Tips for visiting Washington, DC?

[Jennifer S]

Our family (DH, me and DS5 & DS9) is visiting Washington DC later this month. I have only been there once over 20 years ago. Any wise or experienced Dissers want to help me out with tips for things that are a must and what is a pass? We are going for two days then heading to Busch Gardens for three.

We are staying at the Westin Grand on M street. Any restaurants you want to recommend (must be kid friendly).

Thanks!!

 

[laurajetter]

I've always loved the Museum of Natural History; the rocks and gems room was always my favorite as a kid, as well as the room with the mummies. The Air and Space Museum is nice also. How about the Bureau of Engraving and Printing? You can watch as money is printed and they have a neat gift shop. I also just love strolling through the grassy mall area between museum visits. The best part about visiting DC is the museums are free!

They also have the Holocaust Museum, which is definitely a great place to visit, but be forewarned that it is very emotionally draining and a bit difficult to pop back into a happy-go-lucky sightseeing attitude the moment you step out of the museum.

If I think of any more of my favorites, I'll let you know.

ETA: Oh, just realized you said you'll be bringing young kids... Maybe the Holocaust Museum wasn't such a good suggestion!

 

[Jennifer S]

Thanks for the info. How do you even find these places? Is a tour (like one of those bus ones) worth it or too confining? I have no idea where to start or where anything is. Maybe the hotel can point me in the right direction.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I'd suggest the tourmobile. It's extrememly convenient and a good deal.

http://www.tourmobile.com/


They hit most of the major sites

 

[Parkhopper]

The Spy Museum is fun for adults and kids, but this is a paid admission museum. American History and Natural History are my favorite Smithsonian destinations (everyone who visits wants to visit Air and Space for some reason)

Suzi

 

[swilphil]

Definitely go to the National Zoo. It's part of the Smithsonian, so it's free. It's on the Metro line, so it should be easy to get to. Your kids will love it. The Holocaust Museum is one of my favorites, but your 5 year old is too young. Your boys would enjoy the Air and Space Museum.

I've never done a tour. I think that might be hard with young ones. You can walk the mall and go to the different monuments. Have fun!

If you aren't already a Starwood member, sign up for free at www.spg.com. You can earn points to stay at the Westin in Disney World.

 

[caitycaity]

i love the spy museum.

i've lived here for 9 years, so i'm happy to help. feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.

 

[Jennifer S]

This is great!! Thanks for the help. I had no idea about the spy museum. My kids will LOVE that!! See w/o you I would have missed it.

 

[MinnieM3]

DH and I went alone this past Feb. (!!!) and we saw the monuments at night (tour) which was wonderful. The Library of Congress was fabulous, but not sure kids would like it. WE were also lucky enough to get a guided tour of the Capitol and the White House. Call your congressmen/women for tickets. We lucked out because it was close to our time and we still got them!

Union Station was great! The restaurant called America there was lots of fun. Definitely kid friendly. Also went to Old Ebbitt. More stuffy than America but still a neat place to go.

We also enjoyed the National Cathedral but probably boring for kids. We went to the Old Post Office, too, to get a great view of the city since Washington Monument was not open. WE also got a free performance at the Kennedy Center.....nightly at 6pm.

 

[Jennifer S]

WE were also lucky enough to get a guided tour of the Capitol and the White House. Call your congressmen/women for tickets. We lucked out because it was close to our time and we still got them!

We did do this and they said they had nothing- summer is very busy. They did put us on a waiting list in case someone cancels.

 

[rascalmom]

National Archives - see the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta. Jefferson & Lincoln Monuments. Mount Vernon is not very far away & is well worth the time. I've made two trips to DC with large groups of 5th graders & they loved these things. The others (Natural History Museum, Air & Space, & National History Museum have already been mention & should be "must do's".

 

[wuv tigger]

the PO Bldg next to it.

I has a great museum in the basement.

I LOVE the American History (has a 5 story doll house w/ furnture; neat Civil War Exhibit, & Air & Space (great IMAX movies).

There is a neat caroseul (sp?) on the mall area that's been there forever ...

Judy

 

[Candace]

The tour at the FBI is very interesting. My kids loved it. If you know someone (my BIL was an agent at the time we went), it would help get you in faster because both times I've been, the line of people waiting to tour is all the way around the building.

 

[EthansMom]

All of the Smithsonian Museums, including the National Zoo, are free and well worth a visit: http://www.si.edu/ My DH especially loves the Natural History Museum for the excellent dinosaur exhibit. We both love the Air and Space and American History Museums. The National Zoo is great!

There are several museums, important federal buildings, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, etc. located at the National Mall: http://www.nps.gov/nama/

IMO, the easiest way to get around D.C. is to take the Metrorail (subway): http://www.wmata.com/ It's pretty cool -- the kids will love it! And you can get a one-day pass that will take you anywhere on the subway line for $6.50 per person.

