Ideas for Vacation in D.C.

Parent Cafe
1

<p>My parents and I are considering a vacation to D.C. next spring (March 2011). Does anyone know of some inexpensive tour companies, have any experiences with getting around the city, or any helpful advice for a great vacation? We would probably have a several days, maybe 5-7 depending on my dad’s work schedule. My dad is really interested in history/politics, plus my mom and I would want to see a play or something. We will be flying in and probably don’t want to mess with renting a car if possible.</p>

2

<p>There are a couple hop-on, hop-off buses/trolleys that cover most of the big attractions in DC - the museums, Arlington National Cemetery, the momuments, etc. </p>

<p>[Washington</a> DC Hop-On-Hop-Off Open-Top Double-Decker Bus Tour](<a href=“http://www.dctours.us/?event=offer.detail&offerId=11681]Washington”>http://www.dctours.us/?event=offer.detail&offerId=11681)</p>

<p>[Washington</a> DC Hop-on Hop-off Trolley Tour, Washington DC Hop-on Hop-off Tours | Viator.com](<a href=“http://www.viator.com/tours/Washington-DC/Washington-DC-Hop-on-Hop-off-Trolley-Tour/d657-5046WAS_OTT]Washington”>http://www.viator.com/tours/Washington-DC/Washington-DC-Hop-on-Hop-off-Trolley-Tour/d657-5046WAS_OTT)</p>

<p>Personally, I wouldn’t bother with a tour company unless there’s something very specific you’re looking for. Your Dad will probably not want to be rushed from attraction to attraction. DC is not so big (I grew up there) that you need a tour company. If you stay downtown, it will be easy enough to take a taxi to a play. Also, DC has a nice subway system that makes it pretty easy to get around the city.</p>

<p>Make sure you get your tickets to the Holocaust museum in advance. It use to be the most popular tourist attraction in DC and you have to have a timed ticket to get in. Tickets use to go fast. Not sure if that’s true anymore.</p>

<p>Also, try to avoid Easter week/spring break - it’s very crowded that week. Check with your congressman’s office- they can often get you tickets for tours of congress, etc.</p>

3

<p>You can get around many/most major venues (museums, monuments, public buildings. major theatres, sports venues, the zoo, various neighborhoods/restaurants) using the Metro (subway) trains. They aren’t super cheap, and you might need to walk a bit for some sights, but you can do very well without a car. There are Tourmobile buses that stop at several locations around town. March is a great time of year to come; you might want to check Cherry Blossom festival times for next year (either to come for it, or avoid it, depending on your tastes for crowds!)</p>

4

<p>If you are going to be here for several days, you might opt to do the hop-on-hop-off tour the day you arrive so that you get a sense of where everything is. I’ve heard good things about the tours that visit the main monuments in the evening - not many tourists and the memorials are beautiful when they are all lit up.</p>

<p>You can find out everything you need to know about public transit at [Metro</a> - Home page](<a href=“http://www.wmata.com/]Metro”>http://www.wmata.com/) Use the Trip Planner feature to work out connections between places in DC and near-by Maryland and Virginia as well.</p>

<p>To get from downtown to Georgetown easily, take the [DC</a> Circulator](<a href=“http://www.dccirculator.com/]DC”>http://www.dccirculator.com/) It is cheap and frequent. On the weekends it also offers service that loops around part of the mall.</p>

<p>Many of the theaters are in the neighborhood served by the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station. The Kennedy Center runs a free shuttle to and from the Foggy Bottom Metro station.</p>

<p>The “Going Out Guide” at [washingtonpost.com</a> - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/]washingtonpost.com”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/) has a lots of good ideas, and includes a section just for visitors to the area.</p>

5

<p>Look at the different museums of the Smithsonian ahead of time. If you’ve never been before you’ll probably want to go to the Air and Space Museum. The American history museum is great also. Go to the Smithsonian in the morning before it gets too crowded. You can also go to the National Zoo and see the pandas.</p>

