Help with Washington, DC

[newharmony]

Well worth doing...the "National Treasure" tour at Mount Vernon. It takes you to locations at the estate where the movie was filmed, like the basement of the mansion! DH and I loved it! We ordered our tickets in advance, online but they are available at the estate.

For DC, we drive into the city on a Sunday morning to avoid traffic. We stay at the Holiday Inn Capitol...parking garage and walkable to nearly everything.

 

[minniebeth]

Has anyone ever done the C&O canal boat ride with their family? Someone mentioned it to me and was looking for more information on someone who has actually done it~ have not seen it mentioned on any of the DC threads~

Thanks!


Also, thanks so much for the great tips, ideas and thoughts everyone!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

got back from a week in DC. I lived there a number of years ago. My apartment was a block away from the Supreme Court so most of the tourist areas were where I spent my time. My thoughts:

Metro - use it. The blue and orange lines will take you almost everywhere you need to go. The yellow is nice for the National Archives but it's only about a four block walk. You can also switch lines at L'Enfant Plaza. L'Enfant laid out the streets in a logical nature but it's hard to get around without knowing them and parking is almost non existent.

Washington Monument - get tickets ahead of time. It will cost $1.50 per person but you know when you'll be able to get in. There are often large tour groups that take up a whole half hour allotment. It's a good starting point also for the WWII, Korean, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. I would save the Jefferon and FDR Memorials for another day. Smithsonian and Federal triangle metro stops.

White House - I put in our initial request in January but for some reason it didn't go through. I resubmitted a month ahead of time and got a time anyway. If you can visit the White House visitors center first to view the video. Our entry letter said the Secret Service would check bags but they don't. If you need a bag for after the tour go to the Willard across the street and plead ignorance and check your bag.

National Archives - They have scheduled guided and unguided tours that gets you in a little early. The guided tour is by an archivist that know quite a bit about the exhibits. The biggest benefit is that you get access to the room that holds the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights without a wait. Access to that room is controlled. When we were leaving the wait was about an hour. The cost is about $2.00 per person. Archive stop

Capitol Building - You can book a tour through your rep or senator or directly from the Capitol. The tour has been cut down a lot from years past but is still worth doing. Capitol South

Ford's Theater - This just reopened recently. We would not have gotten in without a reserved time.

Mt Vernon - Ford put a lot of money into Mt Vernon a few years ago. It's in great shape. You can pay a little extra to get a reserved time. Ordering your tickets in advance will save you about the same amount of money. For the next few months Mt Vernon is offering a tour that shows some of the locations in the National Treasure 2. You need to book this in advance to be ensured of a spot. There is a price above the entry price for this tour.

American History and Natural History Museums (Federal Triangle) and Air and Space (L'Enfant) are free. They don't open until 10:00 AM and sometimes the closing times change. All are free and are worth much more than that.

Supreme Court - There is a video showing on the history of the building and the court. When not is session there is a lecture in the court each hour on the half hour. Well worth it and it can hold 300 I believe. While in session the public acan watch the court but access is limited.

Library of Congress - Just walk through when going between the Supreme Court and the Capitol. The architecture is great and seeing a Guttenberg Bible is worth the effort. (It also has a personal appeal to me.)

Arlington Cemetery - If you don't mind walking then you can see most of the sites without a tour. We took the shuttle around the cemetery which uses a drop system. It's very reasonable and there are people onboard to point out sites that are worth seeing. The drops are at the Kennedy grave sites, The Tomb of the unknown and the Arlington House.

The Spy Museum - Not worth the money to us.

DC to me was more exhausting than WDW. The Smithsonians have so much to see. And unlike Disney where you sit during rides you are mainly on your feet.

Have a good trip.

Very helpful. Thank you!!

Would you happen to know about tickets for the Holocaust Museum? Where can I get them ahead of time & how much are they?

