Washington DC
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Been there many times. Favorite, MUST SEE: changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cementary. Can't be missed.
skip White House tour. Two fav Smithsonians - Air and Space, American History.
take one of the bus tours around the District to get a full lay of the land (or Segway if you don't mind dropping the $$).
skip White House tour. Two fav Smithsonians - Air and Space, American History.
take one of the bus tours around the District to get a full lay of the land (or Segway if you don't mind dropping the $$).
It's an amazing place. The National Mall alone can be an entire trip
Can't lie....got chills when I saw the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. I spent an entire day and stopped only when my feet hurt too much to keep going.
The most shocking thing I saw was at the Smithsonian American History Museum. A pair of tiny handcuffs for slave children. Made me stop in my tracks.
Just about everything at the mall is incredible
Can't lie....got chills when I saw the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. I spent an entire day and stopped only when my feet hurt too much to keep going.
The most shocking thing I saw was at the Smithsonian American History Museum. A pair of tiny handcuffs for slave children. Made me stop in my tracks.
Just about everything at the mall is incredible
White House Tour - if you've never been there, definitely a must. But you need to get the tickets through your congressman/congresswoman in advance (IIRC 6 weeks in advance at least).
Pentagon Tour - it's really cool to be even allowed inside that building.
The usual Capitol Hill Tour, Library of Conggress, Supreme Court - they are located next to each other.
Walk around the Mall. Take a night walking tour provided by the National Park Service. They'll take you to WWII Memorial, Washington War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial and FDR Memorial.
Smithsonian Museum, including Udvar Hazy Airspace Museum to see the Space Shuttle.
Arlington Cemetery. Don't miss the Changing of the Guard. Arlington is a very moving place. When we went to Arlington last December, there was a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of PanAm tragedy in Lockerbie
Pentagon Tour - it's really cool to be even allowed inside that building.
The usual Capitol Hill Tour, Library of Conggress, Supreme Court - they are located next to each other.
Walk around the Mall. Take a night walking tour provided by the National Park Service. They'll take you to WWII Memorial, Washington War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial and FDR Memorial.
Smithsonian Museum, including Udvar Hazy Airspace Museum to see the Space Shuttle.
Arlington Cemetery. Don't miss the Changing of the Guard. Arlington is a very moving place. When we went to Arlington last December, there was a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of PanAm tragedy in Lockerbie
You will not run out of things to do or see.
Monuments at night are very cool (especially the Korean War one).
Also, utilize the subway system. It does a great job of covering the tourist areas. It is cheap, clean, and easy to use.
Also, DC can be very hot and muggy this time of year. If you have small kids plan your days accordingly so you can be inside during afternoon.
Monuments at night are very cool (especially the Korean War one).
Also, utilize the subway system. It does a great job of covering the tourist areas. It is cheap, clean, and easy to use.
Also, DC can be very hot and muggy this time of year. If you have small kids plan your days accordingly so you can be inside during afternoon.
Are the White House tour's still done? My wife went out there for work last summer and a group of them had it all set up. Did the security clearance thru Grassley's office and then the tours were cancelled. Lack of $$ I believe. Arlington Cemetery is a must like you said.
National Archive that KnappShack mentioned is cool too. But you need to make reservation in order to get there.
Some of the places: Capitol, National Archive, Pentagon, etc need advance reservation. Some require advanced background checks.
Some of the places: Capitol, National Archive, Pentagon, etc need advance reservation. Some require advanced background checks.
If you have the time to move around the area - make sure you hit the National Cathedral and the part of the Air/Space museum out by Dulles Airport - has the SR 71 and other aircraft in a big hangar. Also the Spy Museum is amazing and not well advertised (accidental?).
Will you be out there over the 4th?
A good place to soak it all in is to hit Lafayette park right across from the White House - buy a hot dog and some chips, pull up a tree and have lunch there and consider everything taking place within a few hundred yards around you.
Will you be out there over the 4th?
A good place to soak it all in is to hit Lafayette park right across from the White House - buy a hot dog and some chips, pull up a tree and have lunch there and consider everything taking place within a few hundred yards around you.
I lived in DC for a short period of time and it's an incredibly place. Some of my favorites:
-- The best place for a view at night is at the WWII memorial. You can see all of the major monuments and the fountains are beautiful at night.
-- The National Archives is great if you enjoy history. Like has already been said, it gave me chills to see the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It's a neat feeling to look at those documents, thinking about the people who signed them and the circumstances surrounding the signing.
-- Contact your congressman. They will help you set up tours for anything you want to see. A Capital tour is a must, and anything else they can help you with they will.
--Changing of the guard is a neat thing to see.
-- Ford's Theater is right down in Chinatown and is a neat thing to see. I never bothered going in or doing the tour, but it's a cool thing to see.
-- Go see the Pentagon memorial. It is extremely moving and I felt it was very well thought out to have an emotional impact when thinking about 9/11.
-- Depending on your family and what they enjoy, spend a day outside of the Mall area. Go up and see Georgetown and have a good meal. If you want some drinks, the Adams Morgan area is really neat. The National Cathedral is worth see too, and is off the beaten-path a bit.
