Going on vacation in DC. Any tips?

[groumoutis]

Next month we are going to DC and we haven't ever been there. We are unsure on where to stay and what tours to go on. I know there are some really bad areas around DC and we want to stay clear of those areas.

We plan on staying for a few days and we will go to the Smithsonian air and space and the presidential monuments. We will be taking our kids with the oldest being 12 years old and the youngest is only 16 months. Whatever we do will have to be stroller friendly.




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[pdzz]

Arlington, changing of the guards.

 

[ijames]

Just to walk around the mall and do a good job of looking at the monuments will take a day, same for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the mall. Half a day to go through the Capitol but it's been a long time since I did that so it may be different now. Then there is the Air and Space Annex at Dulles, where the SR71, space shuttle, and lots of other stuff to ogle are located. Never did the White House tour, but I think you need tickets in advance for that. Never did any of the tour services, either, sorry. Probably most of a day each (or more) for each of the other museums like Natural History and Art. Not sure I'd subject kids to that much all in one trip.

Any of the hotels near the mall are going to be ridiculous. Do you plan to drive in ($20-30/day for parking if you can find it), or use the Metro? Find their website and look at the map. You can go west into VA, north into MD either along the red route into Rockville or the green route to Beltsville, and find much cheaper hotels. Might be something reasonable near National Airport but I doubt it. Don't go straight east or southeast of the mall unless you have advice (I don't know specifics beyond that, I stay up here in MD). Where are you coming from? If you want a day outside the city there is a six flags park down I95 towards Richmond.

 

[asto-t]

Contact your Congressman and try to get a private tour of the capital building. Well worth it. Stayed at the Hilton in D.C. It had a indoor pool. A lot of walking from museum to museum. Plenty of parking if you leave hotel early .

 

[asto-t]

Contact your Congressman and try to get a private tour of the capital building. Well worth it. Stayed at the Hilton in D.C. It had a indoor pool. A lot of walking from museum to museum. Plenty of parking if you leave hotel early .

We parked right across from the Wash. monument. I think you couldnt park there during rush hour 7-9 and 3-7

 

[84SFIGN]

asdf

 

[84SFIGN]

X2 on setting an appointment with your congressman in advance. We got the tunnel tour and walked by a huge crowd of suckers waiting in a 2 hour line. Plan ahead and you won't be sorry. It's true, the hotels in the DC area will screw you. We took the cheap bastard way out and camped on the other side of the river near a metro terminal. You could probably find better hotel rates out of town but near a terminal. Use the metro! It is the most cost effecient and quickest way to get around not to mention the fact that it's an attraction in itself. Some of the stations are 3 levels deep. We bought a 2 day unlimited pass. You might spend some time on tripadvisor.com to get some more insight. Check out this link and have fun.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g28970-s302/Washington-Dc:District-Of-Columbia:Getting.Around.html

 

[groumoutis]

We are going to be coming from Williamsburg Va because we are going to spend a couple days there first. We are really interested in the Smithsonian and want to see the monuments around the mall. I don't want to go on the tour of the Capitol building. Not interested in being around a large group of criminals. Lol.... I know I would like to go on a bus tour around DC if there are tours. I would like to see Ford Theater, the pentagon and the Declaration of Independence. If anyone knows of a good tour bus company or something along those lines would be cool. We will be in DC for a couple days to try to take as much in as possible.

On our must see list so far is the Smithsonian, Arlington Cemetery, the monuments around the mall and the changing of the guard plus the tomb of the unknown soldier. There is more we want to see but don't know if we will have enough time. Are these places fairly close to each other?


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[asto-t]

Buy a good pair of shoes...lot of walking. Everything is within walking distance except Arlington Cemetery. It is a long walk from the entrance of the cemetery to the tomb of the unknown soldier unless you have family buried there. They will allow you to drive inside. They do have buses tour to take you there if you want to wait.

 

[asto-t]

Buy a good pair of shoes...lot of walking. Everything is within walking distance except Arlington Cemetery. It is a long walk from the entrance of the cemetery to the tomb of the unknown soldier unless you have family buried there. They will allow you to drive inside. They do have buses tour to take you there if you want to wait.

Changing of the guard was worth the walk...

 

[aminga]

There's a house over on 1600 Pennsylvania avenue where some guy throws money out the back door. Take a bushel basket and scoop some up.