 

[minniejack]

got back from a week in DC. I lived there a number of years ago. My apartment was a block away from the Supreme Court so most of the tourist areas were where I spent my time. My thoughts:

Metro - use it. The blue and orange lines will take you almost everywhere you need to go. The yellow is nice for the National Archives but it's only about a four block walk. You can also switch lines at L'Enfant Plaza. L'Enfant laid out the streets in a logical nature but it's hard to get around without knowing them and parking is almost non existent.

Washington Monument - get tickets ahead of time. It will cost $1.50 per person but you know when you'll be able to get in. There are often large tour groups that take up a whole half hour allotment. It's a good starting point also for the WWII, Korean, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. I would save the Jefferon and FDR Memorials for another day. Smithsonian and Federal triangle metro stops.

White House - I put in our initial request in January but for some reason it didn't go through. I resubmitted a month ahead of time and got a time anyway. If you can visit the White House visitors center first to view the video. Our entry letter said the Secret Service would check bags but they don't. If you need a bag for after the tour go to the Willard across the street and plead ignorance and check your bag.

National Archives - They have scheduled guided and unguided tours that gets you in a little early. The guided tour is by an archivist that know quite a bit about the exhibits. The biggest benefit is that you get access to the room that holds the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights without a wait. Access to that room is controlled. When we were leaving the wait was about an hour. The cost is about $2.00 per person. Archive stop

Capitol Building - You can book a tour through your rep or senator or directly from the Capitol. The tour has been cut down a lot from years past but is still worth doing. Capitol South

Ford's Theater - This just reopened recently. We would not have gotten in without a reserved time.

Mt Vernon - Ford put a lot of money into Mt Vernon a few years ago. It's in great shape. You can pay a little extra to get a reserved time. Ordering your tickets in advance will save you about the same amount of money. For the next few months Mt Vernon is offering a tour that shows some of the locations in the National Treasure 2. You need to book this in advance to be ensured of a spot. There is a price above the entry price for this tour.

American History and Natural History Museums (Federal Triangle) and Air and Space (L'Enfant) are free. They don't open until 10:00 AM and sometimes the closing times change. All are free and are worth much more than that.

Supreme Court - There is a video showing on the history of the building and the court. When not is session there is a lecture in the court each hour on the half hour. Well worth it and it can hold 300 I believe. While in session the public acan watch the court but access is limited.

Library of Congress - Just walk through when going between the Supreme Court and the Capitol. The architecture is great and seeing a Guttenberg Bible is worth the effort. (It also has a personal appeal to me.)

Arlington Cemetery - If you don't mind walking then you can see most of the sites without a tour. We took the shuttle around the cemetery which uses a drop system. It's very reasonable and there are people onboard to point out sites that are worth seeing. The drops are at the Kennedy grave sites, The Tomb of the unknown and the Arlington House.

The Spy Museum - Not worth the money to us.

DC to me was more exhausting than WDW. The Smithsonians have so much to see. And unlike Disney where you sit during rides you are mainly on your feet.

Have a good trip.

I said the same thing, but that's what my kids talk about the most besides Mt. Vernon and "The Needle"

If you have time, we found a fantastic French restaurant near DuPont circle--actually turned out to be one of the cheapest places to eat in D. C. for us. Delish! A few blocks down from the Hilton where Reagan was shot.

And remember to know your history, because not all aides to congressmen seem to know it and if you listen...you will hear some mighty different tales.

 

[Hootch]

Very helpful. Thank you!!

Would you happen to know about tickets for the Holocaust Museum? Where can I get them ahead of time & how much are they?

didn't research the Holocaust Museum because my kids are too young. I visited Dachau when I was 16 and couldn't really comprehend the enormity of what happened there at that age and my kids are much younger.

Try this link. It appears there is a $1.00 processing fee for each ticket:

https://tix.cnptix.com/tix/ushmm

 

[wdwmom0f3]

didn't research the Holocaust Museum because my kids are too young. I visited Dachau when I was 16 and couldn't really comprehend the enormity of what happened there at that age and my kids are much younger.

