washington dc

[jackie101]

I have read all the old threads . Anyone think any of the tour buses are worth it. We are planning a trip with our 4 children ages 10, 9, & 7 yr old twins.
There is so much to see it is overwhelming. We are going over April vacation for 3 nights.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I like the Old Town Trolley. It's fabulous for an overview. We have done that twice. I highly recommend!

 

[CarolAnnB]

We did the Monuments by Moonlight trolley tour, it was terrific. One day we also got Tourmobile passes, the day we went to Arlington Cemetery. You got the tour around Arlington then we also went to the monuments that were a little farther out. The day we were staying along the mall we just walked.

 

[dex08]

We also did the Monuments by Moonlight tour and it was fabulous!!! The monuments are beautiful at night and they stop and let you get off and visit them and take lots of photos. Plenty of time before you hop back on the bus to go to the next site.

 

[mjkacmom]

I hear the moonlight tour is very nice. We opted for the tourmobile one day, and it was the biggest waste of money. Not enough busses, they don't move unless they are FULL, no a/c (trolley is nice and open), and we actually had to chase one down when it didn't stop at the stop. At the beginning of the day, we wondered why the line at the trolley sign up table was longer than the tourmobile, even though it was more expensive. Then we learned the hard way.

ETA, there were a couple of young teens, probably brother and sister, who were overweight, and were sitting with a seat between them (and the busses are old, with small seats). The driver made them squeeze together - it was uncomfortable just to watch them. What a jerk.

 

[clori]

I'm also going to DC over April vacation. I'll have kids ages 6, 10, and 12. We are just doing the nighttime monument tour using royaltrolleys since they will pick us up and drop us off at our Alexandria hotel for free. We also plan on doing the tourmobile tour of Arlington National Cemetary. The rest of the time we figure we will take the metro or walk.

My kids are 6 and 10 and have enjoyed similiar trolley tours such as a trolley tour around Plymouth MA. They also enjoyed the land (and water) portion of the duckboat in Boston and Philadelphia. I usually find the trolleys to be nice if you plan on staying on for a round trip but if you get off and have to wait for the next trolley the timing doesn't always work well for us.

 

[nsmith]

This is a very walkable city. If you are there for 3 days you can probably walk everywhere you want to go. My kids favorite Smithsonian museum is the Hirshhorn Museum. It is all modern art and so much fun!! I have taken some of my favorite pictures of them there.

 

[juliebean]

I really recommend the moonlight tour also - seeing the lincoln memorial at night is just something I will never forget.

Two things to also consider - there is a DC Circulator that is a local business option to the trolleys - I believe it was a $1 each time you get on or off. If you are just going to do a couple of stops and spend most of your time on the mall, this is a great compromise option.

I also would look at a "GO" card (or something similar) for DC. We bought GOBoston cards last april. It was about $100 a piece for 5 days, but then everything is included - plus the trolley. It was far less expensive than paying for every museum, plimouth plantation, etc. separately. Not sure what's out there for DC, but I'm sure it's all over the web.

Have fun! It's a great city - we really liked the Native American museum when we went in Feb.

 

[bigmama67]

I'll cast another vote for the moonlight monument tour. It was FANTASTIC! I spent a night in DC with a friend a few years back and we did that...best tour I've had! I'm very excited to take DS and DD on it in a few years' time.

 

[jackie101]

Thanks everyone off to do more research

 

[sharon_wv]

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but if you are coming to DC this month, please make sure you pay attention to the federal government in the news and Congress's lack of passing a budget. There is a risk of a government shutdown, which means that all of the Smithsonian museums and the zoo and the parks will all be closed. Those are all gov't establishments. I wouldn't want you to make the trip and be able to see very little when you are in DC.

I'm praying those politicians figure it out and prevent a shutdown, but you never know. Please pay attention.

DC is awesome. I've never done the tours, but I have walked DC, and it is definitely very walkable, or just quick ride on the Metro (subway) to get to the further out sites (like Arlington National Cemetary, for example).

 

[Swimalie]

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but if you are coming to DC this month, please make sure you pay attention to the federal government in the news and Congress's lack of passing a budget. There is a risk of a government shutdown, which means that all of the Smithsonian museums and the zoo and the parks will all be closed. Those are all gov't establishments. I wouldn't want you to make the trip and be able to see very little when you are in DC.

I'm praying those politicians figure it out and prevent a shutdown, but you never know. Please pay attention.

DC is awesome. I've never done the tours, but I have walked DC, and it is definitely very walkable, or just quick ride on the Metro (subway) to get to the further out sites (like Arlington National Cemetary, for example).

To add on, if there is a govt shut down, Metro won't be putting as many trains in service. There will be delays and back-ups of people.

I, too, hope there isn't a shut down.