What to do In Washington DC if the Smithsonian is closed???? Help

[Caseheidi]

We have been planning a trip to Washington DC with extended family for the past two years. The trip is scheduled to take place the last few days of July and into the first week of August. As the time gets closer, we are closely watching to see if the city is even open, or safe for that matter. We have until July 13th to make the decision on if we should cancel or not (without losing the money we put down on an AirBNB and changing our plane tickets without large charges). What we know thus far is:

• The Smithsonian is closed the remainder of June, and they have not set an open date.
• We have had requests into our Congress Woman for months to set up tours of the Capital Building, Treasury and White House. They gave us a general contact that they are working on our request, but have not heard back since. Not sure they will be open to give tours.
• Request has been passed onto White House, but no response from them. I expect that there will be no touring the White House when we are there in this political environment.
• The Memorials are open as they are outside in parks.
• The riots do have me worried, and if they do not calm down enough, that will be a major factor in our decision.

So where I need help is to determine if there is anything worth doing other then the monuments in the DC area (or driving within an hour or two) that is open. We have a group of nine, five adults, a 17 yr old, 13 yr old, 11 yr old and 10 yr old. So if you are familiar with the area, do you have any suggestions on other things to do that will be interesting for the kids? We just want to explore all possibilities before we make the decision to fly across country in six weeks. If the worse case happens, we will post pone until next summer, but will lose the great price we found for our lodging.

TIA,
Heidi

 

[VandVsmama]

Postpone until next summer. That's what I would do, anyway, because visiting the Smithsonian museums would be our family's main reason for going.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Postpone until next summer. That's what I would do, anyway, because visiting the Smithsonian museums would be our family's main reason for going.

I would agree.

 

[Lumpy1106]

We went to Washington DC for a wedding years ago and ended up spending the day at the Patowmack Canal. There are some historic locks and some easy hiking trails along the Patomac river. You'll need a car, but it's definitely worth a solid afternoon.

 

[Eeyore daily]

I'd wait. The most of the Smithsonian's are free and definitely worth while visiting. However Monticello and Mount Vernon are open so those would be fun to go to.

 

[NYCgrrl]

There is so much to see and do in DC for all ages. Living not that far away (3-4 hour Amtrak ride) we go frequently and with little planning.
I don't expect to visit there this summer since it's hard to tell when the various stages of shutdown will end. Were it possible I too would try to change this vac destination to next summer.

 

[superme80]

I would cry and reschedule.

 

[DopeyDame]

We have been planning a trip to Washington DC with extended family for the past two years. The trip is scheduled to take place the last few days of July and into the first week of August. As the time gets closer, we are closely watching to see if the city is even open, or safe for that matter. We have until July 13th to make the decision on if we should cancel or not (without losing the money we put down on an AirBNB and changing our plane tickets without large charges). What we know thus far is:

• The Smithsonian is closed the remainder of June, and they have not set an open date.
• We have had requests into our Congress Woman for months to set up tours of the Capital Building, Treasury and White House. They gave us a general contact that they are working on our request, but have not heard back since. Not sure they will be open to give tours.
• Request has been passed onto White House, but no response from them. I expect that there will be no touring the White House when we are there in this political environment.
• The Memorials are open as they are outside in parks.
• The riots do have me worried, and if they do not calm down enough, that will be a major factor in our decision.

So where I need help is to determine if there is anything worth doing other then the monuments in the DC area (or driving within an hour or two) that is open. We have a group of nine, five adults, a 17 yr old, 13 yr old, 11 yr old and 10 yr old. So if you are familiar with the area, do you have any suggestions on other things to do that will be interesting for the kids? We just want to explore all possibilities before we make the decision to fly across country in six weeks. If the worse case happens, we will post pone until next summer, but will lose the great price we found for our lodging.

TIA,
Heidi

I can most definitely come up with plenty of things for you to do within two hours of DC, but...
With the Smithsonian (and holocaust museum, spy museum, etc.) all closed, I just don't know that it's worth flying cross country. It would be like going to Orlando with Disney World being closed. ABSOLUTELY you could go and have a good time, but is it really how you want to spend your time in Orlando?

