Washington, DC Trip Help Needed - How Many Days/Nights?

[mnrose]

If it helps any, the place we stayed was between 7th and 8th and D&E in the NW sector. It's a fine area. We never felt unsafe. And many wonderful restaurants within 2 blocks. Many.

Restaurants: It was an Uber ride from where we stayed, but OMG good..Ambar. Highly recommend.

 

[low-key]

even if you just spend a couple days at the hotel, the longer the trip the better, its just more fun that way

 

[dotfurio]

We went for 6 days in DC not counting travel days. We prioritized what everyone wanted to see, but there's just so much that we couldn't see everything that sounded interesting. That said, you can get a lot done in a day as most things are fairly close together. One tip that helped us with the museums was to seek out the highlights we wanted to see at each first, then browse the rest if we had time. One of our days was a day trip to Gettysburg and Sach's covered bridge. On another day, we did Mt. Vernon and Arlington in the same day and still made it back to DC with time to visit the Pride Festival.

We mostly used the metro to get around. There was a stop right by our hotel - Homewood Suites Navy Yard. There's a grocery store near by and all the rooms have a little kitchen, so that was nice. The downside is we weren't impressed with any of the restaurants we tried near the hotel.

You asked about kids at the Holocaust museum - we weren't able to get tickets to the main exhibit, but we were able to go in and walk through Daniel's Story. It's an amazing interactive experience, designed for kids but the whole family enjoyed it.
https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/museum-exhibitions/remember-the-children-daniels-story

We also were able to get seats at an interview with a Holocaust survivor. It bored our youngest, but for the rest of us it was so incredible to hear the first hand account in person.
https://www.ushmm.org/information/visit-the-museum/programs-activities/first-person-program

 

[Wendy31]

I loved our trip to the greater DC area. We were there for three days/four nights, and it wasn't nearly enough time to do what we wanted to do.

My number one suggestion - however many days/nights you will be there - make your list of 'must see' items and take the time now to look the websites for each attraction and plan out what is located where + its operating hours and how to best access it. Then you can add the 'if we have time' items if you have more time to see something.

We had applied early and did the White House tour. I loved that one, but you may be too late if you're going in March of this year. I LOVED Ford's Theater and the Petersen house across the street. If you want the tour of Ford's Theater, again, check the schedule. Afternoons are sometimes not available because it is currently an active theater.

We loved walking through the National Mall (see the WWII Memorial), the Lincoln Memorial (check out the steps! you can stand where MLK Jr. did) and onto the many Smithsonian Museums. I'd also include the newest one, the National Museum of African American History & Culture (check if reservations are required.) We heard there were also some amazing after dark tours of the downtown DC area. We didn't do one, but the reviews we heard from other travelers were hugely popular.

We also loved Mount Vernon and were awed by Arlington.

Again, we're planning to return in a year or two. This is ground zero for much of US history. You will find yourself surrounded by so many cool things! Have a great trip!!!

Thank you for all the great suggestions! And, yes, we really need to finalize our dates, so I can try & schedule White House & Capitol tours. And that's a good tip about Ford's Theatre - I hadn't even really thought about it still being a working theater.

Our whole family really does love & appreciate our history, so I'm very excited!

We went and stuffed in as much as we could - which meant non stop moving, and somehow our kids kept up the pace until one of them got sick. Arrived in DC after lunch - got settled and did the Air & Space on the mall because it's open until 7:00.

Next morning we did a White House Tour at 7:30AM and then the natural history Museum in the AM, had lunch, did our capitol tour - then got on the hop on/hop off bus (i would def skip this) and went to the Art museum and saw all of the monuments from the bus. I forget what we did that night.

Full day #2 we had tickets for the African American History museum (they open them up months in advance and open the entire month at once - I would look today for these tickets if you are going in March). Lunch then American History Museum in the afternoon - where DD got really sick so we headed back to the hotel. Son and I did the nighttime Monuments bus tour and loved it - very much worth it, great way to see the monuments. IIRC it was from like 6:30 - 10:30 - it was long.

