Going to Washington DC

[iCARRY 0]

Going to be taking a little vacation in the spring and we have decided to go to Washington DC. We have never been there before, going to be staying in Alexandria, VA. About 10 miles from the city. Taking the kids with us. One will be 3 1/2 and the other will be 1. So what should we do? Definitely going to the White House, Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, reflecting pools, the war memorials.

[10X 3,306]

The Air and Space Museum isn't to be missed, and will probably keep the older kid interested.   The Udvar-Hazy Annex at Dulles airport is very cool, too, if the kids don't burn out on too many airplanes and rockets.

 

Wander through a few of the other Smithsonian museums as well--they're free.   And definitely hit the national zoo.

 

The NRA's National Firearms Museum is about 30 miles out of town.  You'll enjoy it.

[iCARRY 0]

Figuring that the national mall is going to take up 2 full days, then on to the other things DC has to offer. Yes the zoo is on the list.

[HBecwithFn7 296]

Going to be taking a little vacation in the spring and we have decided to go to Washington DC. We have never been there before, going to be staying in Alexandria, VA. About 10 miles from the city. Taking the kids with us. One will be 3 1/2 and the other will be 1. So what should we do? Definitely going to the White House, Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, reflecting pools, the war memorials.

 

Just understand that some of the Natl. Mall is under construction right now. The Washington Monument is closed for repairs and has a bunch of scaffolding around it. I understand the US Capitol will be that way shortly. But yes, do the mall, and all the Smithsonian stuff.

 

And if you bring your own car, be sure is has no spent brass in it!  ILLEGAL IN DC!

[njpilot 671]

Not too far away is Mount Vernon and a little further away is Williamsburg. Lots of history.

[Handyman 5,682]

National Archive is pretty sharp if you can catch it without a crazy line.

[iCARRY 0]

We were just talking about going to Williamsburg on our last day and leave from there.

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot 358]

If you're heading south on I-95, Marine Corp Museum down near Quantico is not a bad place to check out.  It's also free which never hurts.

[siderman 1,138]

We were just talking about going to Williamsburg on our last day and leave from there.

Been there about 10 times lol. You'll want more than a partial day there. And Busch Gardens is just down the road too. Better add on more days!

 

 

If you're heading south on I-95, Marine Corp Museum down near Quantico is not a bad place to check out.  It's also free which never hurts.

Definatly worth going to.

[maintenanceguy 510]

Take advantage of the Metro.  The most efficient, on time, cleanest public transit system I have ever seen.  Easy to figure out too.  So much easier than driving and you can surely find a park and ride metro station close to your hotel in Alexandria (we've stayed there several times).  The metro has stops in the middle of everything you'll want to see including right in the very middle of the museums at the mall.

In addition to the mall which can take 2 days (take strollers - it's a big, big, area to walk and will wear out mom and dad) we really liked:

The international spy museum.
Lunch in Chinatown (Chinatown is small but the entrance to Chinatown was worth the few blocks we had to walk.)
The national zoo (probably not so great in winter)

DC is a great vacation for the family.

If this is your first time with small kids, take small bites.   My kids are a few years older than yours and we found out that we can only do about 6 hours of tourist stuff before we needed to retreat to the hotel for some down time.  That actually turned out to be nice because we were able to head into DC after rush hour and get out just before.  After a couple of ours to watch tv and relax, they were ready to go out and do something small in the early evening.

[maintenanceguy 510]

Oh, one more.  My kids loved eating at the vending vans on the street behind the air and space museum.  You can go out the back doors of the museum  and there are several options there very cheep.  we found a van with great egg rolls big enough to be a meal.  Kids are still taking about that over a  year later.  Just like Christmas when they just want to play with the box.

[iCARRY 0]

Thanks for the tips. If we do decide to drive into the city, probably will the first day since we are going to try to get into the city by 8am, how is parking? Prices? Garages or street parking?

[Silence Dogood 468]

 

Not too far away is Mount Vernon and a little further away is Williamsburg. Lots of history.

 

Close to a 3-hour drive depending on traffic (you can do it in less but that route can be notorious for traffic)

[djg0770 481]

Thanks for the tips. If we do decide to drive into the city, probably will the first day since we are going to try to get into the city by 8am, how is parking? Prices? Garages or street parking?

 

Seriously, much better and cheaper to park outside the city and take the metro in. 

[siderman 1,138]

Seriously, much better and cheaper to park outside the city and take the metro in.

+1 everything car related in the city can be very pricy and the traffic is often in gridlock. My family has gone there 3 times and we stay in Alex. hotels next to the Metro station. No commuting stress and a metro stop puts you literally in the center of the mall if you want.

 

also be aware that some hotels no matter where you go charge extra for prkng.

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Make sure you don't have any spent shotgun hulls or brass on you...

[maintenanceguy 510]

Don't try to drive into DC - especially during rush hour.   Parking prices are reasonable but all garages will be full.   If you get in early enough (7:30) you'll be fine but then you'll have an hour and a half wait until anything opens. 

 

The metro is the way to go.

 

We've used both Falls Church stations near Alexandria.

• Get a parking ticket on the way in to the station
• park anywhere
• stop at a self-serve ticket machine and buy one pass for each person.
• use the pass at the turnstile to get onto the platform
• take the orange line to the Smithsonian station
• get off and take the escalators up to exit in the field in the middle of the mall
• after taking the same trip back to Falls Church - walk to your car and pay the parking on the way out at the exit driveway.
• Everything can be done with credit card

You can get monthly passes, daily passes, and lots of other options with metro cards.  We just purchased $10 at a time on each card and that lasted us a few days.

