2 adults, 2 toddler, 2 days in DC... any tips?

My husband and I will be in the DC area the first week of April. We just decided to go last week, so have not had much time to plan anything. I%26#39;m in charge of the ';planning'; and I have never been to DC so I need all the help I can get.

The main purpose of our trip is an Airstream get together, so we%26#39;ll be camping at a farm outside DC. We have been told that it%26#39;s a 20 minute drive to the nearest Metro station. I don%26#39;t want to drive in DC, so we%26#39;ll take the metro everywhere or take buses.

We%26#39;ll have 2 kids with us, a 12 month old and a 34 month old. We plan on taking our backpack kid carrier and/or the umbrella stroller, is that a good idea?

I%26#39;m thinking about taking the trolley tour, is that good with young kids?

I doubt we%26#39;ll do any tours just because the kids won%26#39;t find them interesting, so I plan on walking around and looking at the sights more than anything.

Any suggestions on how to make this a fun trip for the entire family would be appreciated!

2 adults, 2 toddler, 2 days in DC... any tips?

Most of the Metro parking lots fill up quite early on workdays, so driving to the Metro could be a problem once you get there. You will also have to buy a SmarTrip card to pay for parking, though it is free on weekends.

2 adults, 2 toddler, 2 days in DC... any tips?

Although metro parking lots can fill up early, I would definitely recommend you arrive AFTER rush hour. Two kids and a stroller in rush hour metro traffic is never fun for anyone. On weekends, anytime will be okay. But definitely take the stroller and backpack. You%26#39;ll need those. Lots of museums are free so you only need to spend as little or as much time as your kids can handle. Check out the Air and Space Museum and Natural History. Natural History has a Discovery Room for kids that should be fun, at least for the older one. The National Gallery also has a moving walkway and a waterfall underground near the cafe that my kids enjoy. (And pretty good gelato.) If you feel like venturing off the Mall, the National Building Museum is great for kids. There%26#39;s a huge main atrium where the kids can run around, the Building Zone where the kids can play (tons of blocks, a little play house, books, etc.), there%26#39;s also a Firehook Bakery and a cool store.

Hope this helps. Have fun!

Oh yeah, forgot to mention - I probably wouldn%26#39;t recommend the trolley tour. Your kids really won%26#39;t care about many of the buildings. Sure, it%26#39;s cool to see the Washington Monument, but that%26#39;s about it at age 3 and under and you can see it for free just standing on the Mall.

One more suggestion - if you want a free view of the city, go to the Old Post Office Pavilion at 11th and Pennsylvania and take a ride to the top of the bell tower. There%26#39;s a glass elevator and at the top you have views of the entire city. There%26#39;s also a food court in the building so it%26#39;s a good place to go around lunch time.