-- The best place for a view at night is at the WWII memorial. You can see all of the major monuments and the fountains are beautiful at night.
-- The National Archives is great if you enjoy history. Like has already been said, it gave me chills to see the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It's a neat feeling to look at those documents, thinking about the people who signed them and the circumstances surrounding the signing.
-- Contact your congressman. They will help you set up tours for anything you want to see. A Capital tour is a must, and anything else they can help you with they will.
--Changing of the guard is a neat thing to see.
-- Ford's Theater is right down in Chinatown and is a neat thing to see. I never bothered going in or doing the tour, but it's a cool thing to see.
-- Go see the Pentagon memorial. It is extremely moving and I felt it was very well thought out to have an emotional impact when thinking about 9/11.
-- Depending on your family and what they enjoy, spend a day outside of the Mall area. Go up and see Georgetown and have a good meal. If you want some drinks, the Adams Morgan area is really neat. The National Cathedral is worth see too, and is off the beaten-path a bit.
We were there last summer as well.
Did our own walking tour of the Mall. Lincoln memorial, reflecting pool. Unfortunately the Washington memorial was closed for repairs (reopened I believe a few weeks ago). Did it in the evening - very cool.
Just me and my wife - she's artsy, I'm more mechanical - so we split up and I did the air and space museum while she did the national art gallery and some other stuff.
One thing I really wanted to get to was Ford's theater, but you have to get a reservation (I think you can do it online, or same day - but just be aware that it may be a few hours). Didn't work out.
Final day rented some bikes out of the kiosks. Very cheap and functional if your kids are old enough. With that we were able to cover a number of other sights quickly - FDR, MLK, Jefferson.
I'm a big Washington fan so we did the drive down to Mount Vernon. That was incredible - or at least I thought. To tour the house, you also need a timed ticket. But again, not bad. Alot to see while your waiting.
You may want to consider checking into the DC metro system to get around. Very functional and clean - appears very safe.
As others have said - you can't possibly run out of stuff in DC. But we decided to take the train up to Baltimore for an evening. Do a quick look around there and hit an Oriels game. Loved that. Beautiful ball park. FYI - MARC to Baltimore stops service about 7:30. Didn't realize that til we were on our way. :sad: Got back on Amtrack at about 4x the cost and that train station in Baltimore is a combat zone.
Did our own walking tour of the Mall. Lincoln memorial, reflecting pool. Unfortunately the Washington memorial was closed for repairs (reopened I believe a few weeks ago). Did it in the evening - very cool.
Just me and my wife - she's artsy, I'm more mechanical - so we split up and I did the air and space museum while she did the national art gallery and some other stuff.
One thing I really wanted to get to was Ford's theater, but you have to get a reservation (I think you can do it online, or same day - but just be aware that it may be a few hours). Didn't work out.
Final day rented some bikes out of the kiosks. Very cheap and functional if your kids are old enough. With that we were able to cover a number of other sights quickly - FDR, MLK, Jefferson.
I'm a big Washington fan so we did the drive down to Mount Vernon. That was incredible - or at least I thought. To tour the house, you also need a timed ticket. But again, not bad. Alot to see while your waiting.
You may want to consider checking into the DC metro system to get around. Very functional and clean - appears very safe.
As others have said - you can't possibly run out of stuff in DC. But we decided to take the train up to Baltimore for an evening. Do a quick look around there and hit an Oriels game. Loved that. Beautiful ball park. FYI - MARC to Baltimore stops service about 7:30. Didn't realize that til we were on our way. :sad: Got back on Amtrack at about 4x the cost and that train station in Baltimore is a combat zone.
Bureau of Engraving where they make money.
FDR memorial that has sections with sculpted waterfalls related to each of his four terms.
College Park, Maryland to see the latest university that gets to beat Iowa regularly.
It is a little silly, but I like taking the Interstate tunnel that goes under the National Mall near the Capitol. It seems so odd to be able to do that.
Beware. Tons of walking. Give yourselves lots of rest breaks.
FDR memorial that has sections with sculpted waterfalls related to each of his four terms.
College Park, Maryland to see the latest university that gets to beat Iowa regularly.
It is a little silly, but I like taking the Interstate tunnel that goes under the National Mall near the Capitol. It seems so odd to be able to do that.
Beware. Tons of walking. Give yourselves lots of rest breaks.
Not sure what ages of kids you have. Young ones are gonna see dino bones at Natural History. When we were there, kids were too young for the Holocaust museum, would kind of like to see that now that they are older. In addition to what has already mentioned, Mount Vernon is interesting, and the pandas at the zoo. If you have a car and the time, interesting side trip is to drive down Skyline Drive, go to Monticello, check out the University of Virginia.
If you are in Baltimore, Fort McHenry is pretty interesting as well as the National Aquarium.
If you are in Baltimore, Fort McHenry is pretty interesting as well as the National Aquarium.
Definitely beware of the weather. It will likely be VERY hot and muggy in July.
