Washington DC travel tips

[julifish]

We are heading to Washington, DC the week of Thanksgiving. It will be me, my husband our daughters Katie (15) and Hannah (12). We are taking the auto train from Florida up and will be driving back.

I'm looking for an tips, tricks, places to eat, etc from others that have traveled there with kids. We've been to DC twice with the kids. Once when they were 4 and 18 months, and again when they were in 1st and 4th grades. I want us to really be able to enjoy our time and give my kids an experience they will remember well.

Looking for things inside the city and outside the city. We are staying in Alexandria at a timeshare.

TIA!

[Milmomma]

We drove through there to here. And my only thoughts is make sure your gas tank is full before coming into the city. The traffic was horrible. I hope you have a wonderful visit though! Are you sight seeing?

[julifish]

Originally Posted by Milmomma

We drove through there to here. And my only thoughts is make sure your gas tank is full before coming into the city. The traffic was horrible. I hope you have a wonderful visit though! Are you sight seeing?

Yes, we want to site see in the city. Looking for some unique experiences for the girls - like funky out of the way places.

I'm planning to take Katie our 15 yo to the Holocaust museum one day while DH takes Hannah our 12 yo to the Air and Space museum at Dulles. Katie studied AP Humana Geology last year and wants to know more about the Holocaust.
I need something fun and light to do after that b/c it's one heavy experience.

[marlathrall]

I really want to go to DC soon! I'm a history nerd though, so I will probably spend the whole time in museums. lol.

[Milmomma]

The Air and Space museum at Dulles is really neat(My husband went on his last trip in.). We didn't stop in DC this time, it took hours just to drive through. Sorry I'm not helpful. But I look forward to your pics.

[DawnMarch]

I used to live in DC and I hear that the FBI museum is cool (although I never actually went there). The Treasury is kinda fun too - you can see them print $$. For a daytrip, Monticello is wonderful and surprisingly interesting (or at least I thought so as a young adult) since Jefferson was an inventor too and invented some interesting stuff.

[aussiegirl]

I'd love to go back and go to DC cupcakes (although, the shop isn't called that...Georgetown Cupcakes) http://georgetowncupcake.com/menu.html i've heard they are expensive, and the line is LONG outside their shop! Get there early!

My best friend lives in DC. The zoo is free (at least last I heard), and there are tons of other free things to do. I'd love to go to the Arlington cemetary too. Have fun! It's a wonderful experience...and now that your girls are older, they can really understand and appreciate it that much better!

[kristijoy]

Originally Posted by DawnMarch

I used to live in DC and I hear that the FBI museum is cool (although I never actually went there). The Treasury is kinda fun too - you can see them print $$. For a daytrip, Monticello is wonderful and surprisingly interesting (or at least I thought so as a young adult) since Jefferson was an inventor too and invented some interesting stuff.

Monticello is wonderful! Lovely, beautiful grounds plus knowledgeable tour guides.

[kristijoy]

When I was in my teens (um...25 years ago...) we went to DC with my parents. One of the things I remember the most was watching a theater performance in Ford's theater where Lincoln was shot. It was a great 'history' just being in the theater. Plus we saw the 'Hot Mikado' which was hilariously funny. It was a wonderful way to bring the past/present together.

[lovely1m]

I went once in my early 20s. I would like to go back again, but not drive. Seriously the traffic was ridiculous. I could not handle the bad drivers there. We ended up leaving when we were just looking for a motel. Drove to northern Maryland and continued on with the roadtrip when we had planned on spending a couple of days there. It sounds ridiculous now though.

[tanyiadeskins]

If you havent been on your previous trips I suggest the Library of Congress and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Amazing buildings. The National Museum of the Marine Corps was actually pretty cool as well, it's outside DC a bit. Depending on how long you are there you could always take a day trip to the Shenandoah mountains and go in the caves and such, which was awesome. Its about 2 hours from DC I would say.

[JuliaM]

If you're looking for day trips in the area, Mt. Vernon isn't that far out from DC.

Fredericksburg, VA is about an hour or so away. The Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park is there. (http://www.nps.gov/frsp/index.htm) I also remember a lot of historical sites in Fredericksburg itself. (It's been a number of years since I was there).

About 2 hours out from DC is Manassas National Battlefield Park (1st & 2nd Bull Run). http://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm

It's also worth it to see DC at night. There are tours you take for that but the last time we were there, my sister, some friends, and I just drove around the city. It was a Sunday night so the traffic wasn't that bad. There aren't as many people visiting the monuments at night so you get a bit of a different feel.

I'm not sure what the schedule is and if it's done in November but the US Marine Corps does a sunset parade at the US Marine Corps Memorial on Tuesday nights. It's been a while since I've been to it but, from what I can remember, you have to park at Arlington National Cemetery and then you have an option of walking to the memorial or the Marine Corps provides shuttle buses to it. It really is something to see.

If you're in Arlington National Cemetery, stop at Arlington House (home of Robert E. Lee) - http://www.nps.gov/arho/index.htm. I think this is a part of Arlington that's overlooked with everyone wanting to see the Kennedy graves and the Tomb of the Unknowns. It's well worth it to tour the house and the view from the grounds over the city of Washington is really amazing.

Ford's Theatre will be doing it's annual performance of A Christmas Carol when you're there. That might be an option. I went to performances of Shenandoah there about 6 or 7 years ago and it was really enjoyable to be in such an historic theatre. Since then, they've done a lot of remodeling and have added a museum related to Lincoln's presidency and assassination.