Evaluate DC Itinerary with 3 kids

[BashDash]

Hi,
I have scoured the other DC posts and I even asked some questions from within one but I always like posting a itinerary that I have worked on. I have received very valuable advice in the past. We have 2 older elementary kids and a toddler. We like history, learning and the outdoors. We will be staying 4 days in the Winter.

Stay:
Holiday Inn National Mall/Capitol ( Using points so free in that sense. Has suites and not many hotels in the city seem like they have suites. Like free breakfast and seems like good location. Only downside is the suite side of hotel seems to have train tracks and reviews mention they can be loud. We plan on bringing sound machine but would love to know if any boglehead has experience with this. Don't really want the toddler waking up at 5AM . Backup plan is the Hilton Embassy Suites Convention Center. Can't use points. )

Parking: Using spot hero to book parking. 4 days is total around $110. Downside no in/out priveleges which creates a problem if we want to visit Mt. Vernon. Public Transportation doesn't seem easy to there. Could use UBER.

---------------
Day 1:
Arrive. Settle in. Check in and walk to explore the National Mall and the various monuments.

Day 2:
Smithsonian National Air and Space. Old Post office Tower Tour ( read on another thread that this has a better view than Washington Monument).

Day 3:
Smithsonian National Museum Natural History or Smithsonian Zoo.

Day 4:
Library of Congress AM. Capitol Tour PM. Reservation booked already.


-----------------------------
Meals. Haven't looked into it much. We like eating at the hotel after a long day. I did notice a Carmine's. Any other suggestions would be great.

-------------------------------------
Any suggestions welcome!

[3Girls]

So much to see and do in DC, so good job narrowing it down to your family's interest.

Regarding the possibility of Mt. Vernon: Great place to visit with kids (our kids school went in 5th grade each year) and interesting. You could tack it on at the beginning prior to parking or on your way out of DC at the end of your trip.

Make sure you have your timed tickets to the Air & Space Museum!

[stan1]

Skip Library of Congress with kids.

I would move the car and go to places like Mount Vernon and the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum out at Dulles that your two older kids would enjoy. To be honest, you could do both in a single day if the family was up to it. Mount Vernon is about a 90 minute stop max then drive out to Dulles for a few hours.

[Adam11]

The Holiday Inn at 6th & C SW is an ideal DC tourist location, you’ll be pleased. Don’t worry about the train noise as they move fairly slow in that section while winding thru the city. The 21st Amendment Bar & Grill inside the hotel leaves a lot to be desired and you’ll likely only eat there once. There’s an efficient McDonald’s down the block at 4th & C…use the app to order and pick up. This section of the city is a ghost town after 6pm, so restaurants are sparse beyond lunch buffets and sandwich shops. Definitely try to have a lunch at Mitsitam Cafe inside the National Museum of the American Indian. Up 7th Street across the Mall will be your better dinner options like Carmine’s, Jaleo, Rasika, Oyamel, Luke’s Lobster, or Hill Country Barbecue. Uber would be your only real option to tour Mount Vernon without your own car but I would definitely still suggest that you go, especially on a weekday. Maybe splurge and get a nicer/bigger uberBlack as the drive down there on the GW Parkway along the Potomac is quite nice. Have fun!

[dukeblue219]

Udvar-Hazy is a can't miss with kids that age. The National Zoo is great but winter here can be cold. It's been in the upper 20s for a week now with high winds - that would be a miserable day at the zoo and all the animals would be sheltering. If that's the case, drive to Baltimore for the National Aquarium.

[furwut]

Udvar-Hazy is great as well but it’s outside the city and with so many possibilities I’d see the NASM since it’s right there.

[warner25]

I worry that the weather will make or break a lot of things for you, and DC winter weather is less predictable than anywhere else I've ever lived. In the same way that it's a cultural dividing line between north and south, it seems to be where the cold dry air from Canada collides with the warm wet air from the Gulf of Mexico. So any given February day can feel like either 10 or 70 F.

