Dh doesn't want to go to Disney this year..he wants Wash. DC!

[JUJU814]

and it's killing me!! (ok, well not KILLING me, but driving me bonkers)

He wants to go to Washington DC. With a 7 and 9 year old. I think I'd rather pull out my eyelashes.

I have the Disney bug SO bad and the kids have been asking when we're going this year. I told them we're not but inside, I really really really want to go again.

I know it's not fair to dh to drag him someplace he doesn't want to go.

How did I not think of this before we married? Wasn't "must love Disney" on my top ten list of important qualities in a man??? Should have put "yearly trip to Disney" in a pre-nup!!

I would so rather be singing "Zippity Doo Dah" at Disney than "I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill..." sigh..

Someone please tell me that we can have an awesome family vacation in DC. I think my 9yo boy would like the museums. My 7 yo girl ...umm, NOT!

My husband asked me "don't you think we should go someplace else???" I wanted to say "no, not really!"

Thanks for letting me vent...

 

[Jynxed]

Washington DC is a great place to go and I think unless you send a subliminal message to your kids that they will not like it, they will have a blast!

Disney is great, I love going but I also space out my Disney trips a few years apart to keep it fresh and exciting. This world is filled with great things to see! I can't wait until my son is old enough to appreciate American history and come with me to DC!
Enjoy your vacation, Disney will be there next year.

 

[deegack]

Dc is awesome. There is the air and space museums, natural history, American history. The national zoo you can try to get tickets to tour the capital and white house. A ton to do

 

[JUJU814]

Do you know if it's hard to get tickets to the White House?

I will definitely not give any message to my kids that it's not fun. I know they love the little Harvard Museum of Natural History up here.

Maybe my feelings are pre-conceived because we didn't have a great trip to DC when I was a kid.

Yes, Disney will be there. You're right. I just love it when they're young..know what I mean?? Kids grow up so quickly!

 

[jenb1023]

I would much rather go to WDW too! In fact, one year DD and I went without DH because he didn't want to go.

That being said, we took my DD to Washington DC when she was 6 1/2 and she really enjoyed the Smithsonian Museums. There is the National Zoo too. You have to get White House tickets a minimum of a month in advance so we were too late for those. Hope that helps!

 

[DEA]

Is there something in particular your DH wants to see in DC, or does he just think it will be a more educational trip that WDW?

The Smithsonian has a good website for planning beforehand http://www.si.edu; take a look and see if you can develop a touring plan with your kids' interests in mind. The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian, although it is in the Northwest Quadrant of the city rather than down on the National Mall. All of these are free admission, except for specific exhibits that might have a charge. My DDs especially like the Natural History Museum.

The International Spy Museum http://www.spymuseum.org is not a part of the Smithsonian, does have an admissions charge, and is a little off the National Mall, but it is a lot of fun.

Of course, if you really want to get out of going on the trip, you may want to tell your DH that in doing your research, you've decided you want to spend a lot of time here: http://http://www.usna.usda.gov/

You didn't say when you were planning on coming to DC, but it gets very hot and humid in the summer, we had instances of 3-foot snows last winter, and traffic is bad year round. So maybe that will sway your DH toward WDW instead. Wait... why do I live here again?

You can have a fun family vacation here. There is a lot to explore, and the more research you do, the more of the hidden gems you can uncover. There are things I miss every year just because I forget to check what's going on in the area. PM me if you want some more information about what there is to do here that might appeal to your DD.

 

[cristielf]

I'm sure you can no longer get tix to the White House unless you are with a group. You can still get tickets to the Capitol building though, I believe. There are TONS of things to do in DC and if you are outside of DC in Chantilly,Va, I would suggest the Udvar Hazy center which is an extension of the Air and Space museum. They have the Concorde, the Enterprise and tons of other neat things. Since I'm involved in politics, my kids have been toted around to all kind of political events and they hated it at one point, but now they enjoy it. Don't forget to visit the American history museum where they have the Ruby Slippers from Wizard of Oz and a lot of other stuff from pop culture.. Have fun!! BTW.. You can also visit the Pentagon memorial and the Holocaust museum which are both very moving.

 

[JUJU814]

Is there something in particular your DH wants to see in DC, or does he just think it will be a more educational trip that WDW?

The Smithsonian has a good website for planning beforehand http://www.si.edu; take a look and see if you can develop a touring plan with your kids' interests in mind. The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian, although it is in the Northwest Quadrant of the city rather than down on the National Mall. All of these are free admission, except for specific exhibits that might have a charge. My DDs especially like the Natural History Museum.

The International Spy Museum http://www.spymuseum.org is not a part of the Smithsonian, does have an admissions charge, and is a little off the National Mall, but it is a lot of fun.

