DC with boys ages 9 and 11-- any tips?

ekatiel

ekatiel

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 5, 2008
We're heading to DC in August with our boys and my parents. Our boys will have just turned 9 and 11 at the time of the trip. My DH will be in a conference most mornings until noon. So, what are the must dos with kids that age? Also, are there any attractions we can hit while DH is in his conference that he might not mind missing? Thanks in advance for any input!
 
Air and Space Museum and Museum of American History are fun for kids that age. I have also heard the Spy Museum is fine....you can do a "spy mission", but we have not done this.

There are also peddle boats you can rent by the Potomac near the Jefferson Memorial.

Have a great trip. I love DC.
 
I second the spy museum, for two boys, it should be a cool trip for them. If they've seen and liked movies like Night at the Museum or National Treasure, the Smithsonian and the Archives building to see the Declaration of Independence might be fun. You can call ahead to your Rep/Senator and ask them to set up a Capitol tour for you. Those are nice because you usually get an intern or page as a personal guide and you don't have to wait in a bunch of lines.
 
The National Harbor area, just outside of D.C. has s big wheel ( like a smaller version of the London Eye) that the boys might like!

As others have said, they will probably love Air & Space, and the Museum of Natural History is pretty great for the kids. All of the museums (and the National Zoo) are free except for Spy, the Newseum, and Crime and Punishment, so take full advantage!

Do the Washington Monument in the morning, and hope that the scaffolding around the Capitol dome will be gone by then; it looks pretty funky LOL

Have a great trip!
 


My boys have grown up here so we have done almost all the museums. They are now 12 and 14 but at your kids' ages, they really liked the spy museum and air and space. If you have history buffs, Mount Vernon is nice, that's a second grade field trip in our school system. We live about 20 min from National Harbor and they are not crazy about it only bc it's just shopping and eating and not much else to do. The big wheel is not for us, but if you're there, be prepared to drop from bucks at the Peeps candy store.


Oh, just realized you said August...might want to look into the hop on hop off tour busses because it will be HOT to walk around all the monuments. We've never actually taken them, but I see them go by my office in Georgetown all the time. Lots of kids sitting on the upper/outside level.
 
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Definitely the Spy Museum. It's not cheap, but well worth the ticket price. Also, try to get tickets ahead of time for the Washington Monument. Those are hard to get once you are there.
 


Order tickets now online for the Washington monument. You'll only pay a couple dollars for a service fee. Try to get the 9:00 am slot. I love to be on the first group up and not have any crowds.
 
eliza61 said:
My son's loved the spy museum and the crime and punishment museum. both are really interactive.

We also got free to tickets to see the Marine corp silent drill team at the Marine barracks. very, very cool.
http://www.barracks.marines.mil/Units/CompanyA/SilentDrillPlatoon.aspx

https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=marine+silent+drill+team+schedule+2015&fr=dss_yset_chr
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Marine Corp info! We'll add that to our list for next year.

OP, we go down just about yearly and our DS is 11. Ditto everyone else on the Air and Space, but also add the Museum of Natural History. We've hit it so much in the past that we didn't really plan to stop this past March, but we had a bit of time so we stopped in and DS really wished we had more time. So if your guys are into natural science at all, definitely plan a stop there. Spy Museum is a good splurge - look for a Groupon. This past visit we also hit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. You go early in the day and pick a return time and get tickets (free). Also, for the Archives you can get tickets ahead of time for a small fee, like $1.50 each I feel like. TOTALLY worth it to not stand in a loooong line. DS also just likes the act of getting around on the Metro and using his own pass and feeling all independent with it.
 
During the summer the Newsuem has a deal of a free kids admission for every adult pains admission. We have not been yet but maybe this is the summer we go!
 
I know everyone has mentioned Air and Space, but there is a second Air and Space museum right near the Dulles airport called Udvar-Hazy that is totally worth going to visit. They have the space shuttle, several moon landing artifacts and a gazillion other awesome aircraft in a giant airplane hanger.

The National Harbor area is fun for some shopping and good restaurants. They do have a Ferris wheel there, along with a small beach area with the Awakenings sculpture. It's a fun place for kids to climb around.

Some of the museums are undergoing renovation (I'm thinking maybe the dinosaurs at Natural History?) so check before you go.

Have a great time! I love DC!
 
We visited DC a few times over the years, but did a longer trip in DC when our boys were 8 and 12. Their hands down favorite was the Bureau of Engraving, where all of our paper money is produced. Our tour was excellent and to look down and see so much cash being mass produced was amazing! My guys really liked everything, but that was by far their favorite. The Air and Space Museum was probably their least favorite thing we did. They LOVED the Natural History museum and the American History museum. They also liked walking around and seeing all of the monuments and memorials. On that trip the Washington Monument was closed, but we did go up in it when they were younger and they thought it was pretty cool!
 
Oh, one extra thing if you go to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing - a fun movie to watch either before or after is "Who's Minding the Mint", a zany heist movie from the 60's: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062490/ It is not actually the U.S. Mint, but the BEP...and as much as the technology has changed since then, much of the printing process hasn't, so it is very recognizable.
 
DS loved the Spy Museum (including crawling through the vents!) and he enjoyed looking at all of the different gems at Natural History. I second the Udvar-Hazy A&SM. We stopped there on our way into the city and loved it. Seeing the shuttle and actual artifacts that had been to space (toiletries, snacks, etc.) was really neat, as was the Concorde and various other aircraft. You can also hear live air traffic controllers in the tower at Dulles. It's hard to believe they've been able to fit so many aircraft in such a compact space. DH and I had been to the Nat'l A&SM on The Mall before and honestly we could have skipped it after Udvar-Hazy. Even DS who had never been to the one on The Mall was pretty bored soon after we got there and we didn't stay very long. We enjoyed the National Zoo but I'd advise going in earlier in the day since it's hilly (though there is quite a bit of shade) and will be steamy in August. We also did the trolley tour (Old Towne maybe?) which was a nice way to see the National Cathedral, Embassy Row and other far flung places.
 
I've been a busy bee: I emailed our congressman last week about White House tickets and a tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. We won't know about those until the week before our trip-- eeek!
Here's what I've got so far for an itinerary:
Arrival Day: Possibly take a "Monuments by Moonlight" tour at night
Next day: Air and Space museum, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Tour of Capitol (reserved at 3:20pm)
Next Day: Museums of American and Natural History, Washington Monument (reserved at 4pm), Requested Marine Corps Parade tickets for the evening
Next day: Spy Museum, White House (if we don't get a tour), National Archives, Ford's Theater, National Portrait Gallery
Next Day: National Zoo and Arlington Cemetery
Next Day: Mt. Vernon
Final Day: Fly Home. Whew!!! We're gonna be BUSY!!
 
I'd be ready to drop an event on 1 or 2 days, especially in mid-August. While most of your activities are inside, not all are, and there will be a LOT of walking:)...kids may want a break, even if it's just a swim in the hotel pool:)...I'd also check the weather before you leave and prioritize any events accordingly (ie, if it's gonna be really rainy on your National Zoo/Arlington Cemetery day, you're gonna swap that for a Museum day)...
 
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