Washington, DC Christmas/New Years Week

[JaxDad]

I've read the past threads on family travel to Washington, DC and wanted to see if anyone had travelled there the week after Christmas. I know it will be relatively crowded, but how bad is it? Also, what are some of the recommendations for things to do that week, including New Years Eve? How many days should I plan? Are there bargains I should seek on the non-free attractions, like Spy Museum?

I have a 12-year old son and a 8-year old daughter, both good walkers. I know we will want to go to the Natural History Museum, National Archives, Spy Museum, plus the monuments on the Mall. We will also probably add American History Museum, Air and Space, the Zoo, plus others. Although I am likely too late, I have submitted requests for the White House and Capital tours. (I really want my children to have a Civics lesson as part of this trip.) I am familiar with the area and many attractions, but my experience is from several years ago, and mostly from business travel. I am comfortable using the Metro, and will likely limit the attractions we see to those within walking distance of Metro stations.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations! This Board was a huge help on our Pigeon Forge trip this Summer.

 

[Colleen27]

We went two years ago and were absolutely floored by how UNcrowded it was. We arrived the day after Christmas and went home on New Year's Day, and even with unseasonably nice weather (mid-high 50s during the day) the museums and zoo really weren't crowded. It was our kids' first trip and we stuck mostly to the free attractions because that was more than enough to fill the time we had. Eventually I'd likely to get back to check out the Newseum and take the kids to the Holocaust Museum, but we had plenty to do with the Smithsonian museums and the zoo.

We stayed downtown near the convention center and walked or took the Metro just about everywhere. We did rent a car for one day to go out to Udvar-Hazy, which was well worth the time and cost - a cheap one-day car rental and $13 for parking - to see the shuttle and the historic military planes there.

 

[sharonmickey]

I've been there twice near Christmas. It wasn't crowded either time. We usually stay south of the city near one of the Metro stops. The first hotel was within walking distance of the Metro, the second hotel had a free shuttle to the Metro. Loved seeing all the Christmas trees, one from each state. Would like to go back again to see the Christmas decorations one year soon.

 

[Colleen27]

Replying again... There don't seem to be any family oriented NYE events in DC itself, at least not that we found. There were some things out in the suburbs (Arlington has something, iirc) but we decided just to have a late-ish dinner and enjoy an evening in the hotel pool, then watch the ball drop in our room. Most of the touristy things were open as usual on NYE and NY Day so we really didn't skip a beat in our touring for the holiday.

 

[JaxDad]

Thank you both for your replies. It is reassuring to hear that it may not be so crowded. I've still not committed, although I'm probably 80-90 percent sure we will go for it! I made a reservation at the Residence Inn in Pentagon City/Arlington. I used to stay there on business and found it to be a great property in a great location. I got a good deal and can easily cancel. I was originally planning to rent a vehicle and drive the 10-11 hours each way, but am now looking at flying, as airfares aren't too bad. I need to commit soon though!

Colleen, I am still on the fence about staying through New Years or just coming home on the 31st. There are events in Alexandria that look good, but I'm not sure if the kids would make it through the night and if I want to deal with crowds and transportation!

Thanks again!

 

[Colleen27]

If you decide to fly, check fares into BWI (Baltimore) as well as the DC airports. We flew Southwest into Baltimore for something ridiculous like $110pp r/t, and the train into the city from there was super easy. You don't need to pre-book tickets for the commuter train, which runs frequently M-F but either limited hours or not at all on holidays. So we took that into the city on our arrival and then booked Amtrak from Union Station for the return trip. IIRC, we spent about $30pp r/t for train fare. Even adding that to the airfare it was cheaper than flying into Dulles or Reagan National.

 

[JaxDad]

Thanks Colleen! I will keep checking, but Southwest did not have such great fares for my dates. I used to fly into BWI sometimes for business trips to DC. I would use the Metro bus from BWI to the Greenbelt Metro rail station. I think it was $2-3. I called it my "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" day. With the kids, I would definitely look at the train! Right now, there are some decent fares into Reagan National, which is super convenient for our hotel. I really appreciate all your advice!

 

[DisneyMandC]

Thank you both for your replies. It is reassuring to hear that it may not be so crowded. I've still not committed, although I'm probably 80-90 percent sure we will go for it! I made a reservation at the Residence Inn in Pentagon City/Arlington. I used to stay there on business and found it to be a great property in a great location. I got a good deal and can easily cancel. I was originally planning to rent a vehicle and drive the 10-11 hours each way, but am now looking at flying, as airfares aren't too bad. I need to commit soon though!

Colleen, I am still on the fence about staying through New Years or just coming home on the 31st. There are events in Alexandria that look good, but I'm not sure if the kids would make it through the night and if I want to deal with crowds and transportation!

Thanks again!

I've stayed at that Residence Inn too! Nice location and within walking distance of a lot of shopping/restaurants.

While sad, I would recommend the Pentagon Memorial for 9/11. It is beautifully done and very moving.

 

[JaxDad]

I've stayed at that Residence Inn too! Nice location and within walking distance of a lot of shopping/restaurants.

While sad, I would recommend the Pentagon Memorial for 9/11. It is beautifully done and very moving.

I had not even thought of the Pentagon Memorial! That is a great idea, especially since it is within walking distance from the hotel. My kids and I talked about 9/11 quite a bit on the recent anniversary, so it would be a good follow-up. I was stationed at the Pentagon as a Reservist and was there when they re-opened the section hit by the plane. A co-worker had to literally crawl out of the rubble after the plane hit--it's an amazing story.

I'm also going to take the kids to the Air Force Memorial, since both me and their "Pop-Pop" are Air Force vets. It probably won't be too exciting for them!

