Washington DC must see/do for kids

[tripletrouble]

We are going on a bus trip to Washington DC on Thursday. We'll be taking the trolley tour, which allows us to get on/off all day to see the sites. We will only be there for 7.5 hours. We have 8 year old boys. It seems that there are so many things to do. What are the must sees?
Thanks!

 

[tripletrouble]

bump

 

[LadyyRedd]

I personally think that the Air & Space Museum is not to be missed! It's my favorite of the Smithsonians and 8 year old boys will be fascinated! But be warned, it's easily an all day affair.

I also think that at least seeing the famous buildings & monuments, even if you don't go in them all, is a good experience for the kids - White House, Washington Monument, Capitol building, Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool, etc.

Kimya

 

[flying_babyb]

DONT MISS THE MUESEUM of crime and punishment. It was like 15 for a adult ticket but it was SOOOOOOOO cool. Its pretty much all hands on and self guided. Was so much better than the international spy meseum. Also its a wonderful place to take pictures so bring film. They have a mock jail cell which you can "tunnel" (its a plastic predug tunnel) that you can tunnel out of. I reccomend it highly. Im 23 and it was totally the high point of my trip. Its can be a short/long adventure. I know it took us about a hour and that was with playing with everything and trying to get my big butt unstuck from the tunnel without drawing too much attention (im a skinny college student who thought crawling in for a picture for my students would be funny... Not such a bright idea). I would totally reccomend seeing the momunments and if your doing lunch the hard rock cafe, its a nice fun place.

 

[jennypersons]

My son and daughter love the Air and Space Smithsonian and the Natural History Smithsonian- I think they are the 2 must-sees with kids. Going up the Washington Monument is fun (get tickets early) - but you can also go to the Old Post Office Pavillion, where there is rarely a wait, no tickets are needed and you get a pretty good view from up there.

If they are into History, the Archives is great! You can see all the important documents in one room and skip everything else if short on time. Walk around the area of the Lincoln memorial - you can see the Vietnam and Korean War memorials and if you walk to the end of the reflecting pool you can see the new WWII memorial and get a good look at both the White House and the Washington monument.

Also if you have the Trolley that goes to the Arlington National Cemetery (Trolley is the best way to get around the cemetery with all the hills!) You can catch the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Arlington House (which will also give you a great view of the city)

You can also see how money is made at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing - you have to get timed tickets for tours, so get those early (just like if you want to go up the Washington monument)

Do you/your kids have any specific interests? I have been to most things around there with my kids and have many suggestions

 

[LadyyRedd]

DONT MISS THE MUESEUM of crime and punishment. It was like 15 for a adult ticket but it was SOOOOOOOO cool. Its pretty much all hands on and self guided. Was so much better than the international spy meseum. Also its a wonderful place to take pictures so bring film. They have a mock jail cell which you can "tunnel" (its a plastic predug tunnel) that you can tunnel out of. I reccomend it highly. Im 23 and it was totally the high point of my trip. Its can be a short/long adventure. I know it took us about a hour and that was with playing with everything and trying to get my big butt unstuck from the tunnel without drawing too much attention (im a skinny college student who thought crawling in for a picture for my students would be funny... Not such a bright idea). I would totally reccomend seeing the momunments and if your doing lunch the hard rock cafe, its a nice fun place.

I agree with everythign here with one exception - the Hard Rock cafe. Even if you've never been to one, don't bother unless it's directly in your path and you're really hungry, especially since you're only there for 7.5 hours. It's a neat place to see once (and yes, I realize that the memorabilia is different at each one), but honestly, it's pricey for very mediocre food. DC has SO many much better restaurants to choose from.

Kimya

 

[Teacher03]

I agree with the air and space museum. If you have time, go to the National Zoo. It is free, and we all love it there. Everytime we visit my DD, the zoo is a must.

 

[simonkodousek]

My two favorite Washington D.C. attractions are the Air & Space Smithsonian museum, and the capitol tour.

 

[sherreis]

As the mother of 2 boys - 8 and 12, ITA with Air & Space and then Museum of Natural History if your son likes dinosaurs. I'll never forget the look on DS's face when I took him the first time and he saw the T-Rex.

 

[bdcp]

I don't think the National Zoo is on the trolley route. I have lived in the DC area almost my whole life, so we drive everywhere and I have never taken a tour bus or trolley. The Air and Space museum, Natural History museum, Washington Monument, US Capitol, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials would be my picks in terms of location to each other and to keep the interest of 8 year olds. Also, if you're looking to eat somewhere besides the museums, there are places a couple of blocks off the Mall area - near Spy Museum (McCormick and Schmick's among others). You can't see it all in a day, but you can see a lot if you don't try to read everything. Also, if you had more time you could take the bus out to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum near Dulles airport - I pass it everyday on my way to work.