Try this link. It appears there is a $1.00 processing fee for each ticket:

https://tix.cnptix.com/tix/ushmm

Thank you!!

We have a White House tour planed for this Saturday at 7:30. I think it will only last for 45 minutes. Would you 9(or anyone) be willing to help me with a touring plan for that day? I have no idea what we would even be able to see after that, what to do first, or where to have lunch. I am at a loss.

 

[Hootch]

Thank you!!

We have a White House tour planed for this Saturday at 7:30. I think it will only last for 45 minutes. Would you 9(or anyone) be willing to help me with a touring plan for that day? I have no idea what we would even be able to see after that, what to do first, or where to have lunch. I am at a loss.

don't know all of your plans let me throw out a few things in the area. DC, like Disney, has a lot of walking and minimizing transportation allows you to do more.

There is a White House visitors center in the Malcolm Baldridge Building which is just southeast of where you enter for the tour. You'll actually exit on the north side of the White House but pretty much all of the touring areas are to the south. The film was the only thing that was really interesting to me. It loops and starting in the middle works fine.

There are a number of things to see near the WH. It's a great starting point for the Washington Monument and the Memorials. This was my first time seeing the WWII and Korean Memorials. It's interesting how different the feel is for these two and the Vietnam Memorial. The Vietnam and the Korean War Memorials are on either side of the Lincoln. The WWII is at the opposite end of of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The Smithsonian Natural and American History Museums are right there also. Just walk down the mall towards the Capitol. The American History Museum is right off 14th St and the Natural History is just beyond. Just beyond and a block off is the National Archives and then the West and East wings of the National Art Gallery. Across the mall from the art galleries is the Air and Space Museum.

Where you eat will depend somewhat on where you are. Old Ebbit Grill is on 15th St near the WH. It's the oldest continuous bar in DC. Don't worry it has kid friendly areas. It used to have good raw bar specials late afternoon and evening. There is a food court in the Reagan International Trade Center which has Subway, Sbarro and the likes. We ate at the Natural History Museum. They have a good selection. People complain about Disney's CS prices but this was 50% higher. The Air and Space Museum has reasonable prices for Mickey Ds, Boston Market and others.

 

[minniebeth]

Hootch's suggestions are great, and we love Old Ebbitt's Grill. The only thing though is that if you are walking the entire day (suggested or the Trolly with the multiple stops) it is backtracking from where you will be headed after the White House.

I agree with the White House Visitor's Center, worth a stop if you will be touring there. They have annual White House Christmas ornaments that are beautiful and would be a beautiful souvenir. They depict a different historical year at the WH on them each year. We've collected them for well over 10 years now.
I don't know how old your kids are, but there is a Junior Ranger program that they can complete and earn a National Parks Jr Ranger Badge and Cerfificate for. There is also a National Parks passport sold that you can have your kids stamp at each National Park/monument (most of the monuments have a place to stamp). It's fun for the kids. You can inquire about the passports and Jr. Ranger Program at the desk, you will see a Park Ranger there.

How many days have you alloted in DC? The distance on the Mall from the Capitol down to the Lincoln Memorial is LOOOONNNNG, almost deceptively so.
You might want to break up your days if you have more and do a split between monuments and Smithsonian museums. Depending on what you want to see, you probably won't be able to do them all together in one day.

 

[Hootch]

I wanted to add on the White House tour. Our confiration letter stated that bag check would be provided. That is not true. We had a backpack with us. I walked over to the Willard and checked it while we did the tour. I'm not sure that's something they normally do. Some hotels, like the Loews at L'Enfant regularly check bags for non patrons.