While DC is a very walkable city, and best seen on foot, spending all day outside in a bitter cold wind will wear you down, and would definitely wear down my kids. So you might consider having two itineraries; one for mild weather and one for cold weather. Walking around the National Mall, going to Mount Vernon, and going to the National Zoo are all good if it's mild.

Regarding Udvar-Hazy vs. the downtown Air and Space Museum, I always thought the Udvar-Hazy collection was much better, and it's more enjoyable because it's less crowded. Whether the kids will like it is a toss up, though. Even my wife complained that it wasn't interactive enough (nothing to touch, sit in, etc.)

Our favorite museum was actually the National Postal Museum. We visited it numerous times because it was especially interactive and never crowded. It's hard to overstate how crowded the Smithsonian museums can get.

[02nz]

Udvar-Hazy is great as well but it’s outside the city and with so many possibilities I’d see the NASM since it’s right there.

It can make a very convenient stop though if flying out of Dulles. Check in at airport and drop off bags, visit Udvar-Hazy, then go back to the airport.

[Lastrun]

Your itinerary looks good, and I agree on skipping the Library of Congress, I would put Archives on the list above this to see the original Constitution and Declaration.

Udvar-Hazy and Mt. Vernon are great, but if I were planning this for a relative, Mt. Vernon is closer to your hotel, and perhaps more memorable unless everyone is really into aviation. Otherwise, Air & Space should suffice.

I would also, based on timing and location, just do Natural History instead of the zoo.

Also agree on Old Post Office versus Washington Monument.

I look at the Mall as sort of three zones.

The first area is Lincoln Memorial, WWII, Korea, Washington Monument, African American, White House and Constitution Gardens.

The second area is the loop around the Tidal Basin, Jefferson, MLK, and FDR memorials.

The third is Capitol Hill, American Indian, Air&Space, American History, Natural History, Archives and Art.

There is so much to see and enjoy on and around the Mall, I would resist a lot of travel time.

[VanityPlate]

A few thoughts on this:

1.There are many smaller museums in D.C. that are great for kids and not listed on your itinerary. Another commenter mentioned the postal museum, and I agree that it is great and also free. Two others we like are the National Building Museum and Planet Word. Both of these have an admission. Building Museum is in a very cool huge building that is great for kids to run around in bad weather. Not the best adult museum but they have a lot of interactive stuff for kids. Planet Word is a very cool modern museum all about language and reading. Finally, we went to the Rubell Museum - a small modern art museum in SW DC - and our kids had a great time with the scavenger hunt they gave out.

2. I would not dedicate a whole day to either the zoo or natural history. Both are great but are probably smaller than you're accounting for. Also the natural history museum can get extremely crowded and overwhelming, which is a lot for an entire day.

3. I agree with other commenter that that library of congress may not be worth it with kids. Building is cool but not that much going on there. However, if you're on that side of the Capitol, the Madison library of congress building has a pretty solid cafeteria for breakfast and lunch on weekdays on the sixth floor.

4. Don't sleep on the other museums on the mall - the american history museum, national gallery, and others are great to just walk in. Sometimes they have cool events happening.

5. The south side of the mall - where that hotel is - has very few food options in immediate walking distance, particularly at night. The Wharf is great and has a range of price points but is a further walk. I would be sure to do research and plan ahead for that. \

6. Great walking city. Bring all-weather gear and appropriate stroller/scooter/way for all family members to get around!

[bikefish]

All good suggestions from everyone. For me, I wouldn't miss the National Zoo. I am a zoo junky. Specially with kids. You make the call on the weather or whatever, but it is an easy metro ride, excellent exercise, and if you feel up to it you can walk to the National Cathedral. If you are able to use your car, I will put in a plug for Great Falls Park. Simply impressive and beautiful.