If you are there on the 4th, the fireworks on the mall are unbelievable. Also, I think the FreedomFest is on the mall during all of July (or something like that). It has food and cultural booths from 3 different heritage groups (they did Appalachia the last time I was there).
The new(ish) visitors center for the Capital is very cool, as well as all of the museums and monuments on the mall of course.
The Metro in DC is very nice, and can get you probably anywhere you want to go.
One thing I didn't see mentioned here is the Holocaust Museum. It's definitely a favorite of mine, it is very well done.
If you are there on the 4th, the fireworks on the mall are unbelievable. Also, I think the FreedomFest is on the mall during all of July (or something like that). It has food and cultural booths from 3 different heritage groups (they did Appalachia the last time I was there).
The new(ish) visitors center for the Capital is very cool, as well as all of the museums and monuments on the mall of course.
The Metro in DC is very nice, and can get you probably anywhere you want to go.
One thing I didn't see mentioned here is the Holocaust Museum. It's definitely a favorite of mine, it is very well done.
I was just going to add that too and note that it is very well air conditioned so a good thing to do mid-afternoon when it is the hottest out.
How are you getting there, driving ?
If so you should try to take a drive down Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park or take the kids to the Luray Caverns if you are into caves. Luray is right off of Skyline Drive.
If so you should try to take a drive down Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park or take the kids to the Luray Caverns if you are into caves. Luray is right off of Skyline Drive.
The Korean War memorial at night was beautiful. All the monuments are incredible but there's something about seeing them at night that just makes it better
As others have stated, you will definitely do a lot of walking. Considering the ages of your kids, it may be best to plan ahead on some of your stops & also to have planned stopping points to take breaks, etc. Plan to pay decent amount of $ on bottled water.
Went out with the family & my kids more than once (have family in the area). The 1 time we did the main touring thing, it was late June, hot & humid as all get out. The pictures of me at Arlington looked as though my shirt was completely soaked. Not spots, but as if I had jumped in a pool (shorts weren't that way thankfully, but pictures not the most 'pleasing' to view)
Washington monument is a must if it is open. Good to do early in the day (before 10:00 a.m. I think) as crowds building up later. All the other places posters have mentioned are great - just all depends upon taste/what would interest your kids mostly. Holocaust museum is a must at some point, but considering the ages of your kids, it may not be the best time. Just remember going the 1st time while in DC for work with some co-workers. Waited to take my kids until later so they could understand the gravity of what it is & to be ready for reactions from other people who are there. Powerful stuff to witness, much like what you man/can witness at the Viet Nam Memorial & Arlington.
Do not go to their aquarium. Unless it has changed a lot in 3-4 years, it is pretty lame.
Metro is cheap & gets to a lot of places. Keep in mind it is a subway - we were stuck in it for about 45 minutes when we were under the river. My daughter began to get a little nervous/claustrophobic during that time, but made it through just fine. Part of the adventure I suppose. Compared to other cities - it is probably one of the better run systems & definitely the cleanest.
Last but not least - I like hitting spots for food. One favorite is Ben's Chili Bowl - just off Metro stop (Q Street maybe?). Hole in the wall cafe-joint that has been show-cased on all of the food shows. Chili dogs or better yet, their Half-Smokes (type of sausage) are great.
Went out with the family & my kids more than once (have family in the area). The 1 time we did the main touring thing, it was late June, hot & humid as all get out. The pictures of me at Arlington looked as though my shirt was completely soaked. Not spots, but as if I had jumped in a pool (shorts weren't that way thankfully, but pictures not the most 'pleasing' to view)
Washington monument is a must if it is open. Good to do early in the day (before 10:00 a.m. I think) as crowds building up later. All the other places posters have mentioned are great - just all depends upon taste/what would interest your kids mostly. Holocaust museum is a must at some point, but considering the ages of your kids, it may not be the best time. Just remember going the 1st time while in DC for work with some co-workers. Waited to take my kids until later so they could understand the gravity of what it is & to be ready for reactions from other people who are there. Powerful stuff to witness, much like what you man/can witness at the Viet Nam Memorial & Arlington.
Do not go to their aquarium. Unless it has changed a lot in 3-4 years, it is pretty lame.
Metro is cheap & gets to a lot of places. Keep in mind it is a subway - we were stuck in it for about 45 minutes when we were under the river. My daughter began to get a little nervous/claustrophobic during that time, but made it through just fine. Part of the adventure I suppose. Compared to other cities - it is probably one of the better run systems & definitely the cleanest.
Last but not least - I like hitting spots for food. One favorite is Ben's Chili Bowl - just off Metro stop (Q Street maybe?). Hole in the wall cafe-joint that has been show-cased on all of the food shows. Chili dogs or better yet, their Half-Smokes (type of sausage) are great.
You just had to mention Ben's Chili Bowl around lunch time, didn't you... While the restaurant itself it pretty touristy the area isn't the greatest.
Another thought, if you need a day away from D.C. is to spend the afternoon in Annapolis. It's a beautiful city with some nice shops and restaurants. With the ages of your kids, they may appreciate seeing the bay and the ships.
