April spring break - am I doomed?

I have an opportunity to become a meber of the bar of the US supreme court on Monday 04/06, which incldes a tour, so I wanted to take my family (which includes 2 middle schoolers) there early, say Friday 04/02, to do some sightseeing. However, I am learning that this is probably the worst time to go to DC, and that the lines are going to be ridiculous. Any thoughts on what would be best to see, least crowded to see, from Friday to Sunday? I was thinking a Mt. Vernon excusion might be in order. Any thoughts woud be appreciated.

April spring break - am I doomed?

Yes, it will be crowded but no, you are not doomed.

1. Your kids are old enough to walk around so you can have a good time walking to all of the sights and monuments and avoid the crowds waiting for the hop on/hop off buses. I would also encourage you to take the Metro to Arlington Cemetery and you could walk the cemetery on your own with a map from the Visitor%26#39;s Center. The cemetery is hilly, but defintitely do-able with middle-schoolers.

2. Consider going places where you can get timed tickets in advance. I believe the tickets for the Washington Monument are already sold out for the time you are coming (but you can always try for same day tickets if you get to the ticket booth early enough.) However, timed tickets for the tour of the newly-renovated Ford%26#39;s Theatre are still available for that weekend. The tickets are free, but there is a processing fee charged. At these places, the number of people in the group will be limited, so you shouldn%26#39;t encounter a huge crowd.

3. See if you can arranged a tour of the Capitol through your Representative%26#39;s office. We were able to do this at somewhat the last minute last August. While the Capitol was crowded that day, our tour group was only 10 people and we were able to meet our guide right at the Representative%26#39;s office--thus no standing in line for a guide.

4. If you go to Mount Vernon, be there right when they open and do the tour of the mansion first. The tours of the mansion are on a first come/first serve basis and the line can get quite long. Once you have done the mansion tour, you can walk the grounds, take a smaller specialty tour (e.g. gardens, slave quarters, etc.) and visit the relatively new museum.

5. Finally, our family is leaving the D.C. area for our Spring Break, so you can take our place!

April spring break - am I doomed?

It will be great timing for Cherry Blossoms! They expect the peak bloom period to be April 3 to April 9.

You can learn all about it here:

http://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

My advice is: Go early. Most visitors sleep in a bit. Go to what%26#39;s most important 1st to make sure that you see that. If you%26#39;re driving, the monuments are gorgeous at night. After dinner, or after 7pm, go to the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, cruise along one side of the Mall and then cross over and see the other side.

Yes, the Natural History Museum and the Zoo can get crowed after about 11 am, but earlier times can be magic.

Congratulations on joining the Supreme Court Bar. My Father was a member.

you are actually really lucky - it is a beautiful time of year - and walking is lovely as the air is fresh and clear - the blossoms are just spectacular - have a lovely time.

I too am doing my part to lower the population by four. We are off to London.

Agree-you should come, be prepared with the tips you get here and enjoy yourselves.

You can always get a taste for it and then come back. You will be better prepared for next time and then will be able to get more out of it since you will have your bearings.

I always enjoy the second go at places I travel to.