D.C. can be quite hot and humid in the summer. Be sure to dress appropriately, wear sun lotion, and take lots of water.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[HelloChum]

Went to DC in April 2004...our family loved the Spy Museum...very cool spy tunnels (air ducts) to crawl thru....Hard Rock Cafe and ESPN Zone are nearby. If you have boys who like sports...ESPN is a must. It has Disney Quest like arcade and the dining room has a huge television screen surrounded by smaller screens...you can choose which sports feed you want coming into your table. Liked it so much, we stopped at the one in Baltimore on our way home from this year's spring break trip to Williamsburg!!

We stayed Chevy Chase Pavillon area (Friendship Heights Metro stop)... we highly recommend Maggiano's Italian Restaurant. We were sorry we saved going there until the last day...we would have gone back more than once had we tried it earlier.

Went to Busch Gardens /Colonial Williamsburg this April 2005 for a week...what fun. If you have time and like Go-Karts, we liked "Go-Karts Plus" (i think that was the name). It was very clean...very well-run...about 5 or six different Go-kart tracks, plus bumper boats etc. The Fife and Drum at Colonial Williamsburg was great to see too!!

Have a great time!!

Cheers

 

[caitycaity]

The tour at the FBI is very interesting. My kids loved it. If you know someone (my BIL was an agent at the time we went), it would help get you in faster because both times I've been, the line of people waiting to tour is all the way around the building.

afaik, fbi tours are still cancelled. they have been since (iirc) 1998. i have heard that they may be opening them again some time later this year, but i haven't heard anything definitive. their website just says closed until further notice.

if you want my honest opinion, don't worry too much if you miss the capitol tour, especially if you have kids. i think for most kids it is pretty boring.

 

[zulaya]

We are in the midst of planning a trip at the end of March over the kids Spring Break. Looking for hotels that are convenient to the metro, but not priced out of sight, if you know what I mean.

Any suggestions?

 

[HelloChum]

Zulaya,

We went April Spring Break 2004....stayed at Embassy Suites at the Chevy Chase Pavillon. We really enjoyed our stay. I think it ended up being about $199/night before tax. We were able to get 'long-term' rate since we stayed 7 or 8 nights...otherwise i think the cost can be mid to high 200s. Embassy Suites include hot cooked to order breakfast buffet (my 3 DS loved it) and a late afternoon manager's reception with complimentary drinls/snacks.

The Friendship Heights metro station was right below the hotel so we did not leave the building to get to it...just took a series of escalators. Chevy Chase was a VERY nice area...many upscale shops...great restaurants nearby. There was a Cheesecake Factory right at the CC Pavillon.

Embassy Suites has some pretty good internet direct rates sometimes if you check their website.

Have fun!!
HelloChum

 

[caitycaity]

i've stayed at the embassy suites hellochum mentioned, and it is nice. generally, you will find cheaper places outside of the city, either in md or va. there are some cheap(er) places in crystal city and rosslyn, va too.

a hotel that i always recommend to people is the river inn. it is a small, non-chain place that is located in a very nice neighborhood. it's also only a few blocks from an orange/blue metro station (foggy bottom). most tourist stuff is on the orange/blue lines. http://www.theriverinn.com/index.php if you have aaa, they do have an aaa discount, but you have to call. this is where my parents like to stay in the city. it is not cheap, but it's not outrageously expensive, either. you can generally get a room for around $225-250. most decent hotels in the city are close to $150-200/night.

i also like the jurys in dupont circle. http://www.jurysdoyle.com/usa/washington_hotel.htm

 

[laurajetter]

I've never used a tour bus when DH and I have visited DC because most everything is in walking distance or is close enough to the Metro.

My suggestion would be to find a nice printed map of the mall area (some are really easy to get a feel for the layout, so make sure to find one that is well drawn). Most of the museums and attractions are lined up on both sides of the mall, which is the long, rectangular grassy patch between the Washington Monument and the Capitol building. Walking from place to place is really easy.

Until you purchase a map that you can carry around with you, here are a couple of links to maps that you can refer to in the mean time. As you can see, many of the museums are all lined up next to each other. I would definitely take a little map with you; that's what DH and I did and it makes getting around a lot easier.

I forgot to mention in my first post that the National Archive building is a great place to go, too. It's not overwhelmingly big, but it is really neat to see the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence among other old documents.

Also, if you want a quick look in an art museum, go to the Hirshhorn, the circular building next to the Air and Space Museum... it's my favorite choice for art museums in DC. Even the building's architecture is neat!

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/visiting/e_one_section_no_teasers/the_mall_map.htm

http://ahp.gatech.edu/dc_map.html

Laura