[BashDash]

Thanks for all the thoughtful, helpful, and kind replies. I'm adjusting my itinerary as we speak. I think it will be worth it to pay for hotel parking as it is has in/out privileges and for $50 a day it will give us flexibility in the cold weather. I was thinking of saving a buck using spothero but I don't think that is wise. Rideshare is also a option but I would imagine it would get tricky with a car seat going to Mt Vernon etc without one. I know there is a Uber XL and might be comfortable doing that for a 3 minute ride but not to Mt Vernon.

The white house is also an option but wasn't able to get a reservation yet as they are not taking any until the administration change in January.



Thank you I love this forum.

[bf0123]

You've already received great advice so I'll just rehash a few points and add one or two:
--Natural History: great museum...I'd budget closer to an hour than half day. Right near it is the National Gallery of Art. So interesting and huge...if the kids don't love then just walk fast through.

--There's outdoor ice skating on the Mall, that could be fun too.

--The National Zoo is great

--The Wharf region is a cool area for walking around/getting something to eat. Right on water, obviously better in summer but I bet still cool.

--I'd check out one or more of the 'Energy areas' of the city -eg DuPont, M Street, younger hipper people could recommend others...kids will probably enjoy lots of shops/people/random city stuff going on

--One random thing we once did - by far the best birthday gift we ever got our kids -- was in indoor trapeze place in DC. If your kids are at all daring/athletic/acrobatic, they do the bars like you see at a circus, high up in air. Probably pricey (haven't gone in 8 years now...) but definitely memorable. Enjoy: it's a great city, very walkable, and somehow doesn't seem as overwhelming as some other major cities.

[BashDash]

Thanks for the extra tips.....I am a little concerned about too many museums and want to mix it up somehow which is why the wharf, Mt Vernon, or even Great Falls St Park would be great.....We are also known to want to just park the car and be done with it. That is why I was considering the Uber for getting to Mt Vernon and just leaving the car.

[rob]

Be aware that DC has turned into Disneyland.... A number of places require timed tickets (most free but some have admin charge).

[Swee'pea]

Great itinerary. I suggest that you check the museum calendars or special event listings for the day you will be visiting.

When I visited the National Gallery in December there were several small table-top discussions in the cafe focused on the special exhibit I was there for. I probably would not have discovered this by chance.

I look forward to your trip report!

[GoldStar]

For your Day 1 walking around the mall and exploring monuments - my first time there I learned everything was further apart than it appeared on the map Map out which monuments you really want to see and check out the distances so if the kids get grumpy and tired of walking you will already have enjoyed your priorities.

I like old town Alexandria- you can drop by there for a stroll and dinner after Mt Vernon - either Uber or they have paid parking garages there they tend to have space.

Kids can definitely get museum'd out there. Another favorite for kids tends to be seeing dinosaurs at the Natural History if you find time to fit in another.

[warner25]

...I am a little concerned about too many museums and want to mix it up somehow which is why the wharf, Mt Vernon, or even Great Falls St Park would be great...

This is a fair concern, especially if the museums are packed with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. I will affirm Great Falls Park as a place that we also enjoyed, and wasn't too crowded (on a mild day in March or April). For other places that are just nice go for a walk outside (while also seeing historic / powerful stuff) I'll add Georgetown (the central part of the university campus and the surrounding neighborhood), Arlington National Cemetery, and Theodore Roosevelt Island.

[BashDash]

This is going to be a winter holiday weekend so I am especially concerned about crowds. Can’t hurt to mix some outdoors in!

[angelescrest]

We actually stayed at the other Holiday Inn north of the mall. While it’s not as central to the sites, it made for more convenient trips to the grocery stores and good restaurants plus it was a little cheaper at the time staying at the mall itself means there are less options for food, especially in the evening since you are surrounded by all of the offices and institutions mostly.

