Trip Report: with 8 yo daughter (long)

I’m so THANKFUL for the advice received on this forum. It helped IMMENSELY in planning our 8-day visit to DC. My husband and I had been to DC before, but it was our almost 8 yo daughter’s first trip. We had a WONDERFUL time!!!

TIPS: We used the METRO whenever possible, but we still walked A LOT so make sure you have comfy shoes! I planned a few MUST SEE things for each day, and then filled in with other sights nearby as time and energy permitted. I made sure we could sleep in if we were out late the previous night. Or if we had an early morning reservation, I made sure we went to bed early. We thought we’d take a break in the afternoons to swim at hotel, but we were too busy sightseeing to enjoy the pool. My dd does much better on a full stomach so I always carried snacks. She wore a belt that had a water bottle holder, which worked well because she could easily quench her thirst. Bring lots of money to purchase ice cream from street vendors!!

Advance Reservations:

Purchased tickets to Washington monument (mailed to our house; didn’t have to wait in line for tickets), reserved a National Archives self-guided tour (enabled us to cut to the front of a HUGE line), purchased 7 day Short Trip Pass for the METRO (mailed to us free of charge; we got our $$’s worth after a few days use), panda viewing at National Zoo. Through our congressman, we made reservations for Bureau of Printing and Engraving tour (again, no waiting in line), White House Tour, and Capitol Tour.

Day 1

Arrived at Union Station at 2:45 p.m. Took the Metro to Embassy Suites in Crystal City (15 minutes) which was a great location for sightseeing in DC. The hotel had a shuttle to the Pentagon City Metro which we used daily. Husband and daughter went swimming while I settled us in the hotel. We were tired from sightseeing in New York so went to bed early.

Day 2 (our busiest, longest sightseeing day)

Arrived early for White House Tour. Our names were NOT on the list but they eventually cleared us. Enjoyed the tour. Saw the President’s helicopter take off from the White House which was fun for our dd.

American History Museum: dd did a 30-minute science experiment in hands-on center led by a docent. She loved it! Stayed for a few hours, but dd was fading fast as she was hungry so went to Old Post Office Pavilion for a leisurely lunch. There were tons of school groups there so had to wait in line to go to the bell tower. It was a very windy, brisk day so only took a quick view from the top but worth a visit.

Took Metro to Holocaust Museum and went to Daniel’s Story children’s exhibit. My dd loved the hands-on items she could touch.

Bureau of Printing and Engraving is next door to Holocaust so arrived early for our 4:15 tour (set up by Congressman) so they let us go on the 4:00 tour. No waiting at all. 45 minute tour. Very interesting for husband and I, but not as interesting for dd.

To Ronald Reagan International Trade Center for dinner (near Federal Triangle Metro). Not very busy. We enjoyed looking around.

To National Theater for Disney Live Magic show to pick up tickets at will call. Arrived early for 7:00 p.m. show so walked to Ford’s Theater, a few blocks away to find it for a later visit. We had 2nd row seats for the Disney Live and we all enjoyed it immensely.

Took Metro back to Embassy Suites and caught the shuttle to our hotel which was a welcome relief for our tired feet. Busy, tiring but fun day.

Day 3

Slept in. To Union Station via Metro. Then to Postal Museum. DD loved the hands on exhibits. Not busy at all. We all enjoyed it. You can make postcards for free then mail them (you pay postage).

Library of Congress tour, which lasted 50 minutes. I LOVED this beautiful building and think it is a MUST SEE. I knew dd would be bored listening to the tour guide, but it was something I really wanted to do.

To hotel to rest before taking Metro to Foggy Bottom Station to catch FREE shuttle to Kennedy Center for FREE concert held nightly on Millennium Stage at 6:00 p.m. The National Symphony Orchestra was playing in the Concert Hall. What a treat! Dress was informal. Had a great view of Potomac River at Kennedy Center.

Day 4

Metro to Huntington Station to catch Fairfax Connector Bus #101 to Mount Vernon. The station attendant misinformed us about when to get our bus transfer tickets so instead of paying 35 cents to ride the bus we paid $1.00 (still a great deal).

We just missed the bus to Mount Vernon so had to wait 50 minutes for the next one to arrive. We should’ve checked the bus schedule ahead of time to coordinate timing. It was a 20 minute scenic drive to Mount Vernon. We spent 4 hours there. Ate at Mt Vernon Inn which is in a colonial setting. It was worth waiting for a table. The meal was superb, especially the Peanut Soup. They gave me the recipe.

We felt energetic so took the Metro to Natural History Museum for an hour. DD LOVED the insect zoo, which we visited 3 times during our stay in DC. We walked out to the mall to play tag with our dd and enjoyed ice cream bars from a vendor.

