Thinking of going to Washington......

[tatooed goofy]

Well, since the free dining won't likely be available for us in mid August, we were thinking of taking the DD's to Washington, Gettysburg, Jamestown and by the ocean. Can anyone give me ideas where we MUST eat, go and stay? Anyone from the area that can help? We are excited and really want to make this educational. They would keep journals. Thanks a lot.
Kelly

 

[jcc0621]

Check out this site for Gettysburg. http://www.nps.gov/gett/It's pretty good and gives lots of info about the national park, etc. Depending on the size of your group I would consider one of the bed & breakfasts. We stayed at this one when we went. http://www.bbonline.com/pa/herrtavern/index.html It is a little off the beaten bath but right near Seminary Ridge. There are also several chain hotels right in town near the Visitors Center. I would also suggest taking one of the guided "haunted" tours. Very fun and educational. My final suggestion would be to go to the gift shop and get the CD of the driving tour of the battlefield (assuming you are driving ). I liked this much better than doing a guided tour becsue you can stick the CD in the car and it tells you mile by mile where to go and you can get out when you want and stop as long as you want.

Hope this information is useful. Have a great trip

 

[1disneychic]

Hi--hope you enjoy the East coast trip. Many great things to see & do.

Gettysburg---definitely do a haunted Gettysburg tour. There is also a museum (sorry the exact name escapes me now)--I think Nat'l Battlefield Museum--right across from the cemetary that Lincoln gave the Gettysburg speech at that is really good for a couple of hours. Our school takes our kids there every year on a field trip (battlefields, cemetary, museum). Also--the Gettysburg wax museum is amazing--about 20 scenes "acted" out--then a "movie"/3D sort of thing acted out at the end--It's a battle sort of scene laid out below you--you sit above and look down on different aspects of things happening. I hope some of these things make sense.
Places to eat: The Pub, the Dobbin House

Washington, DC--Also have taken many field trips there & used to live there. Things to see: Smithsonian--there are many of these. They are in walking distance of each other. The National Zoo is also nice. See the monuments: Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam Wall. All of these are relatively close to the smithsonians. (Plan to do a lot of walking!) There are also tour buses you can get on for a driving tour; I have never done one of these. Arlington Cemetary & the tomb of the unknown soldier is very moving--but a bit out of the way.
Places to eat: Phillips (if you like seafood--excellent, on the water)

Jamestown--Yes, another field trip...they have an amazing "village" set up--three parts--the Indian village, the ship, and the fort. Very cool--can be done in about 1/2 day. Then there is the Jamestown glassblowing which is nearby--neat to watch for a little while. If you do have more time--Colonial Williamsburg is nearby. It is set up to resemble what actually would have been happening in colonial times--the jobs the people would have had are explained/demonstrated. You can wander through stopping wherever you are interested.


Sorrythis was so long. Hope this helps you!

 

[marybrat]

We took t he kids to Gettysburg two summers ago. What a great time!! We stayed at a campground outside of Gettysburg. I would agree that you should get the CD tour. We were able to take our time when we wanted and move faster if we wanted to. It was a flexible way to get the tour. Very educational! My kids loved the Forts as well. We did Hershey Park while we were there too. Fun and tasty!