6

<p>We just went to DC last fall for 5 days, and hotel location is super important. Staying either very close to the Mall (which is pretty expensive) or right by a metro stop is a good idea, I think. I found the generally the cheaper the hotel, the less attractive the transportation choices were. We went a little cheaper, and I wished we had paid more for a better location. We did rent a car because we had some things we wanted to do outside the city (visit family in Gettysburg, go to Goddard Space Center). But we didn’t actually use in for the days we were in DC, it stayed parked at the hotel.</p>

<p>Just an FYI, hotels book up early for March. We are going back in March 2011 for a week (D1 will be in the city on an internship, so we are going over D2’s spring break), and we have already booked our hotel. No flights yet, of course, so I booked more days than we will need, then I will just cancel the nights we aren’t going to use.</p>

<p>The Tripadvisor website has a lot of good suggestions and reviews by people of things to do in DC. Your parents may not be up for it, but the bike tour of the monuments (esp. at night) is very highly rated. That is just a one afternoon/evening thing, of course. My personal favorite of all the things we did in DC was visit a place called the Newseum.</p>

7

<p>All the attractions on the mall are good of course. </p>

<p>I think I may have enjoyed the Air and Space museum branch (Udvar-Hazy) at Dulles airport more than the one on the mall - mostly because the one on the mall was jammed with people (summer) and I’d been there before and the one at Dulles was almost empty.
[National</a> Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center](<a href=“http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/]National”>http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/)</p>

<p>I also enjoyed -

<p>There have been a few threads on CC on things to do in DC so you might want to search for some of them.</p>

8

<p>I can’t recommend ‘Bike the Sites’ enough ([Guided</a> Bike Tours and Rentals|Bike the Sites|Bike and Roll Washington, DC|Bike Rentals|Alexandria|Old Town|Union Station|Bikestation](<a href=“http://www.bikethesites.com/]Guided”>http://www.bikethesites.com/)). Its a great way to get a sense of the Mall. Do the tour (the biking is easy) and then decide what you want to go back to visit.</p>

<p>The monuments at night are great. </p>

<p>You can get around on the Metro very easily</p>

<p>Going to Mount Vernon was surprisingly good.</p>

<p>Contact your representative and senator and try to get free tickets to the Capital, White House, etc </p>

<p>The Mint (is there anything better than seeing money being made?), The FBI (sadly, I think this is not done any more, but it was the best darn tour), The Holocaust Museum.</p>

<p>Check out what free shows the Smithsonian is holding when you are there</p>

<p>A show at The Kennedy Center</p>

9

<p>Second the American History museum; there is a lot of stuff there that is just fun (Mr. Roger’s sweater, Seindeild’s puffy shirt, Julia Child’s kitchen). The Newseum was a wonderful surprise when we went last spring. Also, keep an eye on which traveling exhibits will be in town; we saw the Terra Cotta Warriors a the National Geographic museum last year.</p>

<p>[Hotel</a> Tabard Inn](<a href=“http://www.tabardinn.com/]Hotel”>http://www.tabardinn.com/) is a favorite of ours-- good food, great ambience and five blocks from the White House. It would be a relaxing place to break for lunch or have dinner after a day of serious museum going.</p>

10

<p>Lived in the area for years, becoming a pro at leading the “tours for visiting relatives”. Based on your criteria (staying a few days, what you want to see, don’t want a rental car, etc.) let me pass some pointers…</p>

<p>1) Time of year: If you can swing it based on your schedules, come to DC in either Apr/May or Sept/Oct. Best times of year, weather wise. Summers in DC are HOT and HUMID. Combine that with the fact that most of a DC vacation includes a LOT of walking and the summer is when DC is most crowded, coming in the summer can be just miserable. As mentioned before, I’d avoid Spring Break/Easter and the Cherry Blossom Festival unless you don’t mind HUUUUGE crowds and are just set on seeing the Cherry Blossoms in bloom (which I admit is a BEAUTIFUL sight).</p>

<p>2) Flying in: fly into Reagan Intl Airport. Has a metro stop attached to the airport, which can get you to your destination rather easily. </p>

<p>3) Hotels: Stay close enough to DC. The closer the better, if you can afford it. Find a location that has a convenient metro stop nearby. Good choices—anything on the VA side of the Potomac. Crystal City or Roslyn have now hotels, and are minutes from downtown DC by metro. Book them early.</p>

