Washington DC Budget?

[tinkerbell423]

It looks like I am taking an unexpected trip to Washington DC this summer. It's a long story...My MIL promised to take DD this month (she takes all the grandkids once and this was her year) then plans changed. So I am looking into taking her on the trip myself. I have been researching it and still don't have a good idea what i should budget for the trip. Here's what I am looking for: Can someone help me figure out how much this trip should cost (so i can decide if we can/should do it):

There will be 1 Adult and 3 children 13,9,6
We will drive I can figure out gas but the budget needs to include parking
How many days do we need? X hotel in a safe area either within walking distance or metro station
cost of metro
food (we will have breakfast in the room)

We are interested in going to a few museums and the Zoo
Thanks!! in advance for any help I am very confused and feel pressed for time.

 

[judowoman]

The great thing about DC is that the zoo is free as are most museums..

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

have you not done any research online? all of this information can be found online

 

[KristenF]

have you not done any research online? all of this information can be found online

This is rude. She's looking for others experience with costs. As far as I can see, you've done the same. As have we all.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

This is rude. She's looking for others experience with costs. As far as I can see, you've done the same. As have we all.

actually no, I have not asked for people to do my planning for me...

 

[disneyofcourse]

MomNeedsVacay
Why respond with nothing good to say? At least post a link to some good places to find info with the time it took to write something negative.


Here's some Metro Info. http://wmata.com/
Use google maps and type in Hotel and you should be able to find places near metro. Parking garages are pricey and hotels usually have a charge per day for parking. However, I have been able to snag free parking spots within a block of the zoo early in the morning!! You can also find free parking next to monuments, it might require a bit of circling.

Lets see, check out expedia and it should tell you if hotels are within walking distance of the metro. Make sure you call the hotel before booking to confirm the type and cost of parking.

Personally I've found "the green line" to be rowdy. I got off at Anacostia once and jumped right back on the metro. You can stop at Regan National airport and check out planes taking off. Stop at the King street metro station at Old town Alexandria and take the free trolley down to the water, restaurants, shops etc. They had a farmers market once and it was so nice but I don't know much about it.

Instead of getting off at the zoo metro stop I think you should go one more stop (Cleveland park??) and its actually less walking to the zoo.


Bethesda is a GREAT place to hang around. Tons of shopping!! Safe area

Oh and the metro stops right in the middle of the museum area. Don't pay for maps from the people selling them when you get off the metro. They are free to the public

I stayed at a hotel located In King Farm, Rockville MD and took the bus to the metro station about 2 blocks away. King Farm is a whole mini suburb with grocery stores, restaurants etc. It has great walking trail areas and kids parks!
Please correct if anything doesn't sound right as I'm just going off the top of my head.

 

[tinkerbell423]

This is rude. She's looking for others experience with costs. As far as I can see, you've done the same. As have we all.

Thanks KristenF

I am always happy to give any advice I can about Disney, I am the Disney "expert" among my friend. I am always happy to help out with planning and know most Disers are too. I just feel lost with this DC trip even after researching

 

[mjkacmom]

OP, there have been many, many threads on this topic on the DIS. Do a search, and you will find a whole lot of great information quickly.

 

[snowy76]

Stay in Arlington - the blue and orange Metro lines run through it straight into DC and the rooms are slightly cheaper - DC rooms can be pricey!

Stick to the sights along the mall (monuments, museums), plus the zoo and you'll find plenty to do for free. The Air and Space and Natural History museums are the best for kids IMO.

 

[StitchBuddy]

Have you thought about renting a condo/apartment for a week/ It would give you more room and you could cook some meals.

 

[clori]

I just got back a week ago. We stayed at Embassy Suites in Alexandria which was right across the street from the King St Metro stop on the blue/yellow lines and free Old Town King St Trolley. I had kids 6, 10, 12, dh, me, my sister and dm82, df87. While we had two rooms I had all 3 kids in my room so you could all do 1 suite in a suite hotel most likely. We flew so I didn't pay attention to parking. The hotel has a free breakfast with hot food and daily manager's reception and an indoor pool. I would imagine prices vary from week to week.