Last day was a half day and we went and toured the Supreme Court when it opened and then went back to the American History museum since we'd missed so much the day before. Then had to leave.

We could have easily spent another day to see more museums, but for a short time frame we got a lot in.

I'm so sorry your DD got sick! But, yes, your family did manage to fit quite a lot in, which is encouraging to me! We're pretty good at being on the go & keeping full days.

It you can't get a White House tour, there is a visitor center about a block away that is very interesting.

We have enjoyed both Air and Space Museums, the one on the mall and the one out by Dulles.

I give another vote for Old Ebbitt Grill. We went to Founding Farmers, after having difficulty getting a reservation, and were unimpressed.

Be aware of the Cherry Blossom Festival which starts March 20. http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/2018-signature-event-dates/ Things get very crowded then. But there is always something going on in DC. In the spring there are a lot of school tours.

I'm looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms, but I'm not looking forward to the extra crowds.

We did 5 nights in March two years ago and are going back for 7 nights this June.

We are doing the cathedral for sure and want to be there when they play the organ. Arlington is on the list for this time and the Nuseum.

The Holocaust Museum and all the Smithsonian museums were incredible. We did the Capital tour and White House tour and will plan on those again. There is so much!

My son will turn 18 on our summer trip amd is a history buff so I am looking for a restaurant in a historic building. Amy suggestions?

I know! There's so much, & it's so hard to decide what to schedule & what to leave out!

And, ooh, yes... I would love recommendations for historic restaurants too!

OP, you can definitely see a lot in 4 days, however, I think your list is very ambitious. It really depends on how you tour and how much time you spend in museums. Do you realize that “the Smithsonians” are 10+ different museums/galleries? Even if you are able to move quickly through exhibits and only focus on the highlights (which you might research in advance), I would allow a minimum of 2-3 hours for most of the museums.

My family loves both locations of the Air and Space Museum and could easily spend most of a full day at either one. Be aware that the main one on the National Mall is the most popular Smithsonian and the most visited museum in the US. My other favorite is the National Museum of American History, which is huge and has things like the original Star Spangled Banner flag, Edison’s lightbulb, and Judy Garland’s ruby slippers. I also love the National Portrait Gallery, but since we live outside NYC, we tend to skip the art museums and the Natural History Museum (also great!) since we can see comparable museums close to home. The Newseum is wonderful too; FYI, tickets there are good for 2 days. Also recommend the National Archives (see the Declaration of Independence and other documents), and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

We go to DC fairly often and each time like to do something new. Haven’t been to the Holocaust museum yet but it’s on my list. You need to prioritize what you want to see as you will not have time to see everything.

As pp mentioned, Cherry Blossom festival is the last week of March, and since Easter is April 1 this year, that week will likely be spring break for many schools. Sometimes multiple large school groups of 100+ kids can clog the museums, so maybe have a Plan B for each day if your chosen destination is packed (like switching to another park at WDW when crowds get too crazy).

Yes, I knew there were several Smithsonian museums, but I didn't remember the actual number. I remember that we were NOT able to tour all of them on my 6th grade trip, but I do remember freeze dried space ice cream, the Hope Diamond, the First Ladies' Inaugural gowns, & some dinosaurs too, I think.

I think we're more interested in the Air & Space Museum by Dulles (?) which houses the Discovery Space Shuttle.

But I think we'd definitely like to see American History Museum & the National Portrait Gallery & maybe also the Natural History Museum. The National Archives is probably also a must. And I'd like to make time for the Newseum.

And I hate that we're having to switch our plans from April to March because, I agree, that there will be more spring breakers & school groups during the 2 weeks we're considering now.

We went for 6 days in DC not counting travel days. We prioritized what everyone wanted to see, but there's just so much that we couldn't see everything that sounded interesting. That said, you can get a lot done in a day as most things are fairly close together. One tip that helped us with the museums was to seek out the highlights we wanted to see at each first, then browse the rest if we had time. One of our days was a day trip to Gettysburg and Sach's covered bridge. On another day, we did Mt. Vernon and Arlington in the same day and still made it back to DC with time to visit the Pride Festival.