<p>4) Transportation: depends on if you want to see sights around the area besides downtown. Since you say you’ll stay for possibly 4 or 5 days, there are plenty of things to see historical / sightseeing wise within a couple of hours drive from DC. I’d use metro for the days you want to stay and visit the downtown sights, and only rent a car for the day or two you want to travel to other sights. Be forewarned! The traffic around DC, especially the 95 corridor and the Beltway is a BEAR! DO NOT travel by car during rush hour, unless you use HOV lanes (need at least 3 people in the car). Even then, expect long delays.</p>

<p>5) “Other” things to do / see: Folks have mentioned quite a few of those “travel to” sights, but there are plenty of options. Since I don’t know your age (or any siblings ages that may also be with you) I don’t know what will interest you. My suggestion for a week long family vacation with teens/young adults? Set one day aside for each family member’s interest. Your dad may like history /politics, but YOU may be bored out of your skull by “yet another museum / monument”. There are several amusement parks within a couple of hours drive from DC; break up the “touring” with a day of “fun” in the middle. As to actual sights to visit outside of DC? Ask away, it all depends on your tastes ans preferences.</p>

<p>6) DC Itinerary: See much to see, so little time. You could spend WEEKS seeing all the sights / museums / memorials. Why so long? You could easily spend HOURS in each museum, and hours walking to each monument. Let me make a recommendation if you’re doign this over several days: Day 1: Monuments, Day 2: Museums, Day 3: Make-up (Whatever you couldn’t get to in Day 1 or Day 2). Plan for a morning excursion (9 AM start), a lunch “somewhere” around noon, an afternoon trip (1 PM to 4 PM), a “break” for a couple of hours at the hotel before dinner to “recharge”", dinner, than your “night plans”.</p>

<p>The DC Memorials: You can start at the Washington Monument (metro stop right by it) and walk towards the Lincoln. You’ll hit the WWII memorial, the Vietnam Memorial,and the Korean War Memorial along the way. A casual “viewing” of each is a good “morning trip”; you’ll really don’t need a tour guide for any of these, just a sense of awe and some historical perspective. I’m betting if your Dad is into history, he might be able to tell some interesting stories himself about some of these sights and why they are so significant. Since there is no metro by the Lincoln walk to the Lincoln from the Washington on one side of the reflecting pool, then back to the Washington on the other side. There are “hidden” discoveries along the way, and you’ll come full circle back to the metro stop. </p>

<p>Grab some lunch</p>

<p>Afternoon: go to Arlington Cemetery. Become awe inspired again. See the Tomb of the Unknowns and watch the changing of the guard ceremony. Tour Lee’s house. Go to Section 60, and shed a tear as you may see a funeral for someone who gave their all in the recent conflicts. BE RESPECTFUL! Arlington takes a few hours as well; a good “afternoon” trip. Take the metro back to the hotel. </p>

<p>Someone mentioned this already, but you’ll want to schedule one night to “see the monuments at night”. Perhaps the only time I would use those “tour bus” thingys…</p>

<p>The DC Museums: Plan for at least 2 - 3 hours for the Air and Space,the Museum of Natural History, or the National Art Gallery. At least 90 minutes for others around the Mall (the National Archives is great “historical” one). Places like the Holocaust Museum or the Spy Museum (trust me, if you have kids or teens, GO TO IT!) need advanced ticket purchases, so plan your day around when you get times to enter.</p>

<p>Night time: well, I mentioned touring the monuments at night. And you already said you want to see a show. Search the internet, see what is playing. The DC theater scene is getting EXCELLENT!</p>

<p>Museum touring is a full day and a half (at least), if you want to cover everyone’s tastes.</p>

<p>7) Last piece of advice (and most important). Wear comfortable shoes! You don’t need a tour bus / guide (and in fact, I recommend not to use one, as you are now on THEIR schedule and not yours). Any DC trip involves A LOT of walking. That’s why I recommend time of year to avoid the heat / humidity, and taking an afternoon break. </p>