 

[minniebeth]

We were just there for 2 days and believe me, 7 1/2 hrs. go by very quickly!
The trolley is a great option, but be aware they run every 20 mins. so you might wait to get onto the next one and then driving time to get to the destination you would like to get to.
We are out of town now but used to live very close.
My suggestion would be to hit the highlights along the National Mall, start up on Capitol Hill and work your way down to the Lincoln Memorial. If you wait on line to get tickets to any of the monuments or tours, you will eat up a lot of your time. You should decide if you want to do a "highlights of DC tour" or a visit to something of interest. You can take photos in front of the Capitol and then work your way to the Air and Space Museum. Tour it, but choose what your boys interests are and stick to those exhibits and stay within a time parameter. The Natural History Museum is so cool too but I'd skip it to see other things if you want highlights. Then work your way down the mall past the Washington Monument to the WWII Monument...very cool!
You can split your way and go off to the Jefferson Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial or to the Korean Memorial and Lincloln Memorial (Vietnam Memorial is there too.) Then end at the White House.

The Archives are VERY cool but realize that this is prime tourist time and there are long lines usually that are also time busters.
The National Zoo is quite off the beaten path of the mall, so I would save that for another trip, but the pandas are soooo adorable!

As for lunch, we stop at the many hot dog stands (Sabrett only for us!) for what we call "dirty water hot dogs" they are the yummiest and we look forward to them all the time. It is more reasonable and doesn't take much time as trying to find a sit down restaurant. Don't forget to get t-shirts 3/10$!

Have fun!!
We love Washington DC and will actually be there again next week for business with DH....

 

[toystorymom]

We were in DC for a long weekend in November with our boys, 11, 8, and 6. I just asked them and they said their favorites were the National Zoo, Air & Space Museum, and going to the top of the Washington Monument. We also went to the Natural History Museum but they didn't like it as much as I thought they would, they were kind of bored - the adults liked it though. Because you only have one day you could easily just get off the trolley at the Capitol and head up toward the National Mall and walk around. You would be able to see many of the monuments (I thought the WWII Memorial was amazing) and visit any of the museums. Unfortunately the zoo is in a different area, the pandas were worth the trip! It is also great that everything is free. Have fun!

 

[Chipmunk89]

We are going on a bus trip to Washington DC on Thursday. We'll be taking the trolley tour, which allows us to get on/off all day to see the sites. We will only be there for 7.5 hours. We have 8 year old boys. It seems that there are so many things to do. What are the must sees?
Thanks!

Since you'll only be there for 7.5 hours, I would stick to the mall. There is soooo many things to see. We like the Air & Space, Natural History, and the wall. The museums have places to grab a bite and a drink. Bring comfy shoes!

 

[tripletrouble]

Thanks so much for your replies! I was planning on packing a lunch and carrying it with us. I was thinking that this was a good isea since one of my sons has severe food allergies and we wouldn't be wasting time to sit down and eat. Does anyone know if you are allowed to bring food into the museums or other places of interest? I was also going to bring a lot of water since it's going to be 95 degrees tomorrow.

How close are these places together? Is it faster to walk than get on the trollley each time?

Thanks again!

 

[tripletrouble]

Where do you get the tickets for the Washington monument?
Thanks!

 

[toystorymom]

If you stick to the Mall (Capitol, Vietnam, WWII, Lincoln Memorials, Washington Monument, and many of the museums), they are all close together and within easy walking distance which would take less time than the trolley.

For the Washington Monument there is a small shop at the bottom of the hill that you can get the free tickets to go up to the top. They are timed tickets though and they do run out, so the earlier the better.

Not sure about the food. Many of the museums had small restaurants. I'm sure if it was packed up it wouldn't be a problem. Then you could find a shady spot outside and have a picnic.

Have fun!

 

[ckoncurat]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but the american history museum has the actual star spangled banner. My kids thought that was VERY cool. I also wouldn't miss the national archives- its just a quick walk through, but you get to see the declaration of Independance. Consider watching the movie national treasure before you go. IMHO, the spy museum and crime and punishment are a waste of money- why PAY to go to a museum whem there is so much to do for free?

 

[sherreis]

Here's the link for the Washington Monument. You can get tickets ahead of time.

Washington Monument

 

[Cindy B]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but the american history museum has the actual star spangled banner. My kids thought that was VERY cool. I also wouldn't miss the national archives- its just a quick walk through, but you get to see the declaration of Independance. Consider watching the movie national treasure before you go. IMHO, the spy museum and crime and punishment are a waste of money- why PAY to go to a museum whem there is so much to do for free?

American history musuem is closed for refurb until next year.

 

[Cindy B]

Has anyone mentioned the National Zoo? My kids loved it when they were younger. That is off the red line on the Metro. Zoo is free.