<p>If possible, stay in an area where you can wander around in the evening. Staying by the Mall is convenient for tourists during the day, but there’s nothing there at night. Dupont Circle has lots of shops and restaurants, but will be pricier. </p>
<p>Don’t bother with a rental car. For the few times when you need to drive, it will end up being cheaper and less stressful to take a taxi. The one exception might be the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum at Dulles. When taking the metro, stand on the right side of the escalators so that the harried commuters can rush past on the left. 
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<p>If you haven’t joined the Smithsonian (by subscribing to the magazine), do so before your trip. You get a discount at the gift shops and you get to eat at the member’s restaurant, which is usually crowded but not as much as the nonmember restaurants. </p>
<p>The Mount Vernon visitor center went through a major renovation about 4-5 years ago, and is well worth a few hours in addition to the time you’ll spend looking at the house and grounds. The restaurant there has special historical meals in the evenings that fill up rapidly; check these out and book early if your family is interested. You’ll need to take a taxi from the nearest Metro station to Mount Vernon. </p>
<p>Definitely do a night time monument tour. Check Yelp or search for reviews on the company you choose, since some are better than others. I also loved the Spy Museum and found its gift shop very entertaining. </p>
<p>You can eat very well in DC. Look at chowhound and yelp for suggestions, depending on your family’s preferences. When I took D1 on her first trip when she was in 8th grade, she really enjoyed going out for Ethiopian food in the Adams-Morgan area and browsing the aisles of Dean and Delucca in Georgetown.</p>