<p>Ultimately, in DC there is soooo much to see and do. The standards are the museums and monuments, but there is soooo much more. Ask around here for those “special / out-of-the-way” places some like to visit, look them up yourselves. If you have a few days, select what meets your tastes. And you still won’t be able to see it all, so don’t bother trying…</p>

11

<p>The nice thing about the Smithsonian is that it’s free. You don’t have to feel obligated to stay for hours and hours because you paid a whopping admissions fee, the way you do at other museums. You stay for as long as you want and then leave. You can always come back the next day. You can also spend a couple of hours in the museums, eat lunch elsewhere, and come back, which you may want to do because practically anything edible in DC, including a hot dog from a street vendor, is better in terms of both price and quality than what’s served at the Smithsonian cafeterias.</p>

<p>One caution about the Smithsonian: If you carry a pocket knife, leave it in your hotel room. You have to go through a metal detector to get in, and you’re not allowed to bring in any dangerous objects (such as knives). My son accidentally brought his pocket knife with him to one of the museums once, and the security guard told him that what people in his situation do is bury the knife in the dirt in the flower gardens and pick it up on the way out. He did this but was not happy about it. It’s a damp location, which is not particularly good for the knife.</p>

12

<p>If you get a chance to swing by Ben’s Chili Bowl it’s well worth it. Ben’s is a DC institution and actually it has a lot of history behind it as well.</p>

<p>[::</a> Bens Chili Bowl :: Home](<a href=“http://www.benschilibowl.com%5D::”>http://www.benschilibowl.com)</p>

13

<p>The Smithsonian has a lot of great stuff, but many of the exhibits are kind of cheesy - pitched at the middle school level.</p>

14

<p>LOVE Ben’s Chili Bowl! We tell everyone to go there, along with some real restaurants. I have a cousin that travels a lot, and he once said that you must eat local when going to a new city. We have been following that rule ever since. We have had lobster rolls on the side of the road in Maine, Chinese on a tiny side street in Chinatown in Boston; also a hole in the wall Italian restaurant in Boston. We have had fun looking for the old local places in each city we visit.</p>

15

<p>Check out what is happening at the Kennedy Center. There are plays there sometimes and it’s worth going to see the venue. </p>

<p>Agreed with others…the museums are free. You could easily spend a full week making your way through the museums in DC. </p>

<p>If it were me, I would book hotel, airfare and call it a day…don’t do a “tour company”.</p>

<p>And I personally love end of March in DC when the Cherry Blossoms are blooming. I think that is the nicest time of the year to be there…spectacular blooms.</p>

16

<p>A lunch tip on the Mall: the American Indian Museum has great food. We had heard this and tried it out, and liked it so much we actually went back to eat there a 2nd day. We didn’t actually tour the museum… just ate there.</p>

<p>The Smithsonian American History museum was redone in the past couple of years, and it is really good now (I was not so impressed when visiting about 10 years ago). I disagree about the “age level” of the exhibits, at least in American History. I thought a lot of it was fascinating, and I have a pretty strong interest in history.</p>

17

<p>For history/political buffs, the Newseum is now in downtown DC and is very cool. It is not free, though. [Newseum</a> | Newseum Home](<a href=“Homepage - Freedom Forum”>http://www.newseum.org/) If you have a car, the Air and Space Museum annex is out near Dulles Airport. (This opened only a couple of years ago. There is a shuttle from Air & Space in DC to the Annex which runs several times daily.) Lots of large planes, the space shuttle Enterprise, etc. Admission is free, parking is $12.</p>

<p>The Philips Museum is a hidden gem. [The</a> Phillips Collection](<a href=“http://www.phillipscollection.org/]The”>http://www.phillipscollection.org/) The Kennedy Center has free events at the Millennium Stage. [Kennedy</a> Center: Millennium Stage](<a href=“http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html]Kennedy”>http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html)</p>

<p>Agree with Marian that the joy of the Smithsonian museums being free is that one is not compelled to walk til you drop.</p>

<p>In the spring, expect many school tours to be visiting. The cherry blossoms are generally the last week of March – first week of April. If you get there early in the am, the crowds are much smaller.</p>

