DC trip with tween girls—advice?

[madteaparty]

When I took DS and his friend  in middle school we did ALL the things, capitol tour, science museum, spy museum, zoo, library of congress, bureau of engraving and printing,  etc etc. I even did a baseball game (nationals?) as DS’s friend was/is a baseball guy. 
now I’m taking DD and her friend and I’m old and can’t do all the things lol. 
we have the Spy museum, a tour of Capitol through our Senator’s office and the zoo (maybe. We have the Bronx zoo here so not sure the DC one impresses. All I remember from last time is a vile smell and shy pandas). We will walk through Georgetown and have lunch or dinner there. And walk around the monuments.

i want to add one more museum. I’m dying to do the African American one but I’m told it’s a bit dark and my girl is somewhat sheltered and has a massive reaction to things. Two questions:

—If I wanted to do ONE more museum, what would you choose? My DD is sciency but friend is more crafty/musical. We’ve done a number of art museums in NYC with these two girls so maybe the National Gallery? 

—is Bureau of Printing still doing the money tour? I recall we had to line up for tickets at a random street and it was a bit of a pain to obtain them but the boys did love it.

—anything else must-do? I looked for any concert/event type tickets for an evening but I can’t seem to find much. 

Thanks for any thoughts 

[Amira]

I would still recommend the NMAAHC.  Like all the Smithsonians, there's far more to see than you can do in one day, so you could easily spend time on the upper levels where culture is highlighted if you're concerned that the lower levels about history wouldn't work for your dd.  The upper levels also have the advantage of being much less crowded if you're there on a busy day.  

[madteaparty]

8 minutes ago, Amira said:

I would still recommend the NMAAHC.  Like all the Smithsonians, there's far more to see than you can do in one day, so you could easily spend time on the upper levels where culture is highlighted if you're concerned that the lower levels about history wouldn't work for your dd.  The upper levels also have the advantage of being much less crowded if you're there on a busy day.  

Interesting—this is what my sister said as well, exactly (they were there last week). Thank you!

[Junie]

I would maybe skip the zoo, especially since you mentioned that you're tired.  It's very hilly with a lot of walking and the pandas are no longer there. 😞

I really like the American History Museum.  I especially like the pop culture exhibits.  They have a lot of obsolete items, including some that we would be familiar with that kids might find amusing.

[Beth S]

I would choose one of the Smithsonians, maybe American History.

Our wonderful now-son-in-law took us to the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
I was openly weeping at the halfway point, and ended up exiting and walking around the monuments (nearby) instead of completing the tour.

Lighter fare at the National Portrait Gallery.  Air and Space,  National Gallery of Art.
We loved hiking up the hill to the Washington Cathedral, which is modern construction, but makes you feel like you're in Europe.   ETA = Avoid walking & take a bus.

Also look for the special exhibits (anywhere) during the dates of your stay.

Edited January 30 by Beth S

[TravelingChris]

2 hours ago, madteaparty said:

When I took DS and his friend  in middle school we did ALL the things, capitol tour, science museum, spy museum, zoo, library of congress, bureau of engraving and printing,  etc etc. I even did a baseball game (nationals?) as DS’s friend was/is a baseball guy. 
now I’m taking DD and her friend and I’m old and can’t do all the things lol. 
we have the Spy museum, a tour of Capitol through our Senator’s office and the zoo (maybe. We have the Bronx zoo here so not sure the DC one impresses. All I remember from last time is a vile smell and shy pandas). We will walk through Georgetown and have lunch or dinner there. And walk around the monuments.

i want to add one more museum. I’m dying to do the African American one but I’m told it’s a bit dark and my girl is somewhat sheltered and has a massive reaction to things. Two questions:

—If I wanted to do ONE more museum, what would you choose? My DD is sciency but friend is more crafty/musical. We’ve done a number of art museums in NYC with these two girls so maybe the National Gallery? 

—is Bureau of Printing still doing the money tour? I recall we had to line up for tickets at a random street and it was a bit of a pain to obtain them but the boys did love it.

—anything else must-do? I looked for any concert/event type tickets for an evening but I can’t seem to find much. 

Thanks for any thoughts 

National Gallery of Art for sure

[KungFuPanda]

I’d skip the zoo. The American Indian museum is tranquil and has good food. Have you considered getting tickets for the Kennedy Center or looked into going a bus or boat tour of the monuments. Try googling the DC Artec House or the Van Gogh exhibit if they like an immersive experience. Mt Vernon is nice too. How long are you staying?

[PeterPan]

You can do ebike tours of the monuments. 

You can take the river ferry down to Mt Vernon and spend a number of hours then ride the ferry back.

[Alice]

-I recently went to the African American Museum and it is overwhelming. It would be fairly easy to just go to the upper floors which are more culture focused. We were there for a private event so went to everything but I felt like if I was going to go back I would have done it in smaller sections. It's just a lot of information and a lot to take in. The food there is VERY good. 

-I am not a huge fan of the American Indian museum as a museum but the food is excellent and the building is beautiful. It's near the Capitol so would be a good place to eat and just to walk in and look at the building. Another quick building down there is the Botanic Gardens, which are right by the Capitol and easy to walk through fairly quickly. 

-Renwick Gallery is a somewhat lesser known Smithsonian museum, it is off the mall but close (near the White House). It's Art, but focused on craft. It's very cool and one of our favorites. I just saw that it is temporarily closed for some kind of pipe replacement, so check before you come. 

