Our Nation’s Capital – Visiting Washington, DC
Michael & I lived in Arlington, VA – just 5 minutes outside DC while we were engaged. We still have family & friends living in the DC area so we visit with our kids once or twice a year. Here’s our inside scoop on visiting DC.
All of the museums on the Mall are free! Even though you’ll be spending a lot of time inside museums, there’s a lot of walking between museums. We always apply sunscreen in the morning, and often wear hats. Everyone should be wearing their most comfortable walking shoes. And we don’t leave our room without our water bottles. This will save you a lot of money. There’s security at every building with bag searches. You can have water and snacks but can’t eat in the museums. Lunch at the museums is a little expensive but justified since the museums are free! There are usually long lines and not a lot of available seating in the museum cafes between noon – 1:00. Every museum has a gift shop and your kids may want something from every one. We usually give our kids spending money on the first day. They know how much money they have for the entire week which makes them more selective shoppers.
Parking – Parking on the Mall is a little tricky. There’s some free parking starting at 10 am but most of the spots will be taken by 10. So, you have to park in a spot around 9:30 and hang out in or by your car – finishing your Starbucks & pastries. Be sure to read all the confusing parking signs to prevent a ticket or worse – towing! Or you can find a metered spot and feed your meter with quarters every 2 hours – set the alarm on your iPhone to remind you. Or you can park in a garage a couple of blocks away – find one online.
Metro or Metrorail – The DC subway. It will get you to the Mall but it won’t get you to every monument. It’s a clean subway with no eating or drinking at the stations or on the trains.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum This museum is very popular. Arriving when they open is a good idea.(10:00) We like to go upstairs first to have some exhibit rooms to ourselves while the crowds are downstairs. Be sure to check out the Discovery Stations – a museum employee is at “portable interactive carts which encourage informal learning through active looking, discussion, and hands-on activities.” Check out the website
http://airandspace.si.edu/museum/flagship.cfm to see the schedule of daily events like Paper Airplane Contests. The IMAX or Planetarium movies are cool and are a great way to rest from all the walking. Food: fast food – McDonald’s, Boston Market & Pizza.
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center – the second Air & Space Museum is located in Chantilly, VA. http://airandspace.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/ It’s not a hands-on museum but has a huge collection of airplanes and the Space Shuttle Discovery – It’s awesome to see it up-close!
National Museum of Natural History This museum is so exciting – The Dinosaurs, The Ocean Hall, Ancient Egypt, The Hall of Bones and much more! This museum usually has an amazing nature photography exhibit on the second floor.
The live Butterfly Pavilion is exciting. It’s free on Tuesdays. So, we went on a Tuesday when they opened at 10:00 and went straight to the Butterfly Pavilion to get our timed-entry tickets. This museum also has an IMAX theater. Food: The Atrium Cafe has Natural and sustainable foods – fancy cafeteria. http://www.mnh.si.edu/visit/
National Museum of American History – Cool exhibits on Presidents, The First Lady’s dresses, the huge American flag that inspired our National Anthem, History of American transportation, and a lot more cool iconic American History. Food: The Stars and Stripes Cafe has a great view of the Washington Monument. It also has Natural and sustainable foods – fancy cafeteria. http://americanhistory.si.edu/ http://americanhistory.si.edu/
National Museum of the American Indian – Native American art, history and culture. Short films and occasionally dance & music demonstrations. In the Imaginations Activity Center our kids learned how to weave a little basket and got to bring it home! Food: The Mitsitam Cafe has interesting food like tamales, salmon, homemade soups, and buffalo burgers. I had a vegetable dish with eggplant that was amazing! http://nmai.si.edu/home/
National Gallery of Art – Beautiful Artworks including paintings, sculptures and photography that you and your kids will recognize. The gift shop has great prints and note cards of famous artwork.
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden – Really cool modern art. Our kids loved it. http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/home/#collection=home
National Zoological Park – This zoo has Giant Pandas! And like all the other Smithsonian’s it’s free admission! Check out their site for how to get there by driving or public transportation. There is a parking fee. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm
The U.S. Capital Building – The free guided tour was very interesting. Security here is more strict than the museums. We had to empty our metal water bottles and throw away our snacks.
Washington Monument – Even though you can’t enter the monument as of August 2011 due to an earthquake, you should still walk up to it to see how impressive it is.
Lincoln Memorial – This inspirational monument is a must. If you visit at sunset or after dark it will be less busy and less hot, and the monument lights are beautiful.
Albert Einstein Memorial – This a cool statue for Einstein fans. You can find it hidden in the trees on Constitution Avenue near Lincoln Memorial.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial – A beautiful monument.
Iwo Jima Memorial – Located in Arlington, VA this monument is impressive to see in person with a great view of DC. It’s free with free parking. Sometimes the US Marine Band performs here around 6 p.m. If you visit on the Forth of July it’s a great place to watch fireworks.
Arlington National Cemetery – Beautiful and solemn. The Changing of the Guards is moving and captivating.
Gravelly Point – Located in Arlington, VA along the Potomac River it’s a fantastic place to watch planes land at nearby Ronald Reagan Airport. After visiting the Air & Space Museum it’s very exciting to watch and hear the planes fly shockingly close to your head! We usually get a pizza to-go and have a picnic in the park. Just stay off the busy bicycle lane! http://dcrugby.com/directions/gravellypoint.html
Georgetown – A historic neighborhood with high-end shops and great restaurants. And home to Georgetown Cupcake – DC Cupcakes on TLC. Yum!
There are so many more museums and so much more to see in DC. I just named our favorites spots. Decide on what sites your family would like best, check out an online map and plan your days!