Of course, if you really want to get out of going on the trip, you may want to tell your DH that in doing your research, you've decided you want to spend a lot of time here: http://http://www.usna.usda.gov/

You didn't say when you were planning on coming to DC, but it gets very hot and humid in the summer, we had instances of 3-foot snows last winter, and traffic is bad year round. So maybe that will sway your DH toward WDW instead. Wait... why do I live here again?

You can have a fun family vacation here. There is a lot to explore, and the more research you do, the more of the hidden gems you can uncover. There are things I miss every year just because I forget to check what's going on in the area. PM me if you want some more information about what there is to do here that might appeal to your DD.

I tried to click on that link but it was broken. Can you couble check it for me?

Well, dh was just raised differently. They always did more educational trips.

I DO want to go to DC at some point. I am homeschooling my children next year and we are studying American history.

He thinks my kids will LOVE the air and space museum, natural history etc. He thinks my little girl will like the First Ladies dresses. LOL He did tell me about the zoo and stuff.

I think it's more up his alley from what he is used to, and I do want to be fair to him and also allow him to do some of the planning.

It's not like I never do anything he wants to do btw. We sometimes go on adult only vacations and I have completely planned those around his interests ie: Alaska and Italy.

When we go to Disney, he just sees $$$ going down the toilet I think. When I got home from my last Disney *vacation* (and it was the first time Disney felt like a vacation..) I have told him I've dreamt of going to Disney for 2 weeks. My son will just LOVE the Beach club pool. I mean, really, really love it.

At any rate, I'll save up for that in the future and I'm starting to get a little pumped to really work with dh to come up with a good plan for a DC trip.

I'd love some recommendations on where to stay..that has a good pool for the kids!

I know DC can get hot and humid, but well, it's really humid up here in NH too..and it can't possible be hotter or more humid than Florida right?

Julie

 

[chicagoshannon]

I loved DC when I was a kid. Although, I think I was 12 when I went for the first time. My sister was 9. I really like going to the FBI building and all of the monuments.

 

[Fyrefly]

I'm of the opinion that taking your kids to many different places will make them more well-rounded individuals.

I highly recommend the Spy Museum, and the National History and American History and Air and Space (as well as the secondary Air and Space in Dulles) are classics.

Also, DC is a half-hour's drive from Baltimore. Some good things to do there are:

The Baltimore Zoo (as a local who has been to both, the Children's Zoo here can't be beat and it's so much better organized than the National - but it's not free) http://www.marylandzoo.org/
The National Aquarium at Baltimore (easily the best Aquarium on the East Coast) http://www.aqua.org/
Port Discovery http://www.portdiscovery.org/
The Maryland Science Center http://www.mdsci.org/

I think a good way to do a vacation is have each person pick one thing they really want to do. If you have time/budget maybe two things. Then your kids get to have fun while learning to take everyone's feelings into account too. My parents did that to me as a kid - I could go to the Crayola Factory in PA, but only if I was good and respected that my dad wanted to go to the railroad museum. And it's fun to get kids involved in the planning process!

 

[JUJU814]

I'm of the opinion that taking your kids to many different places will make them more well-rounded individuals.I highly recommend the Spy Museum, and the National History and American History and Air and Space (as well as the secondary Air and Space in Dulles) are classics.

Also, DC is a half-hour's drive from Baltimore. Some good things to do there are:

The Baltimore Zoo (as a local who has been to both, the Children's Zoo here can't be beat and it's so much better organized than the National - but it's not free) http://www.marylandzoo.org/
The National Aquarium at Baltimore (easily the best Aquarium on the East Coast) http://www.aqua.org/
Port Discovery http://www.portdiscovery.org/
The Maryland Science Center http://www.mdsci.org/

I think a good way to do a vacation is have each person pick one thing they really want to do. If you have time/budget maybe two things. Then your kids get to have fun while learning to take everyone's feelings into account too. My parents did that to me as a kid - I could go to the Crayola Factory in PA, but only if I was good and respected that my dad wanted to go to the railroad museum. And it's fun to get kids involved in the planning process!

Where is the Crayola Factory??? Is that nearby by any chance?

I agree..I want to take them to many places. That is what dh's parents did and I know that's what he wants for our kids too.

When we were in Alaska and Italy, while we had a marvelous time alone, we sure thought wow, the kids would love this..they'd love that..etc.

Ok, now I feel like a whining brat for being upset about not going to Disney.

 

[Fyrefly]

Where is the Crayola Factory??? Is that nearby by any chance?

No I'm sorry. It's in Easton, PA. I was just bringing up the most recent example I could think of when we did the "each person picks something" vacation plan. Because I really really hated that railroad museum and I was over the moon for Crayola. And I'm sure it was vice-versa for my dad. Made quite the impression on me.

 

[DEA]

I tried to click on that link but it was broken. Can you couble check it for me?

The Spy Museum one? It should be http://www.spymuseum.org

Well, dh was just raised differently. They always did more educational trips.

