More DC questions

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

Hi all! Hopefully these have not been asked before. What are some fun free or inexpensive things to do in DC other than the museums? Any suggestions on things to do will be greatly appreaciated. What are some nice restaurants that will not break the budget, is there a place to find coupons for these restaurants also? I am hoping to find a place to stay with free breakfast. How about the metro, how much does it cost? Can you purchase tickets ( or is it a pass) in advance on line or at a special place and is there a way to get discounts? Is there a place to see where the metro stops (like the zoo)? I heard the zoo is nice, is there a place to get discount tickets? Other than the wonderful people on these boards where can I find information about what to do in DC? Thanks for any and all responses.

 

[MidgeD79]

The National Zoo is free! yeah! we are going to DC this summer for 8 days and it still isn't enough time to do everything (sound like another place we like to visit?). There have been lots of threads about DC and if you do a search you should get some useful information. Have fun

 

[lovemygoofy]

The Dummies book for DC is great and very easy read. It's broke down whether you have children, sections of the city, $$$ of restaurants and monthly/seasonal activities. The Unofficial Guide to DC is very very detailed and gives much more restaurant reviews for those with and without children and great directions to get to things.


This is the link for the metro: you can calculate approximately how much you need for trips and for how many cards for your family. http://www.wmata.com/

I don't know when you are coming to town but the military branch bands perform free concerts all over the area and the twilight tatoo put on by the army can't be beat with the fife and drum corp.

Certain nights of the week at I think 5 or 6pm there is a free show down at the Kennedy Center but it is limited seating.

If you are coming during baseball season, cheap seat tickets for the Nationals is easy to come by.

If you want to do the express elevator up to the top of Washington Monument, I suggest you purchase ahead of time online.

Also, if you are going to the Holocaust Museum, I really reccommend getting the tickets online so you don't have to stand in a line to get tickets to stand in another line. Both these tickets costs are minimal like $1.50 each.

You can also call and schedule the generic tour of the capital which is free.

 

[tessieg]

We stayed at Embassy Suites Old Town Alexandria. It was literally across the street from a metro stop into the city. It had a wonderful free breakfast each morning--free omelettes made to order and much more.
We really enjoyed the zoo, walking around the monuments, and the Smithsonian. ALL free!

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

The Dummies book for DC is great and very easy read. It's broke down whether you have children, sections of the city, $$$ of restaurants and monthly/seasonal activities. The Unofficial Guide to DC is very very detailed and gives much more restaurant reviews for those with and without children and great directions to get to things.


This is the link for the metro: you can calculate approximately how much you need for trips and for how many cards for your family. http://www.wmata.com/

I don't know when you are coming to town but the military branch bands perform free concerts all over the area and the twilight tatoo put on by the army can't be beat with the fife and drum corp.

Certain nights of the week at I think 5 or 6pm there is a free show down at the Kennedy Center but it is limited seating.

If you are coming during baseball season, cheap seat tickets for the Nationals is easy to come by.

If you want to do the express elevator up to the top of Washington Monument, I suggest you purchase ahead of time online.

Also, if you are going to the Holocaust Museum, I really reccommend getting the tickets online so you don't have to stand in a line to get tickets to stand in another line. Both these tickets costs are minimal like $1.50 each.

You can also call and schedule the generic tour of the capital which is free.

We will be there in the middle of July, we will also be there for about a week.

 

[lovemygoofy]

We will be there in the middle of July, we will also be there for about a week.

Be prepared for heat and humidity. Bring lots of sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes if you plan to walk to the monuments as the metro doesn't stop in front of all of the monuments.

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

The National Zoo is free! yeah! we are going to DC this summer for 8 days and it still isn't enough time to do everything (sound like another place we like to visit?). There have been lots of threads about DC and if you do a search you should get some useful information. Have fun

If you don't mind me asking where are you staying and what is the rate per night? We will be going this summer also and will be staying for about a week. The rooms I have seen run about 200 per day, I was looking for something more budget friendly.

 

[greenchief]

We went last July. We actually found our hotel cheaper here then on any discount hotel site. But a lot of factors figure into the price of hotels. http://beta.washington.org/
You can also purchase tickets in advance for Ford's Theatre. Cost a little but worth not having to stand in line hopefully getting tickets.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&q=fords+theatre
You can book your Capital Tour online.
http://www.visitthecapitol.gov/Visit/Book a Tour/
Also if I remember on Tuesdays you can get free(otherwise there is a fee) tickets into the butterfly exhibit on a first come first served basis. Trying to remember which museum.
Can book Washington Monument also.
http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=77811
Sorry I was a planner. I wanted everything ready to go and have to hopefully get tickets.

 

[MomofSixinSC]

If you have young (or not so young) boys traveling with you, I highly recommend the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. I know OP wanted to know other than museums, but this one is so great! Here is a link: http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/

The best part is there are many, many chairs around the exhibits, so tired parents can sit and watch their children enjoy.

 

[gandycat]

We were just there this past weekend and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Crystal City. It was 2 blocks from the metro ($2.90 for a round trip fair to the mall) and we paid around $130/night with tax and parking. It has an indoor pool and free breakfast, also rooms have a refridgerator and microwave.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...port-Arlington_Virginia.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

I second the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum at Dulles. It was $15 for parking but my kids (and husband) really enjoyed it. The biggest way we saved money was by packing lunch to bring along with us. The cafes at the museums are way overpriced. My only exception is the cafe at the Museum of the American Indian (a great museum if you haven't been). It wasn't cheap but the food was really good!

Have fun!