If you do stay in Arlington, great restaurant, The Carlyle .
Oops, it’s just Carlyle.
There is so much to see in Washington. I wish I could spend at least a week there visiting museums and all. If you know your congressman or any staffers let them know you’ll be in town and maybe stop by to say hello.
Seconding the recommendation to eat lunch at the National Museum of the American Indian - best food on the mall!
With only two days in the DC area, if you want to do Mt. Vernon and you will do that by car visit Mt V on the second day and save a day’s car rental. Pick a hotel in Virginia convenient to the Metro, and do the city stuff by public transportation on the first day. Check out the Metro travel planner, and look at the route maps for the Circulator. You can ride the Circulator with the same fare cards as the Metro, but for some reason, its routes aren’t linked into the Metro system website.
http://www.wmata.com/
http://www.dccirculator.com/Home/BusRoutesandSchedules.aspx
Yes, you can get to Mt. Vernon by public transit,
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/routes/101.htm
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/routes/152.htm
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/routes/151.htm
but with three people you will probably prefer the convenience of taking a car.
Holocaust museum is a must.
All the suggestions are good so far but one of my kids favorite spots is missing: The National Archive. It is a short walk from the Washington Monument, Smithsonian, etc and you can see all of America’s money being printed. You can buy uncut sheets of bills. It is something that both adults and kids usually like.
The National Zoo is also great and I have not seen it mentioned.
Rock Creek Park is a mini version of Central Park if you are into seeing nature in the middle of a huge city.
My kids also enjoyed riding bikes on trails that run from Arlington National Cemetery to the Pentagon to National Airport and then into Alexandria (you can even ride all the way to Mt. Vernon if you are so inclined). They particularly liked sitting at the end of the runway at National Airport and watching the planes take off and head out over the river.
@lookingforward the Carlyle is 2 blocks from my first townhouse, good choice 
Everyone is different. Arlington Cemetary is not something I ever would recommend, but I would recommend the Vietnam Memorial which is right on the Mall. I think you should keep in mind this isn’t going to be your only trip to DC, so don’t try to overdo it. I lived in DC all through high school and visited to see parents and in-laws for years. There were always too many things to do and new shows. I agree that a bus tour to see all the major monuments sounds like a good way to get the lay of the land.
I like American History too - Julia Child’s kitchen!
My kids made me see the Air and Space museum way too many times!
They liked the Spy Museum - so did I but thought it was a bit overpriced and hokey. Best lunch I’ve had though is right across the street at Zaytina’s. (Upscale tapas and small plates.)
My favorite art museum is the Phillips Collection which is not on the mall. Otherwise which art museum I go to just depends on what special exhibts are up. The National Gallery has a fabulous basic collection and both buildings are interesting.
I love the Frick’s Asian collections and Whistler’s Peacock Room.
I never get tired of the National Gallery.
OP has a short trip. For just two days, it’s fine to pick one museum, maybe two, spend a few hours, maybe head for a monument, then walk or hang. (Or reverse it, be outside before the heat.) We all seem excited about the night tour. On the last day, just decide what you’re up for. Just being there and absorbing is amazing.
Most of what you want to see is in a relatively small area. I think someone mentioned, from one major spot you can see a number of other buildings, get the sense of how it’s a monumental city.
Bff works by the Mall. Sometimes we just drive around looking for protesters, ha. Summer can be good for that. I also love the drive down Embassy Row, but don’t think we know where OP heads, to drop off D.
We stayed at Embassy Suites Crystal City last time we were in DC. Its near the metro line, I believe we had a free shuttle from DCA to the hotel. Great breakfast buffet included, as well as evening happy hour. It was two blocks from a great Costco that had inexpensive lovely warm clothing in September (we were all chilled, having weather predictions of warmer weather that we were experiencing).
Agree that its far more enjoyable if you just pick a few things and promise yourselves to return.
I would also recommend searching for the extensive Washington DC thread from a few months ago about Washington DC with a grumpy teen. There was a lot of good information shared. The one thing about Washington DC is that there is an enormous amount to see and so. You can spend 2 days alone in the Newseum or visiting any of the Smithsonian museums and the mall, you can easily spend a good amount of time in the Holocaust Museum as well. So you really need to focus on what you want to see the most and work around that. I love seeing the monuments at night personally plus it can be really hot and humid walking on the mall in August so I think it is wise to do that at night.
I have also stayed at hotels in Crystal City which are a good option with easy access to the metro plus there are a lot of good restaurants there as well. I have also stayed at the Courtyard Marriott right near the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and the Spy Museum. I have also stayed at the Hyatt Regency, easy walk to both Union Station with shopping and lots of cafes for quick breakfast/lunch as well as the Capital, the National Gallery, Archives and so on. The Hilton Garden Inn is good, easy walk to Smithsonian American History Museum as well as the White House, Good restaurants and good metro connections as well. We do always try to have a meal at the Old Ebbet Grill right near the White House when in that area.
Newseum
Air & Space
National Zoo
If you go to the Zoo, and eat meat, there’s a steak only restaurant nearby called Medium Rare that has a nice salad/steak/bread menu.
Yes, at the steak restaurant, you get salad, followed by a serving of steak and fries, followed by another serving of steak and fries. It was a short walk for on the zoo.
@mathmom, I was just at Zaytinya a couple of weeks ago, for the first time, and I used to work very close to there. Great restaurant, and close to metro also. Many good suggestions here. Metro really does make it easy to get around.
OP here. Thanks everybody.
I don’t have much to add to my summary at the end of the grumpy tween thread. Just that my grumpy tween is a bit less grumpy now and recently asked if we could go to New York sometime to see the MOMA. Oh, and she also wants to go to Iceland for some reason. (So do I!) So I think DC was good for her. Thanks again to everyone who provided advice on that thread!!
A couple of things to know about the Smithsonian:
- It's free. So you can wander from museum to museum as you please. You don't need to make a commitment to any one of them.
- You have to go through a metal detector. And there's no place to check the pocket knife you neglected to take out of your pocket. If you get a nice security guard, he/she will advise you to temporarily bury it in the garden, but this is not good for the knife, and there's no guarantee that it will be there when you get back.
Also, be aware that a lot of repair and maintenance work is being done on the Metro, mostly on weekends. Check here for information on weekend delays www.wmata.com and plan accordingly.
And be aware that the heat and humidity in DC in August border on the unbearable, especially for people who come from less humid places like southern California. You will not want to wander as much as you would at home, and you will need at least a couple of shirts a day.
What to see is really subjective–I love art museums and plants, so those are the places I’d recommend. Besides the art museums already mentioned–Frick, Phillips, and National Gallery–I’d go to the Hirshorn (especially the sculpture garden) and the East Wing of the National Gallery. If you like modern art, these are your places.
Also, the US Botanic Garden–right by the Capitol. If you like plants/gardens, you’ll like this one.
I also enjoyed tours of both the US Capitol and the US Supreme Court. If you’re near the Capitol area, the Old Ebbit Grill is a good place (with lots of history) to go for lunch.