We mostly used the metro to get around. There was a stop right by our hotel - Homewood Suites Navy Yard. There's a grocery store near by and all the rooms have a little kitchen, so that was nice. The downside is we weren't impressed with any of the restaurants we tried near the hotel.

You asked about kids at the Holocaust museum - we weren't able to get tickets to the main exhibit, but we were able to go in and walk through Daniel's Story. It's an amazing interactive experience, designed for kids but the whole family enjoyed it.
https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/museum-exhibitions/remember-the-children-daniels-story

We also were able to get seats at an interview with a Holocaust survivor. It bored our youngest, but for the rest of us it was so incredible to hear the first hand account in person.
https://www.ushmm.org/information/visit-the-museum/programs-activities/first-person-program

Oh, I'd love to fit in a side trip to Gettysburg, but I just don't think it will happen.

I was looking earlier at a pet friendly hotel near Navy Yard & was wondering how convenient it would be.

And... until I started this thread, I had no idea that you had to get tickets early for the Holocaust Museum & African American History Museum. "Daniel's Story" might be better for our family anyway. I knew we would need to schedule tickets for the Capitol & White House, but I didn't know about these other 2 museums, so thank you for the advice!

I guess I need to do some more research about each attraction, &, like another poster mentioned, go to each website & plan when & how to tour.

 

[Wendy31]

In looking at the Smithsonians, I think our "must dos" would be American History, Natural History, the National Zoo, & maybe the Portrait Gallery. I think we'll probably try the Advar Hazy Space Museum instead of the Space Museum at the Mall - however, I know DH & DD will want to do both Space Museums.

I'm interested in the African American History Museum as well, but not being able to get passes worries me.

And I want to eat at the Indian Museum.

Oh, & this is really ambitious because we can end up spending waaaaay too much time in museums.

 

[Christine]

I was looking earlier at a pet friendly hotel near Navy Yard & was wondering how convenient it would be.

I work at the Navy Yard. It is a newly developed area in DC (used to be the slums for sure). I think some of the hotel rates might be a tad cheaper there than in other places but that is fast fading. Anyway, the Navy Yard stop is on the Green Line which isn't the line that runs near the Mall or site seeing areas. All that means is that you will have to make a transfer somewhere, no big deal. However, the Navy Yard is situated very close to most things if you were to have a car or Uber. As dotfurio said, there is a Harris Teeter grocery store very close to the hotel and, while a lot of the fine dining you read about it DC is not there, there are plenty of places there if you just want to grab something. I swear, every month, something new is opening. Not only that, a couple of months ago, about 1-2 miles south of the hotel there, they have revitalized/redone the "The Wharf" area, so there is a bunch of new restaurants and activities down that way. I wouldn't walk it, but again, a very quick, 1 minute Uber ride down there. You are also a very short distance from the 8th Street/Barracks Row area which has a few excellent dining options.

 

[mousefan73]

We were there last year 3 days which was simply too short. We kept saying at least a week if you do many museums, arlington, capitol hill, library of congress etc. We regreted not having the time checking out some of the neighborhoods for example Georgetown. We stayed in Arlington which was great that in itself is nice and Washington is also a walkable city so it’s great just simply walk around and see things. We would also love to see in Williamsburg and many other historical places outside the city, we just not have time. We had booked an Airbnb in Arlington. As a tip there’s a city bus that’s hope on/off for one dollar each hop that takes you to all the monuments you’ll save a lot of time that way. Can’t remember the name but Google it it’s a city bus. Also we had a rental car but we decided to use Uber to go from Arlington to downtown we were five people and so actually the cost was almost about the same as each of us taking the metro and saved time. I was actually thinking of giving you my Airbnb contact as they were very dog friendly they had two dogs but they were pitbulls. Very human friendly But would not want to stay there with my own dog

 

[mousefan73]

In looking at the Smithsonians, I think our "must dos" would be American History, Natural History, the National Zoo, & maybe the Portrait Gallery. I think we'll probably try the Advar Hazy Space Museum instead of the Space Museum at the Mall - however, I know DH & DD will want to do both Space Museums.