I DO want to go to DC at some point. I am homeschooling my children next year and we are studying American history.

He thinks my kids will LOVE the air and space museum, natural history etc. He thinks my little girl will like the First Ladies dresses. LOL He did tell me about the zoo and stuff.


I'd love some recommendations on where to stay..that has a good pool for the kids!

I know DC can get hot and humid, but well, it's really humid up here in NH too..and it can't possible be hotter or more humid than Florida right?

Julie

Yes. Yes it can

As for places to stay, in the city you will be paying more and getting a return in convenience. The Omni Shoreham near the National Zoo gets good reviews for kids. They have an outdoor pool. It is very close to the Woodley Park Metro Stop, which will ease getting around town.

Outside of town, there are a few areas to stay. There is an Embassy Suites hotel right across for the King St. Metro Station in Alexandria. Alexandria also has a nice Old Town section and some fun things down by the riverfront. It's a walk (pretty lengthy walk) from that hotel.

The Pentagon City/Crystal City has several hotels and a couple of Metro stops. If you can't tell by now, I think that Metro stop accessibility is key for visiting DC. You can drive, but I hate having to deal with the commute, and I think it's the last thing you'd want on your vacation. If you hit the Metro during rush hour, it will be bad enough... in fact, try to avoid that if at all possible.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Do you know if it's hard to get tickets to the White House?

I will definitely not give any message to my kids that it's not fun. I know they love the little Harvard Museum of Natural History up here.

Maybe my feelings are pre-conceived because we didn't have a great trip to DC when I was a kid.

Yes, Disney will be there. You're right. I just love it when they're young..know what I mean?? Kids grow up so quickly!

As far as White House tickets go - they only take groups of 10 or more. So, you need to make a request through your congressperson at least 6 months in advance and they will put you into a group. You will be notified approximately one month in advance if you can get a tour. A request does not mean you are guaranteed to get on a tour.

If you do get on a tour, you may not bring in any bags of any kind nor may you bring strollers or cameras/video cameras. No purses, diaper bags, etc. and there are no lockers available. The only permissible camera is that on a cell phone. However, you may not use the phone while inside and the Secret Service will confiscate it if you are found using it.

Tours will go on if the First Family is somewhere in the mansion. However, tours will be cancelled if necessary if there is an event that requires use of the rooms on the tour.

My husband is Secret Service (and before anyone gets bent out of shape for me saying that, that in itself is not a secret) for 22 years so we're pretty well versed on the procedures around here.

I also used to be a docent at the Air and Space Museum, so I'm a bit biased, but that is a fantastic museum for kids!

 

[LisaNJ25]

To mr DC is more of a mini vacation.. like along weekend.. but that depends on wher eyou live

We have doen the FBI tour, white house tour etcs. I have been 5 times. We usually combine it will a night or two in Baltiomore. I love the Inner Harbor.

I am waiting to my youngest kids get a little older so they can appreciate it more.

Right now what they have seen of DC is from ride to and from Florida when I screw up and take the wrong loop

 

[lori123]

We did DC about a year and a half ago - we ALL had a fabulous vacation! We were there for 7 days and still feel like we missed stuff!

The spy museum was a bit spendy - but certainly a highlight for the kids!

 

[jodifla]

D.C. is on our list, but not until our DS is in middle school. I don't think of it as a place for MOST elementary kids.

 

[angelat]

We took our kids when they were DS8 and DD6 I believe. They loved it! We went for Father's Day and spent 5 or 6 days there. It was quite warm, but we had a great time. Of course it was cheaper than doing WDW because most of the places are free. That's the nice thing. Both our kids keep asking when we are going back. I'm going to try to aim for next year to go back I think. They just had such a good time and we didn't get to see everything in those 5 or 6 days either. This time they'll be older and will have learned a lot more in school about a lot of the stuff they'll see, so it should be another great experience.

I encourage you to embrace this trip and have a great time!

 

[Fyrefly]

It's funny to me to think about waiting till kids get older to go to DC, because for pretty much any kid growing up in MD or Northern Virginia, you've been to the Natural History Museum at least twice before leaving Elementary school (and for that matter, I'd gone to the Naval Academy and State House 4 times). The public school districts are all over free educational field trips! It actually took me until early high school to want to go back because I was so sick of DC!

 

[JUJU814]

It's funny to me to think about waiting till kids get older to go to DC, because for pretty much any kid growing up in MD or Northern Virginia, you've been to the Natural History Museum at least twice before leaving Elementary school (and for that matter, I'd gone to the Naval Academy and State House 4 times). The public school districts are all over free educational field trips! It actually took me until early high school to want to go back because I was so sick of DC!

That's kind of how I feel about Boston, the Freedom Trail, and Plymouth Plantation! BTDT a zillion times.