 

[minniebeth]

That's really good to know, Hootch. And speaking of The Willard (hotel), an option for you wdwmomof3 for eating would be to eat at Cafe du Parc, at The Willard, right next to the White House after your tour. If you want a sit down meal that is nice and will get you through the rest of the day, this is a lovely place. The food IS expensive, but it is VERY good and breakfast there will for sure fill you up for touring. The kids' menu is not online but very nice and relatively reasonable for DC prices. It is one of my DD8's favorite places for breakfast. Their pancakes are divine and my DS loves their buffet (very reasonable at the kid's price.)

 

[wdwmom0f3]

That's really good to know, Hootch. And speaking of The Willard (hotel), an option for you wdwmomof3 for eating would be to eat at Cafe du Parc, at The Willard, right next to the White House after your tour. If you want a sit down meal that is nice and will get you through the rest of the day, this is a lovely place. The food IS expensive, but it is VERY good and breakfast there will for sure fill you up for touring. The kids' menu is not online but very nice and relatively reasonable for DC prices. It is one of my DD8's favorite places for breakfast. Their pancakes are divine and my DS loves their buffet (very reasonable at the kid's price.)

Thank you for this! We will need a good breakfast after the WH tour.


Hootch, Thank you for the information. We are staying up here until the end of July so we have a little time. My plan though is to get as much done this Saturday as we can because I am not sure DH will be going back with us. We will finish the rest during the week while he is at work. Also, DD's boyfriend will be flying in the week before we head home & he wants to tour DC too. So, I would like to know my way around a little before he gets here. I will be spending the day tomorrow online & I will try to come up with a game plan. You all have been so very helpful!!

Question, I just went in to try to buy tickets for the Holocaust Museum, and there are not any available for Saturday. Can we still get in with a wait, or should I forget that for that day?

 

[Hootch]

do you know if the upstairs restaurant at the Hotel Washington is still open? We didn't go this trip but in my younger days it was the best place I knew of to view the monuments at night.

 

[minniebeth]

do you know if the upstairs restaurant at the Hotel Washington is still open? We didn't go this trip but in my younger days it was the best place I knew of to view the monuments at night.

Yes!! the Hotel Washington is now a W Hotel. It is definately different, hip, chic, not your typical "stately" hotel, lol. Not really a family friendly place. The restaurant/bar on top is called POV, and sooo cool! We were fortunate enough to have some drinks up there one evening with some friends. Drinks are expensive, but well worth it to hang out up there for a while definately one of the best views in all of DC! Definately a must do~

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We are headed too DC in the morning!! Any last minute tips?

 

[minniebeth]

We are headed too DC in the morning!! Any last minute tips?

You've probably already left before you get this, but have a great trip and let us know how it was!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We left Baltimore at 5:30am and it was raining, but when we got to DC, it was raining harder there. We went ahead with the tour. We had to stand in line in the rain for about 30 minutes. I REALLY needed my Disney ponchos! Some old man infront of us was dumping the rain from his umbrella right on to us. It got funny after a while because we never knew who was going to get hit. Anyway, we got in with no trouble. The tour was really neat & we all enjoyed it. After it was over, it was still raining and it looked like it was set in for the day so we decided to head back to the condo & save the rest for a day that we can all enjoy it.

I did learn one big thing & that is to take the Metro next time. Driving down there was CRAZY! I had no idea where the heck I was going. We were running late so I dropped DH & the kids off by the WH and I drove by myself to find a parking deck. God was with me because I found one two blocks from the tour entrance. That was GREAT!!

I also found out that if you are driving in DC while talking on your cell phone you can get a 100.00 fine!! I was on the phone when someone told me!!

I did see one place that you all were telling me about to eat & I want to go back to try it. It was the "something" Grill place. I forgot the name, but I will back track in this thread to find it.

I have got to do some more research for sure. I need addresses of these places & I need to find out which ones I need advance tickets for. Ugh! So much to do.

Thanks again for all of the help so far.

Carla

 

[Hmom]

We just got back from a great DC trip! Left DC morning of July 4 - was going to be near 100 that day! Weather prior to was great.