I'm interested in the African American History Museum as well, but not being able to get passes worries me.

And I want to eat at the Indian Museum.

Oh, & this is really ambitious because we can end up spending waaaaay too much time in museums.

In Aug the African Musuem was a mad house!! Tickets are a challenge but you need them! Library of congress is a must do. There us an underground tunnel from the Capitol to it. We did the Capitol tour at 10am, ate lunch there and walked about to the library. Then hopped on the dollar bus and did lincoln and washington memorial. Were done by 5 ish

 

[Christine]

The bus everyone is referring to is called "The Circulator." http://www.dccirculator.com/

 

[mousefan73]

The bus everyone is referring to is called "The Circulator." http://www.dccirculator.com/

Thanks! I had only something-“lator “ in my head.

 

[JaxDad]

In looking at the Smithsonians, I think our "must dos" would be American History, Natural History, the National Zoo, & maybe the Portrait Gallery. I think we'll probably try the Advar Hazy Space Museum instead of the Space Museum at the Mall - however, I know DH & DD will want to do both Space Museums.

I'm interested in the African American History Museum as well, but not being able to get passes worries me.

And I want to eat at the Indian Museum.

Oh, & this is really ambitious because we can end up spending waaaaay too much time in museums.

We went to DC last year. I was a reservist at the Pentagon back in the day and always liked to stay in the Pentagon City area (specifically at the Residence Inn). It is convenient to Metro lines, restaurants, and shopping ( big mall), as well as a nice grocery store.

Like others have said, I planned groups of sites, especially around Metro stations. For example, we went on the Capitol tour (which I recommend), then the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. The LoC does not necessarily take much time, but it is well worth it to see the interior architecture. I think all three of these are connected by pedestrian tunnels. The Botanical Gardens are just down the hill from there, and the American Indian Museum is next to that. I agree you should plan to eat there AND check out the gift shop.

As far as the zoo, that area is pretty hilly. I always recommend people get off at the Metro station past the zoo (Cleveland Park), then walk downhill to the zoo, then afterwards walk more downhill to the Woodley Park station.

The Portrait Museum is definitely worth a visit, and it is pretty close the Spy Museum and Fords Theater. We actually went to a show at Fords and it was very cool. There are many good restaurants in that area too. If you use the Navy Memorial Metro station for that area, you will also be close to the Archives and the Sculpture Garden. The Archives is a great and moving site to visit, especially if you have seen National Treasure! The Sculpture Garden is a nice place to pass 30 minutes (or more if you eat at the nice café).

We had a little more time than you will, so we did a full day at Mt. Vernon and finished up at Alexandria (they had a New Years Eve celebration there). Mt. Vernon is very easy to get to via Metro rail and bus.

It was a great trip!

 

[okeydokey]

We went to DC last year. I was a reservist at the Pentagon back in the day and always liked to stay in the Pentagon City area (specifically at the Residence Inn). It is convenient to Metro lines, restaurants, and shopping ( big mall), as well as a nice grocery store.


It was a great trip!

This is the hotel we chose for our trip. Can you recommend any restaurants you can walk to in this area, we will not have a car.

 

[JaxDad]

This is the hotel we chose for our trip. Can you recommend any restaurants you can walk to in this area, we will not have a car.

Most of the restaurants in close walking distance are associated with Pentagon Row and Pentagon City Fashion Centre Mall:

http://pentagonrow.com/eat-drink/
http://www.simon.com/mall/fashion-centre-at-pentagon-city/dining

For Pentagon Row, based on eating at these places a year or more ago, I can recommend Lebanese Taverna, Saigon Saigon, Sine Irish Pub, Thaiphoon, and Champps. There is also a Harris Teeter grocery store. For Pentagon City Fashion Centre, I've mostly done the food court, but there are nice restaurants as well. If you walk a little farther (or ride the metro one short stop), you will be in Crystal City, which has many, many more restaurants. I like Jaleo, Legal Sea Foods, and others I can't remember. If you are worn from travel or the weather is bad, the hotel offers heavy hors d'oeuvres with beer and wine a few nights a week.