Day 5

Up early to get to Washington Monument for 9:30 viewing. Well worth it! Beautiful views and great photo opportunities. DD says this is one of her favorite DC events.

Returned to Natural History Museum to view insect zoo, again, and other exhibits. Went to Imax African Safari show, which was a great way to rest weary feet. Get tickets as soon as you arrive so you don’t have to stand in line.

To Pavilion Café in Sculpture Garden of National Gallery of Art for lunch. Beautiful outdoor setting. To National Art Gallery for a quick peek before heading to National Archives tour located across the street. There was a HUGE line, but we got to cut in front since we had a reservation for a self-guided tour, which I made online.

To hotel to rest before monuments by moonlight tour. A DC friend drove us there so we were able to walk to Korean, Lincoln, Viet Nam, WW2, FDR, than drove to Jefferson Monument to view at our leisure. A highlight for all. Returned to hotel at 11 p.m.

Day 6

Slept in. To Ford’s theater. Enjoyed Museum in theater basement and went to Peterson House where Lincoln died, but disappointed that theater itself was closed because they were tearing down the set from a performance. We should’ve called ahead.

To Supreme Court. Arrived in time for 30 minute tour. Had to leave early to make it to Capitol Tour.

Capitol tour took 1.5 hours. Our congressional tour guide was a rookie so he didn’t know much about the things we saw but enjoyed the tour anyway. I just eavesdropped on the other tour guides as they explained paintings, etc. in the rotunda.

Went to Gift shop in Longworth Building to pick up some souvenirs. Wanted to get lunch, but cafeteria closes at 2:30 so had to settle for ice cream!

To Air %26amp; Space Museum for a quick peek, then went to Imax theater’s 3-D “Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon” show to rest our weary feet. Would’ve preferred to see another show instead, but this worked out best for timing.

Day 7

Took Metro to Cleveland Park Station then walked 3 blocks (downhill) to National Zoo. We spent 5 hours at the zoo and the majority of the animals were out so was great! Had panda tickets for 10:30 but walked right in at 10:00 a.m. Great views of panda. There were a zillion school groups so it was busy and NOISY! The food at the café was terrible so bring a lunch if you can. Threw our lunch away and ate ice cream instead. If you want to avoid the crowd, go before 10 p.m. or after 2 p.m. because school groups are not usually there at that time.

Took Metro to Tenleytown station. Got a bus transfer than took #34 bus going south on Wisconsin for a 7-minute ride to the National Cathedral. Arrived in time for a 30-minute tour. We LOVED it! DD especially liked roaming around all the nooks and crannies of the cathedral. A definite highlight.

From National Cathedral we bused to back to Tenleytown Station then took Metro to Dupont Circle for dinner. There is a picture of Dupont Circle in our hotel so dd was thrilled to see the fountain, etc. Asked a local where to eat and he suggested “Kramerbooks and Afterwords Café and Grill”. We sat outside and enjoyed a fabulous meal.

Took Metro to Arlington Cemetery but arrived just before closing so were not allowed in.

Day 8

Took Metro to Union Station to catch Amtrak to New York to attend my nephew’s graduation from West Point Military Academy. President Bush was keynote speaker. A memorable weekend.

Hope my lengthy trip report will be helpful to those planning a trip with children. Let me know if I can answer any questions!

Trip Report: with 8 yo daughter (long)

Wow! I got tired just reading it, you did so much. :)

Thanks for posting this, I%26#39;m sure it will be very helpful for people coming to town with kids.

Trip Report: with 8 yo daughter (long)

Thank you for taking the time to type up your report...it was helpful to our family!

How did you feel safety-wise touring the monuments ';on your own'; at night? This is something we plan to do but were wondering about the atmosphere.

Thank you for the detailed trip reports. These are so valuable to those of us still planning our visits!

I second the question about visiting the monuments at night. I am interested in doing my own tour rather than a guided trollet tour. Also, were your reservations for the self-guided visit of the National Archives for a weekday or weekend? In looking on the NARA website, it reads as if the advance reservations are only available during the week even though the archives are open 7 days.

IrishFan, Yes, we did do a lot but we didn’t feel rushed or overly tired. DD is a wonderful vacationer and woke up each morning raring to go!

MagnoliaBelle, We felt very safe touring the monuments at night! We started around 8 p.m. and parked near the Korean. It was still light outside when we visited it. Walked to Lincoln which was flooded with people. Walked by Viet Nam. It%26#39;s dark by now. Walked to FDR. Fountains are gorgeous at night. Then our friend drove us to Jefferson. By now it%26#39;s about 10:30 p.m. We were the only ones there except for a guard/police officer. He is there nightly until 6:00 a.m. in the morning. He told us there are people who come all through the night. I am assuming there are guards posted at all monuments during the night, but didn%26#39;t notice as there were other people milling about. The monuments at night were a real highlight!