 

[DisneyMandC]

I had not even thought of the Pentagon Memorial! That is a great idea, especially since it is within walking distance from the hotel. My kids and I talked about 9/11 quite a bit on the recent anniversary, so it would be a good follow-up. I was stationed at the Pentagon as a Reservist and was there when they re-opened the section hit by the plane. A co-worker had to literally crawl out of the rubble after the plane hit--it's an amazing story.

I'm also going to take the kids to the Air Force Memorial, since both me and their "Pop-Pop" are Air Force vets. It probably won't be too exciting for them!

Scary stuff! It really is amazing though. We visited that not long after we had gone to the OKC bombing memorial. They are very similar and designed by the same artist, if I'm not mistaken (which seems like a grim task!). But yes, definitely within walking distance.

I would recommend Old Town Alexandria as well if you want sort of a laidback day outside of the museums. Nice area with cute shops and restaurants. It's a good place to stroll around when it's nice weather, if you're that fortunate in December!

 

[PlutoPony]

Metro is not as reliable as it has been so check the website for service disruptions periodically before you go. Would not recommend staying near / attempting to use Stadium-Armory metro stop now as it is only being served by rail on the Blue line, other lines are via bus. This is due to a recent substation fire that impacts the power going to various Metro lines and will take 6 months + to repair. Other disruptions may come because of this problem, so just keep an eye out for things like that. In general it should be a quiet week for Fed workers as so many are off that time of year, and that will help Metro cope. But that could also mean longer times between trains if they decide to scale back service that week to get more MUCH NEEDED maintenance done.

Weather can go either way.... we've been in shorts or bundled up. Not a lot family oriented going on NYE, First Night Alexandria is probably the best option and gets good reviews. Plus Alexandria is a neat place to visit. Keep an eye on their website for details.

 

[m&m_mom]

Hi! This is my first post. I live in the DC area. The week after Christmas shouldn't be too crowded. Most schools are back in session so that cuts down on the tourists. The Air & Space museum can be a hike. It is out by Dulles airport. There really isn't much for kids to do for NYE within DC. There are beautiful lighted tree displays, the National tree, the Capital tree, the Willard hotel lobby has a live choral group and is beautifully decorated. If you want to venture into Alexandria, there are a ton of cute shops. There is a candy shop that does free kids cupcake and gingerbread house decorating. You could also take the water ferry over to Mount Vernon to see it decorated for the Christmas season and meet Martha Washington. Depending on when you go, you might be able to go on one of the candle light tours of the house. The water ferry also goes to National Harbor. The Gaylord Hotel has a fantastic Christmas tree display and every night they do a tree lighting concert that ends in it snowing inside the hotel atrium. They also have a kids train around the tree, a reindeer scavenger hunt, shops, and the Ice show (last year it was Frosty the Snowman). There is a ton of stuff to do on the harbor. The Children's Museum, the Peeps store, the Ferris Wheel, farmers market.

Have a fun trip!

 

[JaxDad]

Thanks for the good local intel on the Metro, Pluto! I will definitely monitor that.

Thank you too m&m_mom and welcome to the DIS! I have National Harbor and the Gaylord on my maybe/if I have time list!

 

[Eureka]

Thanks for the good local intel on the Metro, Pluto! I will definitely monitor that.

Thank you too m&m_mom and welcome to the DIS! I have National Harbor and the Gaylord on my maybe/if I have time list!

Just a note, unless you want fast food, restaurants at National Harbor tend to be pricey. That said, we really enjoy Redstone Grill. It's expensive but kind of casual-elegant and if you're lucky, you can get a table with a view of the Ferris wheel.

 

[JaxDad]

Thanks Eureka!

I bought airline tickets yesterday, so I'm now committed to the trip!

 

[jerseygirl82]

A second vote for the National Harbor! We visit DC/VA frequently and the Harbor is always a must for us. The Gaylord and ICE show alone are worth the visit. The kids would get a kick out of eating at Cadillac Ranch and riding the Ferris wheel. Also check out Bobby McKeys dueling piano bar. They do weekly family events that are a blast. Have a great time!

 

[RoosMama]

Just if you haven't been there before, we were highly disappointed by the spy museum. I had high expectations going in, but didn't think it was worth the money. Some people may love it, but just one opinion to consider!

 

[wvjules]

m&m, there is also an Air and Space museum at the mall. They don't have to go all the way to the Dulles one unless they specifically want to see a space shuttle.

I see someone mentioned the Gaylord which is what I was going to mention as well. Check to see what they have planned for NYE. It may be family friendly.

And the metro definitely sucks lately. I have never seen it this bad. Check out outages/delays/etc at wmata.com You can also download an app of the same name to be ale to see delays while you are out and about.

Dinner at Old Ebbit Grill followed by seeing the National tree would be a nice night out as a family too.

<--a local (work near WH)

 

[m&m_mom]

Yeah, I always forget about the one by the mall. The shuttle is the big draw for my kiddos.

 

[PlutoPony]

One thing to remember (and I hope you don't experience)...

DC and suburbs does not deal well with snow. Half inch, inch, 6 inches - whatever. We shut down for any and all snow. The mere mention of snow sends people into a frenzy. Don't fight it. And it really doesn't matter if YOU can drive in snow.... many of us have grown up with it and can handle it just fine. But there's something about this area and snow. Some of it is the traffic is horrific - and adding anything that makes driving more of an challenge only makes it worse. Add in it's difficult to forecast the rain/snow/sleet/freezing rain line (the topography really varies across the metro area) and you have fun for all. Just beware......