Must see in DC in July

luvmyfam444

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Apr 4, 2005
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I know about the monuments & Smithsonian (lived in the area as a kid a couple years & then visited about 17yrs ago) but I know things have changed.

We will be staying at a Marriot nearby - got that booked.

Will be taking the kids 12, 7 & 4

Any tours, things to do - it will be a quickish trip on a budget :thumbsup2 we'll be there 3 or 4 days.

And if you have any restuarant suggestions - I'm thinking we'll do like when I was a kid & take a backpack with pb&j for picnic lunches on the mall & then we'll catch a meal somewhere for supper once everything is closed for the evening. b'fast is that the hotel for free - YAY!
 
I would like to know too because we will be in that area this summer as well. From what I have read so far, the Zoo is free and a lot of the federal museums are free too.
 
We are going to DC in June. There are several free concerts during the summer - especially on the week-ends. There are also several websites on things to do in DC.
 
You won't be allowed to bring food into any of the museums, yes they do search so you might be better off eating lunch out and having food in your hotel room for dinner.

All the Smithsonian's are free so that is nice. For your older child I would say the Holocaust museum is a must but not for your younger two. With only 3-4 days you can easily fill those up with just going to the Smithsonian's. One thing we did not do and regret is the Monuments at Night tour. It is spendy though so depending on your budget, you may or may not want to do that. It is a LOT of walking to see all the monuments so with the 7 and 4 year old the bus tour might be better.

You can get tickets in advance for pretty much everything so get as many of those as you can.

Head out to Mount Vernon one day. You can get their with a combination of a metro rail pass and bus fair easily (get unlimited Metro passes for your stay too). That will be a good thing for the various ages of your kids. Get there early and go RIGHT to the tour of the mansion-skip everything else until you do the tour. The line for the tour gets long, FAST-like 2+ hour wait long. If it is warm and sunny, bring an umbrella for shade while you are waiting in line.
 

My favortie (and often forgoten by tourists) is the meseum of crime and punishment. Its very hands on. Its got lots of cool things to do for every age. Its also not very crowed since many people dont relize how fun it is. If you google it, they have a great website
 
Thanks for the tips so far...its good to know that I can't take food in to museums anymore - so that will make a difference in planning:thumbsup2 so can you recommend good lunch spots? I so thought we could just pack our backpacks for a nice lunch on the mall - gee I'm bummed - but then again if its a HOT summer like it probably will be I'll be grateful to be indoors! LOL

I think I remember eating @ some cafeteria in the capitol & then maybe at the post office? Its been many many years - I'd have to ask someone who knows for sure - LOL Seems like their were hotdog vendors on the streets - but we'd rather eat a little healthier - at least some of the time (like PBJ is healthy! HA!)
 
and about how long would you think for each museum - I'm guessing only 1 museum a day?

Is there a good touring site that breaks it down DISney style that tells me to what to do first or how to cram it all in?

I know there are books probably @ the library - just haven't gotten there yet & our library doesn't have the most up to date books - LOL
 
and what all needs to be booked before leaving? I emailed my congressman for the White House Tour & I saw where i could by the monument - but I'm not sure which day yet to buy those yet

I'm starting planning backwards - trying to plan the night things first - to see what I can get out of the way at night while the museums are closed - so the monument @ night tour would be perfect I think.

I saw on the DC site there's a walking tour (DC walking tours I think its called) that is just an hour & kid friendly - so I figure thats a good place to start.

I do remember going on a grayline? or is it blueline? bus tour as a kid & being bored - LOL but maybe that's just me - I'm thinking that's more for adults than kids - and it seemed to last forever - not sure if thats accurate though.

DH has never been & he hates museums (he hates to read)- so this will be a very interesting trip :lmao:
 
quick question about the museums.. does anyone know if strollers are allowed? I was looking on the website and didn't see anything that says they weren't but I want to make sure. I live close enough to go down for just the day. With the most of the kids being older I think they'll like some of this stuff now. :)
 
The Washington Monument tour is definitely worth the effort. My advice would be to order your tickets online way ahead of time and schedule it for first thing in the morning!

One thing that I wished we had done was the Hop on/Hop off tour. When we were there last summer we tried to do way too much walking (in blistering heat) and the kids were miserable by the end of the trip.
 
I just checked the tour rates - for DC the lights tour (I think it was called)

OMG:scared1: $49.99 a person! :eek: you can pick my jaw off the floor now!

Hmm - I think I'd rather use that money for 1/2 a day @ Disney :rotfl2:

Of course I've only looked @ one site -there may be others - but I'm not so sure I wanna look any further after seeing those rates! :guilty:
 
Sorry to hijack this thread----


We are going to DC for a wedding this weekend (Saturday) and are planning to site see on Sunday. DD15 has never been to DC. DH and I haven't been in 25 years or so.

What would be some not to miss things to do in a day???

I had forgotten about the Holocaust Museum. We may have to do that since DD is writing a term paper about the subject right now.
 
In July I would recommend the monuments at night tour. Much cooler and they are very beautiful at night.

The museums can easily be done in 1/2 day. The air and space may takes a bit longer.