It’s hard to go wrong in DC with kids imho. It’s all a ton of fun, so just pick places that you know your kids and family will enjoy. Try to ensure that food options are close and not too far. I also found Uber to be especially helpful for quick trips of a couple miles or so. We love the zoo, the national Gallery of art, the portrait museum, and the FDR and Thomas Jefferson memorials hold a special place in our hearts. Also, don’t miss out on the amazing Ethiopian cuisine. Oh and sometimes there are really cool talks at National Geographic, too. Lots of great things to do that goes beyond the national mall and all the typical touristy stuff but again it really depends on your interests. I would definitely do Mount Vernon our next time there.

[downout]

Hi,
I have scoured the other DC posts and I even asked some questions from within one but I always like posting a itinerary that I have worked on. I have received very valuable advice in the past. We have 2 older elementary kids and a toddler. We like history, learning and the outdoors. We will be staying 4 days in the Winter.

Stay:
Holiday Inn National Mall/Capitol ( Using points so free in that sense. Has suites and not many hotels in the city seem like they have suites. Like free breakfast and seems like good location. Only downside is the suite side of hotel seems to have train tracks and reviews mention they can be loud. We plan on bringing sound machine but would love to know if any boglehead has experience with this. Don't really want the toddler waking up at 5AM . Backup plan is the Hilton Embassy Suites Convention Center. Can't use points. )

Parking: Using spot hero to book parking. 4 days is total around $110. Downside no in/out priveleges which creates a problem if we want to visit Mt. Vernon. Public Transportation doesn't seem easy to there. Could use UBER.

---------------
Day 1:
Arrive. Settle in. Check in and walk to explore the National Mall and the various monuments.

Day 2:
Smithsonian National Air and Space. Old Post office Tower Tour ( read on another thread that this has a better view than Washington Monument).

Day 3:
Smithsonian National Museum Natural History or Smithsonian Zoo.

Day 4:
Library of Congress AM. Capitol Tour PM. Reservation booked already.


-----------------------------
Meals. Haven't looked into it much. We like eating at the hotel after a long day. I did notice a Carmine's. Any other suggestions would be great.

-------------------------------------
Any suggestions welcome!

A few suggestions:

• Consider a different hotel. It’s a decent location but the lack of nearby food options will be a disadvantage.

• Personally, I wouldn’t bother with the Post Office tower. DC isn’t NY, and you’ll see the monuments on the PM tour. The PM tour is excellent, hope the weather cooperates.The Lincoln at night is a magical place.

• Skip the zoo in the winter. It could be cold and the animal exhibits are hit and miss. Frequently, the animals are nowhere to be seen.

• Add the American History museum. It’s a hodgepodge of a collection but unique. Air & Space is good. The Dulles location is fantastic, but not worth the travel time given how long you will be in town. Archives also recommended. FYI, the wait lines for the Archives can be long, although the winter weather may help.

• As for food with kids, I strongly disagree with the recommendations for Rasika, Oyamel, etc. They’re not kid friendly in my experience, and your kids might not like the menu options. If they’re adventurous eaters, go for it. The BBQ joint isn’t worth the walk. And Carmines is NY-based chain and mediocre IMO. I’m no foodie and all my opinion obviously, DC just isn’t great for family friendly restaurants downtown that have decent food. You could try Ebbitt. Also, You’d need to drive or Uber but consider 2 Amys or Comet, both pizza, in upper NW. Downtown, Central is also an option, although you should look at the menu for the kids before going.

• The other thing to consider is a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. Very touristy but I enjoyed when friends visited and bought tickets. And I’ve lived in DC for 20 years. You’ll get to see the city and a few of the more famous neighborhoods with minimal effort.

[Adam11]

This is going to be a winter holiday weekend so I am especially concerned about crowds. Can’t hurt to mix some outdoors in!

If it’s President’s Day weekend, Mount Vernon will be PACKED! Attractions along the Mall that weekend will have average crowds but none overwhelming. If you’re considering outdoorsy things like Great Falls Park, you should also research Gravelly Point for a picnic under the DCA flight path, activities on Haines Point (playground, driving range, mini-golf), Teddy Roosevelt Island, the (indoor) Botanic Gardens, and of course the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

And I didn’t see the Jefferson Memorial specifically on your itinerary, but it’s a can’t-miss. Being dropped off there and then walking clockwise around the Tidal Basin to the other memorials (George Mason, FDR, MLK, WWI, Korea, Lincoln, WWII) will likely be the most memorable part of your trip and provide lots of family photo opportunities.