<p>You need to get (free) tickets for the Mint. Is very popular with our out-of-town visitors. We did the Memorials early in the AM with a teenage niece and pre-teen nephew and they really liked it. I was surprised. Same niece did the Memorials at twilight when her HS band came to town and found it very moving. Listen to Bullet’s advice.</p>

<p>White House and Congressional tours must be booked through your Congressperson in advance. White House tours severely limit what you can being into the building with you, plan accordingly. There is no place to store your stuff. Have seen people who had to leave one member outside holding backpacks, umbrellas, etc. because the items weren’t allowed inside. Read the restrictions on the website because they may change from time to time.</p>

<p>Parking/driving in DC is beastly. Use Metro. Starting in August 2010, cash fares are going up, but not if you use a Smart Trip card. </p>

<p>It should go without saying, but folks should be respectful at the memorials; no climbing on the statues, loud talking, etc. Many who visit are coming to honor loved ones who lost their lives in war and it is sacred ground.</p>

18

<p>The Washington Plaza hotel, on Thomas Circle, is reasonably priced and within walking distance of the Mall; it’s even quicker to take the metro.</p>

<p>There’s so much stuff right on the Mall that you can just walk to that you don’t really need a tour guide. Highlights for our family: at one end, the Capitol, the Native American museum, and the botanical part of the Smithsonian, the Vietnam and Korea war memorials at the other end.</p>

<p>During cherry-blossom season in March/April DC is full of tourists. If your vacation is at that time, book your hotel early.</p>

19

<p>You can get free tickets for the Washington Monument from the NPS website. There is a $1.50 service charge per ticket. They will either mail them to you or have them available for pickup the day of the tour. Otherwise, they are very difficult to get since the tour bus operators snatch them up first thing in the morning.</p>

<p>The Old Post Office Tower is a good alternative if you can’t get monument tickets. There is very rarely any line at all and there is also a food court in the Pavillion. There is also a food court in one of the other buildings near it, but I can’t think of which one it is. The food is cheaper than that in the museums.</p>

<p>Tickets to the Capitol have been more plentiful since the Visitor Center opened, but I’d still recommend getting them from your Congressman if possible. I’ve been on three tours in 6 months and each tour guide pointed out completely different things in the building. They don’t use a set script. </p>

<p>The Capitol Visitor Center connects to the Library of Congress via an underground tunnel. The main Library is well worth a tour, but you can only access the Main Reading Room if you are a bona fide researcher and can prove it in order to get a card. You can walk underground to the other Library buildings and see the preservation rooms, etc (or at least the signs on the doors) and one of the buildings has several very old, large world globes that are fascinating. </p>

<p>The Mint is not in DC; the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is. You can get timed tickets early in the day, then come back at your set time. </p>

<p>Don’t miss the FDR Memorial; it is a bit off the beaten path, but well worth it. </p>

<p>Don’t miss the exhibits in the roll out metal drawers in the American Indian Museum. Last time I was there, they were not marked as holding exhibits.</p>

<p>If you can’t get White House tickets, you can still visit the Visitor Center. </p>

<p>Union Station has shops and a food court and adjacent to the Postal Museum and is a good place to eat if you are on the Capitol end of the mall. </p>

<p>You can tour the Kennedy Center even if you don’t have show tickets.</p>

<p>The National Cathedral is beautiful, but you pretty much need a car to access it. The National Shrine is on the grounds of Catholic University and accessible via Metro. </p>

<p>Arlington House at Arlington Cemetary was being renovated and I’m not sure if that was completed or not. It is the home Robert E Lee’s wife lost during the Civil War because she could not pay the taxes in person.</p>

<p>Mount Vernon is a short drive, as is Manassas Battlefield. Gettsyburg, Harper’s Ferry and Antietam are easy drives also.</p>

20

<p>Oh, and how could I forget the Sackler/Freer gallery?–spectacular art, right on the mall between the Native American museum and the old Smithsonian. We enjoy the African art museum as well–not too big, very informative and beautiful exhibits.</p>