 

[Jonasterg]

Northwest DC is great, plenty to see and do especially near the National Mall. The Air & Space Museum is a favorite of mine. The sculpture garden is nearby too... some really cool stuff there (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gb4NmAd9gS8/S_f8t92e9HI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/HQi8Hq_Mfgg/s1600/snelson_tower.jpg is my favorite). I think the Spy Museum is kinda overrated, but it could be fun for the kids.

As other said, bring comfortable shoes and bring bottled water! There are always street carts for snacks and water, but if it's hot out it's much nicer to have your own water. (Caution: lots of museums won't let you bring in drinks.)

If you can go on an evening, check out the Marine Barracks and their silent drills. Perfectly syncronized formations and weapon displays, it's really a cool experience. If you're interested, I'll call my dad for info on the days & times (apparently my grandpa orchestrated a few of their formations before he passed).

Have fun!

 

[GNTIM]

If you are driving from the south up I95, it will turn into I395 which dumps into the area of DC you are talking about. Before crossing over the Potomac into town, you will go through Arlington and Alexandria, which is where I would get a hotel, cheaper and less of a hassle than staying in town. The Metro can be a nightmare if you aren't familiar or have small kids. Google DC Duck tours, even if you don't do the tour, the website has good sightseeing guide under the things to do tab. Make sure your GPS is updated, some of the roads have changed recently. DC isn't the hole it used to be.

 

[groumoutis]

Thanks for all this great advice and keep it coming. I looked at a few hotels across the river in the Rosslyn area. They had good rates.

I am kinda worried though. I know there are a lot of rapist and thieves in DC. From what I understand there are two from each state and a third one from Illinois but he is kept in a big white building with a tall fence and armed guards. I doubt he will be escaping.

On the serious side I doubt we will get to see all that we are wanting to see. Growing up in a small hick town in Indiana I hope we can figure out the metro transportation system. I have never even rode in a cab in the US. A few over seas but none here. This is going to be the craziest family vacation for us yet. We will be just like the Griswalds, just replace the wagon with a Flex and start filming.


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[Jonasterg]

The Metro is pretty simple, and (to be honest) the Metro workers are pretty helpful. When you go into each terminal, just ask one of them for help and they're usually happy to give you a hand. A word of caution: if you have bad allergies, the Metro ride can get uncomfortable as you go through tunnels. My ears pop and it will hurt for a few minutes until the pressure equalizes inside my head. If my allergies aren't acting up, I'm fine.

 

[GNTIM]

The best time to see the city is during the week, the place is a zoo on the weekends when the weather is good. Traffic is pretty bad before 930am and after 3 or so, but I would not hesitate to stay after 3, you just don't want to get caught up in the morning rush. Don't do the metro if you have small children and have never navigated it before.

 

[groumoutis]

Unfortunately we will be there on a weekend. What makes the metro bad with small children and what about the allergies on the metro? I have both small children and allergies.




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[GNTIM]

Not sure about the allergy thing. It's just kind of hard to shuffle a stroller around on the metro.

 

[Jonasterg]

I mentioned the allergy thing because the Metro goes through some tunnels underground and when it does, my ears tend to pop (the opposite feeling of being on an airplane). When my allergies are acting up (congested sinuses) it's harder for my ears to pop and equalize pressure. So I end up with mild discomfort until we leave the tunnel. It's not a big deal, mostly an annoyance.

Honestly as long as you're in the tourist areas the city is plenty safe. I grew up in Maryland and during both middle school and high school we would take field trips into DC to see different monuments and museums. Never had any issues.

The Jefferson and FDR monuments are personal favorites of mine. The Jefferson gets less foot traffic than the Lincoln and it's very photogenic (on the water, etc). Google Maps is your friend, as you can plan walking routes between locations.

 

[twodafloor]

1: Don't plan on driving in Washington,DC. You will become homocidal and this is likely the only way you can end up in a bad area. Most anywhere in daytime I wouldn't sweat to much just stay out of NE and SE. Nothing to see there anyway. You can spend weeks in the Smithsonian, definately Air and Space, Science and Technology. My personal fave is the Vietnam Memorial at dawn on a Sunday, it's very sobering especially without all the rabble trying to rub over someones name or the joggers who think it's their private running trail. The Wall is right next to the Lincoln which is also stirring and the Korean War Memorial will really surprise you if you don't know much about that conflict. Good luck. Don't come in late July or August- too muggy. You can drive in Northern Virginia and Maryland suburbs ok- seriously don't try DC. They have no parking,speed cameras on all the smooth streets, red light cameras on the rest. Last year they made over 90 million on these three areas.