<p>The best art museum, speaking from personal experience and out of town guest reactions, is the National Portrait Gallery, AKA Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. Superb, nice cafe in a great setting, too. </p>
<p>Worst museum IMHO is the Native American Museum. Might be worth a few minutes if you’re nearby, such as at the Air and Space Museum, but I would not travel more than a block or two for it. If you go, plan on an hour or so. There is very little on exibit, and what is on exhibit forces a message on you whether you want it or not. </p>
<p>In that area is also the Botanic Gardens and conservatory. Both are nice for a break any time of year. </p>
<p>If you have a car, the National Arboretum is nice for a visit, especially in spring when the azaleas are blooming. Driving there will also give you a look/see of another part of DC off the tourist track. </p>
<p>I second Great Fall, on the Maryland side as a nice side trip. If you take the Clara Barton Parkway there, you might find some nice stops along the way, too. </p>
<p>It is off topic a bit, but Harper’s Ferry is 60 - 90 minutes away and a wonderful day trip. The climb up the bluffs on the Maryland side is a good workout, and the viewpoint is great.</p>
<p>If you have never seen it then definitely go to the Vietnam Memorial.
The Native American Museum was very disappointing but the food there is great. but expensive. The Air and Space Museum is very nice and it’s right next door (but it only has a McDonalds).
The American History Museum just re-opened and is a lot of fun. Get there early to get in line to see the First Ladies Gowns.</p>
<p>if you are into baseball - catch a game at the new ballpark. It is easy as pie, right off the Metro and tickets are cheap since the Nationals are lousy. But, it’s a really nice ballpark.
if you like art - the National Portrait Gallery was really nice - it’s up by the Spy Museum.</p>
<p>
Oh my! Along those lines - no channeling Forest Gump and jumping into the reflecting pool. It’s nasty anyway.</p>
<p>The ballpark is nice enough but there isn’t anything inherently Washington, DC in it. No view of the monuments, etc. Compare this with the new parks in San Fran., Baltimore, Seattle and Pittsburgh where you have sight lines to some great sites. Too bad that they just didn’t keep a site on the RFK Stadium complex and build the stadium there, but the developers had other ideas.</p>
<p>A couple more:
The ride up the elevator in the Post Office Pavilion, kind of a poor mans Washington Monument, but far easier.
A docent led tour of the State Department’s 7th floor reception rooms as a great alternative to the White House tour.</p>
<p>On our first famly trip we started at the National Archives. Seeing the Dec. of Ind. was a moving experience. It set the tone for our trip. I agree w/other posters, Lincoln Mem at night - its so peaceful and also the Thomas Jefferson Mem. at night was beautiful.
I didn’t enjoy the Spy Museum or the Newseum as much. It felt “Disneyish”.</p>
it’s all “Native” food, and very good. You can get anything from a Buffalo burger to tamales.</p>
<p>dudedad - doncha know you are supposed to watch the game?
I think from the upper $6 seats you can see the Capitol, when walking out of the ball park to the Metro is a nice view of the Capitol as well, but you are right there is no view inside the park.</p>
<p>Another neat place to go is the Kennedy Center. It’s been years since I’ve been there though.</p>
<p>anyone been to Folger’s Shakespeare Library?
Oh and my daughter went to the zoo this spring and there is a baby gorilla! The Zoo is always good - the earlier in the day the better.</p>
<p>The Kennedy Center has free concerts everyday at 6 PM. It is fun thing to do. Rice is goign to be three May 23rd as part of the Conservatory Project. But get there early seating is gone most nights.</p>
<p>A word of caution: Walking the Mall to see the sights involves A LOT of walking. A LOT! </p>
<p>From the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial is nearly a mile and a half. Take breaks, see the sights. Sit on the Mall grass and chill for an hour. And if you plan to do this with small children, bring plenty of drinks and a stoller! </p>
<p>The DC metro system is one of the cleanest and easiest to use in the world. Use it! </p>
<p>My favorite monument was the jefferson memorial. It is really cool with all the flowering trees and the water. If you start there and do a loop you can see it, FDR memorial, lincoln memorial, Vietnam memorial, WWII memorial and Washington Monument + a couple of other smaller things I think i am forgetting along the way. Monuments were one of my favorite parts.</p>
<p>Gettysburg was freaking amazing. You can take a self guided tour by downloading free podcasts online and drive in a guided loop, see all of the 1200+ monuments and learn every detail of the battle. Definitely worth a side trip. The visitor’s center is stunning with a fabulous museum. You could easily spend 2 days there. A nice downtown too.</p>
<p>My favorite museum was American History but Holocaust Museum was a close 2nd followed by Air and Space. I went to Native American and Natural history too.</p>
<p>If you are taking pictures, remember where you are going to be at certain times because if you are facing into the sun a lot of pictures will not turn out. If you want the true front of the capital building, not the back facing the mall, you have to go in the morning, otherwise you get a dark ugly picture. Same with monuments, Lincoln especially.</p>
<p>If your trip includes a Friday evening, don’t miss the Evening Parade at Marine Corps Barracks, 8th and I Street. It’s held every Friday evening, May through August. Our experience is that you can get in without a reservation, but you need to be there early to get in line. If you plan ahead, call for a reservation. The Silent Drill Team and The President’s Own will send chills down your spine, guaranteed! Not to be missed!</p>
<p>Spring is very crowded with all of the middle & high school trips , not to mention the cherry blossoms ( the most over rated attraction, IMHO). Summer brings a lot of crowds and it’s very hot and humid. Winter is the least pretty season and the weather is very unpredictable.</p>
<p>I have lived in DC suburbs for many years and always recommend that my friends & family visit in the fall. Not nearly as crowded and very pretty.</p>
<p>Contact your congressperson before you go to D.C. Then be sure to visit that congressperson’s office. </p>
<p>I lived in Washington D.C. for years and have not been back in even more years. I would love to take a tour of the White House. Not sure what the deal is. I vaguely remember the last time I was in D.C., staying at a hotel near Georgetown, walking down to the White House and seeing lines stretching around the block, so no tour for us. :(</p>
<p>For a short trip just outside the District, Mount Vernon is well worth seeing. I second Annapolis for oysters, crab cakes, a real maritime feel and a lovely historic district. Old Town Alexandria also has its charms, including a restored colonial tavern if you’re into that sort of thing. For a slightly longer trip, the Blue Ridge Parkway through Shenandoah National Park is lovely, and Charlotteville offers both the UVA campus with Jefferson’s originial design as well as Jefferson;s own abode, Monticello.</p>
<p>I like East Potomac Park (Hain’s Point), Arlington Cemetary, the National Cathedral and Annapolis. I also liked the Red Trolley tour ride. Check out the smallest house in Georgetown!!</p>
I know this was detalied on some other thread but I saw that the BRP is quite long and I’ve heard it was fairly slow going so - short of driving all of it do you recommend particular sections?</p>
<p>I’ve been to Mount Vernon but not Monticello so mayber I’ll check that out (and Mount Vernon again).</p>
