocks room, blackligh room with costumes, and room with light table play. They do update things some but good to know what it will be. My 6yo and almost 8yo would still enjoy it but this would be the last year we go.

 

I wouldnt mind skipping the Zoo. My kids have always enjoyed the museums. And you may be here during the Folk Life Festival if I remember so I think DC will be fun.

 

We will be in both DC and Gettysburg in July as out-of-town family will be visiting and we have to do the tourist thing. :) We will be amusing children ages 8mo, 6, 8, 11, 16!

 

I will look into the audio tour as sitting in my car with a/c sounds good too.