[bikefish]

Hi,
I have scoured the other DC posts and I even asked some questions from within one but I always like posting a itinerary that I have worked on. I have received very valuable advice in the past. We have 2 older elementary kids and a toddler. We like history, learning and the outdoors. We will be staying 4 days in the Winter.

Stay:
Holiday Inn National Mall/Capitol ( Using points so free in that sense. Has suites and not many hotels in the city seem like they have suites. Like free breakfast and seems like good location. Only downside is the suite side of hotel seems to have train tracks and reviews mention they can be loud. We plan on bringing sound machine but would love to know if any boglehead has experience with this. Don't really want the toddler waking up at 5AM . Backup plan is the Hilton Embassy Suites Convention Center. Can't use points. )

Parking: Using spot hero to book parking. 4 days is total around $110. Downside no in/out priveleges which creates a problem if we want to visit Mt. Vernon. Public Transportation doesn't seem easy to there. Could use UBER.

---------------
Day 1:
Arrive. Settle in. Check in and walk to explore the National Mall and the various monuments.

Day 2:
Smithsonian National Air and Space. Old Post office Tower Tour ( read on another thread that this has a better view than Washington Monument).

Day 3:
Smithsonian National Museum Natural History or Smithsonian Zoo.

Day 4:
Library of Congress AM. Capitol Tour PM. Reservation booked already.


-----------------------------
Meals. Haven't looked into it much. We like eating at the hotel after a long day. I did notice a Carmine's. Any other suggestions would be great.

-------------------------------------
Any suggestions welcome!

A few suggestions:

• Consider a different hotel. It’s a decent location but the lack of nearby food options will be a disadvantage.

• Personally, I wouldn’t bother with the Post Office tower. DC isn’t NY, and you’ll see the monuments on the PM tour. The PM tour is excellent, hope the weather cooperates.The Lincoln at night is a magical place.

• Skip the zoo in the winter. It could be cold and the animal exhibits are hit and miss. Frequently, the animals are nowhere to be seen.

• Add the American History museum. It’s a hodgepodge of a collection but unique. Air & Space is good. The Dulles location is fantastic, but not worth the travel time given how long you will be in town. Archives also recommended. FYI, the wait lines for the Archives can be long, although the winter weather may help.

• As for food with kids, I strongly disagree with the recommendations for Rasika, Oyamel, etc. They’re not kid friendly in my experience, and your kids might not like the menu options. If they’re adventurous eaters, go for it. The BBQ joint isn’t worth the walk. And Carmines is NY-based chain and mediocre IMO. I’m no foodie and all my opinion obviously, DC just isn’t great for family friendly restaurants downtown that have decent food. You could try Ebbitt. Also, You’d need to drive or Uber but consider 2 Amys or Comet, both pizza, in upper NW. Downtown, Central is also an option, although you should look at the menu for the kids before going.

• The other thing to consider is a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. Very touristy but I enjoyed when friends visited and bought tickets. And I’ve lived in DC for 20 years. You’ll get to see the city and a few of the more famous neighborhoods with minimal effort.

I would still go to the zoo. If you live in DC you can be picky on your days but if this is a one-time visit, I say go for it. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news ... er-day-zoo

[lthenderson]

We went there two years ago and left our car parked the entire time. I can't imagine taking a car with me because parking was impossible everywhere we went judging by the number of cars double and triple parked, constantly circling cars looking for spots and number of traffic cops writing tickets. When not near a destination, it looked pretty much like gridlock traffic the entire time. We used the local mass transportation system and found it easy to use and got us within a few blocks of where we needed to go.