Two things I didn't see mentioned that we liked -

Twilight Tatoo at Ft. McNair - wonderful! Army's fife & drum, drill (w/ rifles) group, singing group & a few other groups. All participants are current soliders. Very moving. Free!! I found it on some DC tourism website's list of free things to do. Metro stop not far or can park on site for free.

Capitol Tour - yes, was mentioned, but our senator's office offered to hold anything for us that wouldn't clear their bag check I assume they would've done the same for the White House tour. An intern took us from the senator's office underground on the little tram over to the Capitol Visitor Center & somehow skipped us past the line to get tickets

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We just got back from a great DC trip! Left DC morning of July 4 - was going to be near 100 that day! Weather prior to was great.

Two things I didn't see mentioned that we liked -

Twilight Tatoo at Ft. McNair - wonderful! Army's fife & drum, drill (w/ rifles) group, singing group & a few other groups. All participants are current soliders. Very moving. Free!! I found it on some DC tourism website's list of free things to do. Metro stop not far or can park on site for free.

Capitol Tour - yes, was mentioned, but our senator's office offered to hold anything for us that wouldn't clear their bag check I assume they would've done the same for the White House tour. An intern took us from the senator's office underground on the little tram over to the Capitol Visitor Center & somehow skipped us past the line to get tickets

We had a Capitol tour planed for today too but with the rain, we skipped it. The lady from our congressmans office called me after the WH Tour & she said that she will get us in another day.

Did you really enjoy the tour? It's good to know that they will hold items, because the WH would not. We only had our cell phones, keys & ID's with us. I did carry in my Vera Bradley wristlet and they didn't say anything.

 

[Hmom]

We had a Capitol tour planed for today too but with the rain, we skipped it. The lady from our congressmans office called me after the WH Tour & she said that she will get us in another day.

Did you really enjoy the tour? It's good to know that they will hold items, because the WH would not. We only had our cell phones, keys & ID's with us. I did carry in my Vera Bradley wristlet and they didn't say anything.

I did enjoy the Capitol tour, but I am a closet history geek Our tour guide was very informative. We also had tickets for the galleries of both the House & Senate. Tickets were again from the senator's office.

The House was voting on something pretty contentious. Loud boos & applause, a little heckling....they took a vote while we were there & it was cool to see the board with everyone's names & votes light up. I hope it showed DS a little more about how our laws are created. He is only 6, so it is just the basics.

We missed the Senate gallery. It was the day of Senator Byrd's funeral & we waited a little too long to get in line. Next time!

During our Capitol tour, I saw people climbing stairs far, far up in the rotunda. Now, that is the tour I want to do some day

Have a great trip!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I did enjoy the Capitol tour, but I am a closet history geek Our tour guide was very informative. We also had tickets for the galleries of both the House & Senate. Tickets were again from the senator's office.

The House was voting on something pretty contentious. Loud boos & applause, a little heckling....they took a vote while we were there & it was cool to see the board with everyone's names & votes light up. I hope it showed DS a little more about how our laws are created. He is only 6, so it is just the basics.

We missed the Senate gallery. It was the day of Senator Byrd's funeral & we waited a little too long to get in line. Next time!

During our Capitol tour, I saw people climbing stairs far, far up in the rotunda. Now, that is the tour I want to do some day

Have a great trip!

That would be neat! I am going to call her back & set up a tour and I will ask her about the other tickets that you were talking about. The lady that has been helping me has been fantastic. In fact, I am going to send her a thank you card this week for all of her help from today. Would you believe that she stayed on the phone with me until I got my car parked? She was soooo very helpful. I really can't wait to meet her in person too because my DH has helped her for years when she calls his office about something, and we live in Alabama! I don't think she has put two & two together yet. It's a small world.

I am glad that you had a great trip up here. If you can think of anything that would help me, PLEASE let me know. I need things like where to eat lunch, help with using the Metro and anything that you can think of.