Daisy11, Our National Archives self-guided tour was on a Monday afternoon. They emailed us a confirmation letter which enabled us to enter through a “special events” entrance. They jumped us to the front of the security line. Then we went to rotunda where we had to queue for about 10 minutes. After receiving instructions from museum personnel, you are allowed to enter rotunda and view documents at your leisure.

Feel free to ask any other questions.

When did you find out that your tours were set up by your congressman? We set ours up awhile ago but have yet to hear anything.

Thanks for the info.

Also can you get to the monuments at night from your Embassy Suites without having someone drive you?

We requested our congressional tours in mid-Feb which was 3 months prior to our trip. We heard fairly early about the BEP, Capitol Tour, but were told that 95% of White House tours they request are rejected. Called about 10 days before our trip and they said we did NOT get White House tour. About 5-6 days before our arrival in DC, they called and said we got into the White House Tour.

We also had set up a Library of Congress tour through Congressional office, but it was at 8:30 in the morning which was way too early so we went on our own and hooked up with an afternoon tour and it worked out great.

I looked up all the places we wanted to go and wrote down notes on when tours are held, how long they lasted, etc. so we could time our arrival accordingly. Worked out beautifully! For example, I knew that the last tour at the National Cathedral was held at 3:30 on Wednesday so made sure we left the zoo in time to make the tour.

The closest METRO station to the monuments from Embassy Suites would be Smithsonian. It%26#39;d be quite a hike but doable if you had the time and energy. You could walk to Washington, WW2, Viet Nam, Lincoln, Korean, %26amp; FDR. Jefferson is out there so not sure how to get there on foot. Not sure I would%26#39;ve ventured out at night without our friend to show us the way as it was dark. Washington, Lincoln, WW2 are easy to find, but Viet Nam is off to the side as is FDR %26amp; Korean.

Thanks,

I%26#39;m thinking we may be out of luck with our congress people. the kids will be disappointed but we will make up for it.

We are meeting someone at the memorials, I%26#39;m just wondering how safe it is to be out really late that night and going back to the hotel. We have reservations for the Washington Suites Georgetown but am considering the Embassy Suites.

Thanks again.

Crazyme: If you haven%26#39;t done so already, try contacting your senators%26#39; offices about tours. I initially sent a request to my congressman via his website and have yet to hear a response. I had figured that the congressman would be the first to reply because (I assumed) he doesn%26#39;t get the same volume of requests as the senators from my state. In order to hedge my bets, I also phoned the office of one of my senators. The senator%26#39;s office has someone assigned to responding to these requests and I got a call back within a couple days. A day after the call I received an email confirming my Capitol tour.

Great trip report--you certainly were very well organized--ordering tickets in advance. I see your daughter really liked the Natural History Museum--it is popular with kids her age. I assume you ate breakfast at the Embassy Suites since it is free for guests. You mention where you ate lunch--where did you have dinner? I hope you post your restaurant reviews--they will be helpful to others.

Daisy 11, I also sent a request to my senator via email and didn%26#39;t receive a reply saying ';We got your request.'; so I thought perhaps it didn%26#39;t go through so I called the tour coordinator from my congressman%26#39;s office. My senator%26#39;s office DID receive my email request. They called about 10 days before before my scheduled departure date to set up a capitol tour, etc. but I already had it arranged through Congressman. Don%26#39;t give up!

SueFee, If I was organized it was due to all the help I received reading this forum. I%26#39;m so grateful!! I poured over other trip reports, asked questions, etc. Our trip really did go VERY smoothly! The only two things we didn%26#39;t get to do were Arlington Cemetery and seeing Lincoln%26#39;s booth in Ford%26#39;s Theater. We would%26#39;ve made it to Arlington in time, but we spontaneously decided to get off the METRO at Dupont Circle to eat dinner. I%26#39;m so glad we did! I%26#39;ve been to Arlington but wanted dd to experience it. We%26#39;ll save it for another trip.

Yes, we had breakfast at Embassy Suites which was wonderful. I posted a hotel review which should show up soon. For dinner, we were hit and miss because we were stuffed from breakfast so may have only had 2 meals that day along with lots of snacks (carried Cliff bars and cheese %26amp; crackers with us). A few times we picked up a quick bite at the Fashion Center in Pentagon City before heading to hotel on the shuttle. No wonderful dining experiences to report other than really enjoying Mt Vernon Inn and Kramer%26#39;s in Dupont Circle. We ate too much fast food and lots of icecream bars!