ETA: There is also a Chevy's in close walking distance. It was a go-to for us when we were there with extended family:
https://locations.chevys.com/store/arlington

 

[Spencer Wright]

Happy New Year!!

We've been planning a spring Washington, DC trip for our DD's senior year (which is this year), & our DD, a history buff, is very excited.

...

We know we want to see the Lincoln & Jefferson Memorials, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Capitol, Arlington, Ford's Theatre, & the Smithsonians.

And then there are additional sites in which we're interested as well: the National Air & Space Museum (this would be a MUST for both DH & DD), the WW2 Memorial, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and Mount Vernon, and maybe the Newseum as well.

I think the Holocaust Museum is extremely important as well; however, due to how sensitive both our DD & younger DS are, I'm still iffy on this one.

And I'm sure there are other things I've forgotten!

So, would a 5-day trip be doable? We'd be driving, so that would mean, really, just having 3 days to tour. I'm thinking we may need at least 4 days to tour....

Happy New Year!! I also had a surprise DC trip my senior year and loved it!!

Depending on the drive, I would probably recommend three full days of touring (4 if it is a particularly arduous drive).

There are days just around the National Mall. However, while the sites are amazing, all the memorials and museums can get stale after about three days (even for someone nerdy like myself). I personally recommend the American Indian Museum and zoo. I would highly discourage the Holocaust Museum while on vacation. I believe everyone should visit, and it is extremely well done. However, perhaps it is better as part of school.



The Air and Space Museum (see below) has a sort of annex near Dulles (about 40 minutes outside of DC in VA) which is amazing and I highly recommend. I went years ago and we thought it would be real quick and spent HOURS entranced by space craft, early aircraft, and everything possible that goes into the sky. It was free and overwhelming. Also, as it is off the beaten track it was not at all crowded.

https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center




As a place to stay, the Grand Hyatt should be considered, which is only a short walk away from all the sites. It is normally a luxury hotel of course, but typically has offers on Expedia and similar sites in the $80-$130 a night range. I have done this twice with great success.

 

[wvjules]

Happy New Year!! I also had a surprise DC trip my senior year and loved it!!

Depending on the drive, I would probably recommend three full days of touring (4 if it is a particularly arduous drive).

There are days just around the National Mall. However, while the sites are amazing, all the memorials and museums can get stale after about three days (even for someone nerdy like myself). I personally recommend the American Indian Museum and zoo. I would highly discourage the Holocaust Museum while on vacation. I believe everyone should visit, and it is extremely well done. However, perhaps it is better as part of school.



The Air and Space Museum (see below) has a sort of annex near Dulles (about 40 minutes outside of DC in VA) which is amazing and I highly recommend. I went years ago and we thought it would be real quick and spent HOURS entranced by space craft, early aircraft, and everything possible that goes into the sky. It was free and overwhelming. Also, as it is off the beaten track it was not at all crowded.

https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center

As to the bolded...why?

Also, I'd skip the zoo. It is just a zoo and I wouldn't waste vacation time on something that you can basically see closer to home.

 

[Christine]

Also, I'd skip the zoo. It is just a zoo and I wouldn't waste vacation time on something that you can basically see closer to home.

I feel the same about the zoo. I understand that some people love it especially if they don't have a zoo near their home to visit. But it's a zoo and, IMO, does not come close to being able to compete with all the history in and around DC.

 

[Spencer Wright]

As to the bolded...why?

Also, I'd skip the zoo. It is just a zoo and I wouldn't waste vacation time on something that you can basically see closer to home.

While I think it is important to visit, it is an incredibly sobering place; which I think should result in extensive discussion afterwards. While I suppose this could occur on vacation, it is not my idea of what to do on vacation. Perhaps others feel differently.

 

[Poohforyou]

We've been to DC more times than I can count and my daughter is going to college there so we have many more trips to come.

5 days is plenty of time to see the sites on your list.