 

if you get lost (we were tourists the first time and had no idea what to do) there are Metro employees everywhere and they are always polite and helpful.   DC is the nation's showcase city for the world and they are definitely tourist friendly.

[Worn_Holster 2]

I also recommed trasportation by Metro. You could spend days looking at all of the cool stuff in the FREE Smithsonian Air and Space, Science and Technology, Natural History museums.. The National Zoo is also FREE and Metro accessible, kids would love it

[Damjan 73]

Thanks for the tips. If we do decide to drive into the city, probably will the first day since we are going to try to get into the city by 8am, how is parking? Prices? Garages or street parking?

If you dont take the metro as many have suggested park here. Its a block and a half from the Air and Space Museum and ere s a Starbucks right across.

 

http://www.parkme.com/lot/116985/capital-gallery-114-washington-d-c-dc

[NYMetsFan86 9]

the youngins might like the mint!

[NJKen 23]

Ill be the negative one here,  You could not pay me enough to go back to that dam place.  I spent 3 years working in the south east and came back with bullet holes in the trucks.  If you stay in the governement tourist area you will be ok.  DO NOT venture too far outside of it though.  That place is hell on earth.

Ken

[Worn_Holster 2]

WTF were you doing in SE?

[iCARRY 0]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, the hotel we are staying at has free parking and is only a block from a metro stop.

[NJKen 23]

WTF were you doing in SE?

Rehabing schools in beautiful gang infested south east DC.  It makes camden look tame.  Ive done schools there too.

Ken

[dman2112 6]

Star Trek museum is cool

 

[Malsua 1,422]

Don't miss Arlington National Cemetary.   Very somber and awe inspiring at the same time.    

[iCARRY 0]

Don't miss Arlington National Cemetary. Very somber and awe inspiring at the same time.

Yup. That's on the list. 4 days will not be enough time. Feel like we are only going to see half of what we want. Might need to go down in the fall too.

[Displaced Texan 11,754]

Yup. That's on the list. 4 days will not be enough time. Feel like we are only going to see half of what we want. Might need to go down in the fall too.

I'm actually in DC at the moment, on business. Crazy town.

 

We did a family reunion trip last fall, and had a great time.

It took us 4 days just to cover about 1/2 of the museums. I loved the air and space museum, as well as the natural history museum. The air/space annex at the airport is NOT to be missed.

Don't miss the Mint.

I didn't make the national firearms museum, but going to try to squeeze that in this week while I'm here.

 

We went 'touristy', and bought tix to the tour buses (can't remember the name of it, but I'll find out today). They shuttle you all around the interesting areas, while keeping you free of the places you don't want to go to. Expensive when compared to the Metro, but saves time, because it only takes you to the museums/monuments/tourist areas. Besides, I'm a country boy and suck at deciphering bus and train schedules to get around this city.

 

Many good places to eat. The Capitol Brewery comes to mind, as well as Sweet Georgia Browns.

We also went to a few places on the 'Diners, Drive In's, and Dives' show. Simply awesome.

 

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, nice hotel, and close to pretty much everything. It was pricey, but worth it.

I am at the Holiday Inn today, about a block from the Capitol. Hotel is ok....but expensive for what it is. It Is close to where I need to be for my job, though.

I'm working at the Library of Congress this week, walking distance from the hotel.

One of my colleagues stays in either Arlington or Georgetown when he comes here, and cabs it to various client sites. He finds it easier. I may do that my next business trip down here.

 

Enjoy your trip. You will find you need more time to take in everything here.

[Newtonian 453]

I hope you're wheeling the kids around, because Washington = Walking.

 

Wear some quality sneakers. Everything is so far from everything else. "Next door" means the equivalent of 11 New Jersey blocks. You walk up to a building thinking you're at an entrance, but they make you enter around the block (the equivalent of 11 NJ blocks).

 

One thing you'll notice in gun-free Washington is that everyone wearing any kind of uniform is carrying a big-ass gun. Job descriptions that would not qualify for a flashlight up here are issued .44 magnums. 

 

You look at some of these individuals and, even as a gun-lover, you ask yourself "do they really let this guy carry a gun??"

 

Another thing you notice immediately is that the feds spare nothing in honoring themselves with all manners of architecture, Corinthian marble, sculpture, fountainry, landscaping, and interior design. The whole city is like one big expensive museum. Gaze at a few buildings from the Mall and you immediately understand the $38,000 toilet seat and the $18 trillion debt.

 

If you like eating meat you must try the "moist" brisket at this barbecue place: hillcountrywdc.com. Go during off hours because it can get noisy.

 

By the way, instead of staying 10 miles away and dealing with driving and traffic, you should find a bargain hotel through one of the online services. If your kids get cranky one or both of you can take them back to the room for a nap.

 

We gone that route twice in the last 5 years. In fact when we arrived at our hotel in Foggy Bottom we were informed that the room we booked was unavailable, and asked if we'd mind taking a suite instead.

[maintenanceguy 510]

We've stayed at the Homewood Suites in Arlington.  I was skeptical because we booked a suite (separate bedroom, sleeper couch, and kitchen area) for just over $100 a night.  It seemed a little too good to be true and we were a little worried it might no be as nice as the brochure photos. But the hotel was great and having two kids, a suite worked out nice.  Two TV's no fighting and the teen got the privacy she needed.    It was a very nice place to retreat too when the younger one had had all the day he could handle.  

 

We've booked suite hotels anywhere we go ever since that trip and it's always been worth the extra $30 a night for us.  We probably even save the extra because we keep a couple of frozen pizzas, soda, and cereal in the room instead of going out for every time somebody gets hungry or thirsty.