Honestly, with two elementary kids and a toddler, I personally would skip all the museums. They are packed, many now require timed entry tickets, and are not conducive to exploring with young kids who need drinks, bathroom breaks and are tired of walking. Our kids, who were older than yours, thought the best part of the entire trip was the pool in the backyard of the VRBO we rented for the duration. Perhaps the only tourist stop they enjoyed was our tour of the White House.

[BashDash]

Thanks for all the replies! I am on sensory overload now:)

Ithenderson I am feeling very intimidated by the crowds from your comment:). We have that entire week off of presidents week but our kids only have the Monday Tuesday off. I am tempted to keep them out of school the end of the week and go then thinking it will be lighter crowds. Thinking of it as a “field trip”.

[feehater]

I'm a local with a toddler--our trips to these sites are different than yours will have to be--we usually go for 1-2 hours and then come home for the rest of the day. That said, here are a few more kid specific tips:

Stroller for the toddler is an absolute must, preferably a jogging/all terrain stroller. These museums and the mall are much much bigger than they look on a map. Since we visit on weekdays we have never had an issue with the timed tickets other people complain of--at most we scan a QR code at the door and they harvest some information. The magnetometers take just as long as the entry pass.

Check out the kids stuff in the basement of the American History museum: https://www.si.edu/visit/kids
The Wegmans wonder place is nothing you won't see at any other children's museum, but one of you can take the toddler there while the older kids actually visit the museum. I have heard the American Indian one is good too, but beware that both have weird hours.

Both the Hirshhorn and the National Gallery have outdoor sculpture gardens that can be fun for kids to explore. The Gallery one has a good restaurant near the fountain too. Speaking of which, food trucks always seem like they should be unique and special but most are wildly overpriced and mediocre. We usually try to eat either in a museum restaurant, or go north into the bottom part of Downtown/PennQuarter/Chinatown.

Bathrooms can be an issue down in the monuments section--make sure to make the kids go any chance you get.

People have raved about the zoo, but we have had much more mixed experiences. It is built onto a giant hill so you always feel like you are on a hike. If you go by car, you will surely want to pay the $35 to park rather than look for street parking even farther uphill. A lot of the older New Deal era buildings are cute but also are dark, dirty, and dank on the inside. A lot of the enclosures are small and the animals often seem, frankly, unhappy. The few times we've actually seen the lions and tigers out they have moaned and seemed miserable. That said, the new Bird House is awesome, and the renovated Panda house will surely be great, although it only reopened to members yesterday and there will probably be some ticket system to see them.

The newly renovated DC air and space is great, and is probably good enough to avoid making the trip all the way out to the Dulles one, unless your kids really like planes and space. For about the same length of the drive all the way to Dulles you could just make it to Baltimore and do the amazing aquarium instead. Have you thought about parking at a suburban metro station for the length of the time you're staying in downtown, and taking the train in?

[rob]

Air & Space is good. The Dulles location is fantastic, but not worth the travel time given how long you will be in town.

I would do the Dulles instead of the one on the mall - IMO it's just far better.

[warner25]

...Our kids, who were older than yours, thought the best part of the entire trip was the pool in the backyard of the VRBO we rented for the duration. Perhaps the only tourist stop they enjoyed was our tour of the White House.

This is a good reminder for any parent planning a trip. Kind of depressing on one hand, but on the other hand hopeful that you don't need to come up with (or pay for) anything really amazing for it to be enjoyable and memorable. It's also hard to predict what will stand out.

My parents took me to Disney World late in elementary school. Upon returning to school, the task was to write about what we did over vacation, and I remember writing all about the experience of flying on an airplane with the equivalent of a buried footnote saying "by the way, we went to Disney World." It was my first time flying and I later became a pilot, by the way.

Around the same time, during his 1996 reelection campaign, I also remember meeting and shaking hands with President Clinton when he visited our city, and my take on that was "whatever, of course I did; he came to our city." So even if they had taken me to the White House and we had a chance encounter like that, I might have been unimpressed.