If you're looking for a hotel I highly recommend the State Plaza on 21st street between E and F. It's easy walking distance to the white house and the foggy bottom metro. Each room has a kitchen with fridge, microwave and stove top. There's a whole foods right near the metro and a trader joes a few blocks away. Great for saving money on eating every meal out.

It's our go to hotel now. There are lots of restaurants within a few blocks. It's just on the edge of the GWU campus so lots of places are student friendly and reasonable.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Been there twice - it's a lot of walking! Got over 20,000 steps each day!

First time was with my sister for 4 days (October 2014) - we are part of a MS study through the NIH, so day "zero" was spent at the NIH doing various tests and projects.

Day 1 - White House tour and all the outside monuments at the Mall. Just FYI - We submitted our application about 6 months early, and it took about 2 months to get the reply.

Day 2: Arlington 1/2 day, Georgetown the 2nd half with my Uncle and his family. He works at the Pentagon, and they live in the DC area so he was our personal tour guide for the day. Georgetown was really neat!

Day 3: Smithsonian American History museum (the one with the 1st Lady dresses and the American Flag Display - MUST DO!!! Even if you just pop in and see the flag room, make sure you do it) and Air and Space Museum.



2nd time was with my DH (May 2016), who was there for a work conference. We went out a couple days early and were there for 4 1/2 days, 4 nights.

Day 1: arrived at Reagan Airport around 2pm, drove out to the Chesapeake Bay for a local-fare dinner on the bay.

Day 2: Outside Mall monuments and a street view of the White House (no tours on Sundays or Mondays, and we arrived on Sat afternoon). We also went to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence/etc.

Day 3: Arlington in the AM, Smithsonian in the PM. Quick Stop to show DH the flag display, then on to the Air and Space museum that for DH was a "must do"...until he realized the Discovery wasn't housed there. I wish he would have told me that was why he was so adamant about going, because I knew the shuttle was out by Dulles! lol So we decided to drive out there. Cool tip....it's free parking and admission after a certain time of day, so by the time we got there it was about 30 minutes before the "free" time, so we (and about 25 of our closest museum-going friends) pulled over on the side of the road and watched the planes landing over our heads at Dulles until it was time to go into the parking lot. I think we had an hour? 2 hours? and that was plenty. Seeing the shuttle up close was amazing.

Day 4: DH's conference started, so I made plans to to to the Holocaust museum myself. I woke up at 6am to get a same-day ticket, which I did with no problem. It was time-stamped for around 11am. I spent a LONG time in the museum since I was by myself and could go at my own pace. Its a LOT of reading and very crowded, so you have to have patience and be willing to take your time. I'm glad I went alone. And I am glad I went. It's very intense, especially toward the end. A lot of people cried in certain areas. I did. And I felt a little numb (emotionally) for a good part of the day and as I described the museum to DH at dinner, I felt like I wasn't doing it justice. Definitely a MUST DO, and I would take my kids if they were with us (16, 12, and 10 at the time) but I think a lot of it would have gone over the younger ones' heads (which is a good thing in this case, IMO) because they wouldn't have had the patience to read everything as we went. I do think they should go at some point in their lives.

Day 5: What I WANTED to do that last day was head back to the to the Mall and go to the Museum of Native American History. I'm bummed I missed it. Instead, I came down with a stomach bug and wasn't feeling well and DH had day 2 of his conference, so I stayed and rested in the hotel room as long as possible with a 1pm late check-out, checked my bags with the desk clerk at the front desk, then just went to a local movie theater with reclining seats and dozed as I watched a really bad movie LOL while I waited for DH to finish up at 4pm, then we headed to the airport.

As far as the zoo - we live in the same neighborhood as a top 10 famous zoo in the US, so there is no way I will take time out of my vacation to visit a different one.

Both October and May were absolutely PERFECT for walking around. Not too hot, so we weren't sweaty and disgusting, and just cool enough to wear pants and a long sleeve shirt, so no coats to worry about. I've heard March weather is iffy in DC (like everywhere) so plan for cold, warmth, wind, rain, or snow, and be willing to change your plans accordingly.