We got there on Saturday and left Thursday morning so had 4.5 days. We decided to just to the 7 day unlimited metro card which was $47 per person though I didn't figure out if pay as you go could have been cheaper. The $35 pass didn't work from us to the Smithsonian or time of day we wanted to go.

We probably saw less sights than you could since my parents are elderly and not up for full day sightseeing. For the Smithsonian we ended up visiting Air and Space, American History, Post Office Museum and Natural History plus the outdoor sculpure gardens. We had purchased tickets ahead of time thru national park service for the National Archives for $1.50 per person. I also purchased tickets ahead of time for Ford's Theater. We did a congressional tour of Library of Congress and the Capitol. We did the tourmobile ride at Arlington National Cemetary. Two of us got up very early and got tickets for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing - if you do that be there around 7am.

We didn't have tickets to the White House so we just did the White House Visitor Center. We also didn't try for tickets at the Washington Monument but did the Old Clock Tower at the Old Post Office Pavillion instead. One thing that dd10 and I did at her request was a ghost tour of Old Town Alexandria. I paid $18 for that but I think it was $12 adult and $6 for kids. I think the tourmobile for just Arlington National Cemetary was $8 or $9 per adult and cheaper for kids/seniors. You can walk there but it made it easier for my parents. We also did a nighttime monument tour which includes free hotel drop off/pick up - we used Royaltrolleys and the kids still talk about the driver.

Have a fun trip!

 

[wintershawl]

My DH and I loved going to DC. It is very family friendly with so many of the great sites you want to go to being free... the Smithsonian and the zoo.

The biggest budget buster will be food. While the museums are free, the food courts are overpriced! We usually just pay whatever and don't mind it (like at Disney). But the "sticker price" on the food was ouchie. So, while I don't have any great tips or suggestions on where to eat, I would suggest possibly looking into restaurants in the area that are cheaper in advance so you have some choices.

We usually stay close to the Rockville, MD area. There are lots of great restaurants and shopping areas. We found a little treasure of a place to eat called "Hard Times Cafe." They are known for their chilli. It is a chain, but that is the fartherest north they come, so it was a new experience for us.

Good luck as you look for information and definitely have a wonderful time!!

 

[faith]

Hi Tinkerbell! I was there recently with family.
Three full days would be nice. I highly recommend Old Town ALexandria, Va area. Seemed very safe, since you will be traveling by yourself wilth your children. Look for a free parking promotion.
We liked the Museum of Natural History, American History, and the Air and Space Museum. Free. There are many other choices also. Check out a DC guidebook at the library.
If your children are good walkers definitely do the Memorials. The bus tour would make this easier, but expensive. The Metro was a very safe mode of travel. All the DC residents were very nice to us.
Food trucks are outside the Museums. Hot dogs, drinks, chips etc. Probably $8.00 for each of you, but saved time and money for a quick lunch. We had dinner back in Old Town. The trolly there will take you to many eateries on King St.
Hope you decide to go, and have a wonderful time.

 

[Danibelle]

I don't know of any reason to visit Anacostia. It is a high crime area.

I would stay in Crystal City or Alexandria and try to get close to a metro stop. For kids, I would recommend Air and Space, Natural History, and American History for museums. I also really enjoyed the Museum of the American Indian. If you have time, the zoo is ok, too. There is so much to see it's hard to narrow it down. It's definitely not a budget location, but at least most of the museums and the zoo are free.

Have fun!

 

[kimmyann]

We went to D.C 3 times in the past year . Needless to say, we are now over it & won't be going back for a few years, but it was a fun & new experience for us, we just overkilled it. Budget wise your better off staying outside of D.C. We have stayed in Alexandria & Fairfax, both places do not charge for parking, so that is a savings within itself. The Holiday Inn on Eisenhower is a great location, you can walk about a block to the metro, but they do not offer free breakfast. Springhill Suites in Fairfax is nice, has free breakfast, but you have to drive to the metro station. We had great experiences with both. We paid under $100 for both hotels per night.