The Native american museum has a very unique menu, and a little more affordable. The American history and natural history cafeterias are terribly expensive.
 
Can anyone recommend an affordable tour to take or all they about the same & we just need to add that to our budget?

I see there's a bike tour -anyone take that before?
 
Just remember, July is PEAK season in DC and the Smithsonians are packed, packed, packed. The Smithsonian map booklet has all the museums in it with all the exhibits, etc. Decide ahead of time (like Disney) which museums you want to see most, prioritize them in order of which ones you want to see, and then what exhibits you want to see in order within each museum. Air and Space, Natural History are still relatively easy to navigate in the crowds. American History backs up at certain exhibits (like First Ladies' Ballgowns) and can have waits up to an hour to go through the exhibits. Decide which ones you really want to wait for and which can be skipped.

Same lines/waits apply to the National Archives.
Others like already mentioned, have timed tix.

I highly recommend The Holocaust Museum for older kids (SC Minnie, it would be perfect for your DD15 since she's studied it, it is very sad, but very powerful and educational.)

Even when requests are put in to state representatives, White House tickets are very hard to get, so have alternate plans ready, just in case.

Arlington National Cemetery is a great tour, as well as we enjoy Georgetown. Georgetown is a great little break away from the history and has some great shopping and great restaurants.

The Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a must see if you are Catholic or love church history and art. There are scores of little shrines there that one is more breathtaking than the next.

The night tours are amazing but yes, can get expensive. If you want to do it on your own, we like walking (usually close enough to...) to the WWII Memorial, spectacular at night and then walk up to the Washington Monument and from there you can see many of them, it is a great middle point to enjoy the night.

Some of our favorite restaurants are:
Five Guys Burgers
Hard Rock Cafe
M&S Grill (seafood)
Cafe du Parc (at the Williard hotel, this for brunch buffet, wonderful!)
Gordon Biersch
Old Ebbitt Grill
Clyde's Chinatown
Martin's Tavern (Georgetown, where JFK proposed to Jackie)
Old Glory (Georgetown)

yes, they are toursity, but hey, we like to be tourists when we're there!
For lunch we usually hit the Sabrett hot dog carts, or pack our own lunches. It leaves some more cash for a nice, relaxing dinner.

In July, be prepared for tons of walking and hot weather, so make sure you hydrate with lots of water. There are ususally lots of vendors selling cold waters all over the place for $1 per bottle which is reasonable and better than lugging lots of bottles around with you all day. My kids love the fan spray bottles from Walmart to carry with them, and definately use them!

Also for kids at the National Parks, which all the monuments are a part of, you can buy a little passport and get all the places you visit stamped. It's fun and the Park Rangers ususally engage with the kids. In places like the White House Visitors Center, kids can do some activities in a little workbook they give you and earn a Park Ranger certificate and badge. That is all free except for the little passport which is a few dollars. A great way to learn and a great souvenir for the kids too.

Have fun to all who are going!
We will be there in July as well. We go every year with DH's company, they hold meetings each year there that they invite the family to attend.
 
DH and I lived in the DC Metro area before DS was born. When DS was 10 or
11, DH had a business trip so we took DS for the first time. DS and I did the Old Town Trolley tour and both loved it. The driver told stories (not sure if they were all 100% true!) about different sites. You can get on and off as many times during the day as you wish and it does go over to Arlington Cemetary. It was a great way to "see" everything in a day.

Went back last year & did the Holocaust museum. Definitely not for younger kids but well worth a visit for older ones.

As for budget food, we got hot dogs from the vendor by the Merry-Go-Round on the Mall. Not as cheap as hot dogs at home but we enjoyed eating outside. There are Subways & Quiznos everywhere for a cheaper lunch.
 
quick question about the museums.. does anyone know if strollers are allowed? I was looking on the website and didn't see anything that says they weren't but I want to make sure. I live close enough to go down for just the day. With the most of the kids being older I think they'll like some of this stuff now. :)

Yes, strollers are allowed, although it does get really crowded, so be cautious of that. Just don't take the stroller up the escalator like my DH did (DD was not in it) and get the wheel stuck and stop the escalator and make all the people mad! (At the Air and Space museum.) I told my DH they tell you no strollers on the escalator for a reason! My DD is 12 now and she still doesn't let him live that down! :)
 
and what all needs to be booked before leaving? I emailed my congressman for the White House Tour & I saw where i could by the monument - but I'm not sure which day yet to buy those yet

I'm starting planning backwards - trying to plan the night things first - to see what I can get out of the way at night while the museums are closed - so the monument @ night tour would be perfect I think.

I saw on the DC site there's a walking tour (DC walking tours I think its called) that is just an hour & kid friendly - so I figure thats a good place to start.

I do remember going on a grayline? or is it blueline? bus tour as a kid & being bored - LOL but maybe that's just me - I'm thinking that's more for adults than kids - and it seemed to last forever - not sure if thats accurate though.

DH has never been & he hates museums (he hates to read)- so this will be a very interesting trip :lmao:

Did you try to contact your Congressman about tix to a Capitol tour? It's a great tour and easier to get than the White House.
 






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