-If you want a newer area that has a lot of fun places- try the Wharf. It's not as iconic as Georgetown but more modern. Lots of shops, restaurants. They have an outdoor skating rink if you are here in the winter. They also have giant swings on the piers and it's just a fun atmosphere. My daughter loves that kind of thing. There is a theater there called The Anthem that has a lot of concerts. 

-Ice skating at the rink by the National Gallery is always fun. You can also get hot chocolate at the cafe there. 

-There are tons of options for concerts/tickets/things. One fun and free option is the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center. Everything is free, some are available online first (still free just have to be reserved). https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/ They have performances every Wed-Sun. The Kennedy Center itself is pretty impressive as a building and there are great views from the balcony/deck outdoors. And there is a new area called The Reach that has a cafe and connects to the bike path by the river. The Reach has some artwork and sometimes also hosts free events. 

[lmrich]

If I were you, stick to the National Mall - the museums are free, so if they don't like it - move on. I also love the Library of Congress and the Ford's Theater.  

[Myra]

Hotel ideas, anyone?

[HomeAgain]

23 minutes ago, Myra said:

Hotel ideas, anyone?

I won't recommend a hotel in D.C., but we found some nice ones along the metro and paid much less than D.C. proper.  Our requirements were:

able to walk to the metro in less than 20 minutes

restaurants near

grocery store near

 

I do believe we ended up in the Rosslyn area and it worked out very well for us.

 

Now, not a hotel idea but a hotel idea: the old post office tower at the Trump hotel/Waldorf Astoria has a separate entrance in a small parking lot/alley at the back of the building.  It's a national parks monument that is vastly underrated, with amazing views across the city.  When we went up it was just us and one other family enjoying the spot.  It's free, slightly hard to find, but the hotel staff will redirect you if you get lost.

 

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, Myra said:

Hotel ideas, anyone?

We're staying at an airbnb tucked right in the heart of things. Super psyched as the price was good. Walking distance to everything. There's a market for small apartments, etc. there because so many people go in/out on business. 

For hotels I usually use googlemaps to see generally where I want to be, then look for deals on priceline. Sometimes the hotel will be cheaper booking directly, sometimes not. You can usually sift out about what hotel the express deals on priceline are likely to be, so that can save you a scad of money. Just make sure you filter down the area using their location refinements so you don't end up where you didn't intend to be, lol.

Edited January 31 by PeterPan

[Ellie]

18 hours ago, lmrich said:

If I were you, stick to the National Mall - the museums are free, so if they don't like it - move on. I also love the Library of Congress and the Ford's Theater.  

I agree.

I was only able to take my dds once, and it was only a one-day thing. So I made sure we did pictures in front of all of the monuments, because I figured those monuments always show up in the media, and my dds would say, "Oh, look--I was there!" 🙂

Alas, we didn't do the LIbrary of Congress of Ford's Theater. Lack of planning on my part (although, as I said, we only had one day, and even then not a whole day).

[KungFuPanda]

There are a few hotels in Alexandria that are an easy walk to the Metro station and it’s a nice, safe town. 

[kbutton]

We’re going in March, and I have questions if that’s okay…can you still walk around with backpacks and go in museums with them? I will need some food options as I have a lot of allergies. One kid needs supplies in case of a nose bleed. If we do anything on a bike, we have to lug around helmets (at least for the blood thinner kid). 

Do many things require advanced or timed tickets? (Free is our price point, but we might do one or two paid options.) I don’t think we’re worried about going to the capitol.

Is it easy to find flexible food options (gluten free, etc.)? Is it hard to get food and take it outdoors? It’s been a really long time since I’ve been.

Thanks!

[Alice]

25 minutes ago, kbutton said:

We’re going in March, and I have questions if that’s okay…can you still walk around with backpacks and go in museums with them? I will need some food options as I have a lot of allergies. One kid needs supplies in case of a nose bleed. If we do anything on a bike, we have to lug around helmets (at least for the blood thinner kid). 

Do many things require advanced or timed tickets? (Free is our price point, but we might do one or two paid options.) I don’t think we’re worried about going to the capitol.

Is it easy to find flexible food options (gluten free, etc.)? Is it hard to get food and take it outdoors? It’s been a really long time since I’ve been.

Thanks!

-Yes you can go in some museums with backpacks. You have to go through security. A few museums will make you check a bag if it's big (usually the art museums) or carry it on your front. If they make you check it, it's free. 

-Very little requires advanced/timed tickets. The Museum of African American History does. Holocaust museum does. Some specific exhibits will, but I don't know of any right now that do (like when the Vermeer exhibit was at National Gallery you had to have a timed ticket for that but could go to the rest of the museum without it). 

-You could easily go to all free museums. The Spy Museum has a fee (and is worth it IMO). And then some of the art museums further afield (Philips Gallery) do. But the Smithsonian museums are all free. 

-Food is a little harder to find on the mall. It's somewhat overpriced. The museum cafeterias are kind of what you expect. The American Indian Museum and the African American Museum both have excellent food. You can find the menus online if you want to look. There are a lot of food trucks that park along the mall. if you venture away from the mall, yes it's very easy to find whatever kind of food you want. Vegan, gluten free, etc. You don't have to go far. It wouldn't be hard to take food outdoors, but March can be kind of iffy weather here and it might be chilly. We used to picnic on the mall all the time when my kids were younger. 

[Jaybee]

19 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

There are a few hotels in Alexandria that are an easy walk to the Metro station and it’s a nice, safe town. 

Yes, we stayed in one of the typical chains that was not too expensive several years ago. There was a free shuttle to the Metro. It was very convenient.