If you do go, some off the top of my head succestions are to go to Shendendoah National Park, Mount Vernon (if it's open), maybe take a trip out to Annapolis or Alexandria for a boat ride. Colonial Williamsburg just announced that they are opening soon, so that's a good option too.

 

[CynBeth]

I would reschedule for next summer. There is so much to see and do in each of the Smithsonian museums and in our opinion the American Indian Museum or whatever it is called has the best food court. For when you do go add a baseball game at Nats Park to your list as well as the zoo where you only pay for parking unless you are a member or are a member of a reciprocal zoo and the Spy Museum which does have a fee to get in. The Washington Monument is cool to go to the top and is free but you need to book a timed ticket.

 

[JimMIA]

I would definitely cancel and do it next year.

We love Washington, but Dopey Dame's comment above about DC without Smithsonian museums being like Orlando without WDW is absolutely correct. I can't imagine going to DC and not spending days exploring the various Smithsonian venues. They are just amazing.

Are there other things you can do? Sure. But you've been planning this for a long time and really looking forward to it. If you lived on the East Coast and could visit regularly, it would be different -- but that's not the case.

Also, some of the monuments are open, but there are no programs and most of the concessions in the National Mall are closed due to Covid. And the Washington Monument is closed.

Here's a link to the NPS alerts: https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/temporary-facilities-closure-advisory.htm

 

[JimMIA]

and in our opinion the American Indian Museum or whatever it is called has the best food court.

Museum of the American Indian. Agree. And stunning architecture, and best gift shop.

Air and Space is also amazing. We spend at least 2 half-days at Air & Space, sometimes more.

For when you do go add a baseball game at Nats Park to your list

Agree again. And if you like baseball, Camden Yards in Baltimore is not that far away and is worth the trip.

I also like the suggestion above for Shenandoah National Park, which is about 2 hours west of DC. Our last trip we spent 5 days exploring the monuments and Smithsonian, and two days at Shenandoah.

Shenandoah's website is www.nps.gov/shen

 

[Eeyore daily]

And the Washington Monument is closed.

That thing has been closed for years not like it makes a difference

Yes I know it just reopened but every time I've gone to D.C the past 15 years it's been closed

 

[lila]

This is an easy call - you need to reschedule.

also, co-sign the recommendation above for the food court of the National Museum of the American Indian (and I don’t like food courts!).

 

[JimMIA]

The other tip I have about the Smithsonians when you go is buy a Smithsonian membership the moment you step into the first museum.

Membership gives you discounts on most of the paid activities (Imax, etc) and also in the gift shops. Not sure about the food courts, but I think maybe yes. We find it cost-effective for 3; if you have a larger group, even better.

 

[wvjules]

If you do go I would suggest going to Gettysburg. The only indoor thing is the visitors center. The rest is a driving tour. It is worth the drive. Also if Fort McHenry in Baltimore is open I highly recommend it. The short film in the visitors center is a must see, IMO.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I hate to say this because I can almost always find a way to make things work, but I have to agree with everybody else that I would cancel and reschedule for next year. You would be missing some of the best parts of DC.

 

[shelemm]

There are usually tons of great alternatives, but plane travel right now is not worth it.

 

[StephMK]

Sadly, I agree with the others unless there is a chance someone can't go on a future trip. There are too many things that could go wrong on such a big trip. Who knows what things will look like in a month. I'm not sure I would risk nonrefundable costs on it being calm and open to tour.

 

[okeydokey]

The other tip I have about the Smithsonians when you go is buy a Smithsonian membership the moment you step into the first museum.

Membership gives you discounts on most of the paid activities (Imax, etc) and also in the gift shops. Not sure about the food courts, but I think maybe yes. We find it cost-effective for 3; if you have a larger group, even better.

I had no idea this existed but will keep it in mind for my next trip. Thanks for the tip.

I also would postpone the trip. The museums are so wonderful. Many have free guided tours every day. My favorite is at the Museum of Art.

Also the military bands play free concerts all summer, not sure if those would go on this summer or not. Most are outdoors.

 

[Caseheidi]

Thanks for all the input. I am afraid that we will end up having to cancel, it just really sucks. I have added all your suggestions to my planning spreadsheet for future reference. Sounds like we could really spend several weeks there and not get bored. I have four other adults to confer with, and we agreed to wait until July to make a decision. Just glad we have that luxury to wait and still get refunded.