Food, idk. We ate at Cascade Cafe at the mall & were highly disappointed. The air & space museum has a mcdonalds & we wish we would have just ate there. We choose to get the all day pass for the metro, it's just easier to me, it is $9 per person, I think. Parking at the metro stations is free on weekends too.

 

[Poohforyou]

We were in DC for a long weekend over the Easter holiday.

We stayed at the Westin Georgetown using Starwood American Express points. We drove as well and parking was $40 a day . That was for valet. We tried to self park but there weren't any spots. That would have cost $28. Rooms run about $225 a night.

We loved the hotel and the location. It was a short walk (under 10 min) to the Foggy Bottom Metro station. It was also an easy walk into Georgetown along M street (about 15 min). I pre-ordered cupcakes from DC Cupcakes (TLC show) and we walked to get them.

There was a Trader Joe's around the corner from the hotel that we got breakfast stuff from and even did sandwiches and salads for dinner one night. There were 2 Starbucks within 3 blocks plus a big CVS with a mini-mart inside.

We had 3 full days and spent one doing some of the Smithsonians, another doing the Spy Museum and just walking around and the 3rd at the zoo. We've been to DC a number of times, we live about 4 hours away, and these were the things DD most wanted to do. It didn't really matter to DH or me.

There is a lot to do in DC that doesn't cost anything and if you use www.yelp.com you can find a lot of places to eat that are good and cheap.

 

[labdogs42]

We were in DC for Easter weekend, too! We actually camped at the Capitol KOA and did Baltimore on Saturday and DC Sunday. We also hit the National Harbor area to go to the Peeps & Company store while we were there! I agree with the Smithsonian food being a ripoff. If you can pack some snacks and share a meal, that might help. We did the Trolley tour of DC which probably wasn't necessary, but we enjoyed it. I wouldn't say it was a really inexpensive weekend, but it was fun!

 

[MissUndastood]

have you not done any research online? all of this information can be found online

Rude, much? Sounds as though you really do need a vacay.

 

[mominva]

DC native here - I think Crystal City is a good choice to find a hotel. It's overloaded with hotels, so prices can often be very competitive. The embassy suites in Alexandria sounds great too. Embassy Suites are great for families, since you get 2 separate rooms, a huge breakfast, and the reception at night with free drinks - just what you'll need after tromping around the museums all day!

Sign up for http://www.groupon.comand http://www.livingsocial.com. There are several more of these sites for the area, but in addition to half price or more deals for restaurants, they also often offer half price tours. I just saw one for half price walking tours, including a ghost tour. You can't beat the discount.

I don't think the metro passes are a great deal unless you plan to really bounce around during the day. If you just go down to the smithsonian and back from crystal city, I think it's about $4 round trip, depending on time of day. A trip to the mall or the zoo is a LOT of walking, so that's often all you'll do for the day. And the zoo is built on a hill. If you take the metro, you'll arrive at the top of the zoo, but to get home, it's a long walk back up! So, probably a full day in itself, also.

I highly recommend going down to the mall early in the morning. The monuments are wonderful early in the day before the crowds and the heat.

Please feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions. I'd be happy to give you an opinion on a hotel/neighborhood if you find something you like. Good luck!

Andrea

 

[mominva]

I meant to mention the food. Yes! The restaurants at the Smithsonian and the zoo are horribly expensive for not great food. Even the McD's in the air and space museum is overpriced. The only exception, I think, is the restaurant in the Museum of the American Indian. Expensive, but fantastic food. They have native foods from South to North America.

Once you're at the Smithsonian, there really aren't many restaurant options within walking distance, so you're kind of stuck. There are food trucks on the streets, where you might be able to get something a little more cheaply, but not much. Maybe you could plan a picnic for when you have a Smithsonian day. I can't remember if the guards would give you a hard time bringing it into the museums - I've never tried that. You certainly couldn't eat it in there, but maybe if it was wrapped up in a backpack, they wouldn't care....

At the zoo, there are many options if you exit the zoo at the top and walk down the hill a couple of blocks (back towards the metro). There's even a 7/11 across the street from the zoo for a quick hot dog and a drink. still much cheaper than what you'd pay for the same thing inside the zoo.