We are planning a spring break (~March 29-Apr 3) trip to Washington DC. Will probably stay in Arlington to coincide with some work DH will do for the NSF for a day or two.
DD21 (in 6th grade) is in a grumpy phase where she doesn’t particularly like much, especially if we express interest. She does seem interested in architecture, judging from her buildings in Minecraft and Sims. And, perhaps I should look into Broadway-style musicals, which she likes.
DS17 is STEM-focused and likes everything, including visiting museum after museum. He’ll be happy to see everything we can fit in, so long as the Air & Space Museum is included. He’s amiable and happy to do stuff with us. Besides STEM, he also likes politics, and we know our congresswoman well enough that we can arrange to visit her office and probably get tickets to whatever congress sessions through her.
I don’t think there are any colleges nearby that are likely to be on DS’s list, because he’s pretty sure he wants a STEM major (physics/astrophysics with CS minor being most likely, I think). We are in CA, so have a lot of good options here (so maybe MIT and CMU will be the only non-CA reach schools on his list).
Anyway, we may just drag DD to whatever DS wants to do. But, if there was something she would enjoy despite herself, that would be great. On the webpages that list DC activities for kids, it’s not always clear whether they mean little kids or 12-year-olds. Ideas on my list to look into so far.
Air and Space Museum
Museum of Natural History (Q?rius was mentioned)
National Zoo (pandas)
National Building Museum (tallest columns in the world)
Bureau of Engraving and Printing (see them making money)
Washington Monument & Lincoln Memorial
National Cathedral (gargoyles)
National Geographic Museum
National Archives (original founding documents)
Library of Congress
International Spy Museum
Newseum
cherry trees perhaps in bloom then
Hirshhorn (I loved this when I was a teen, but probably because my family had never exposed me to modern art)
Supreme Court
White House
Congress
6 Flags America (parents don’t really want to waste a day on this, as we have Magic Mountain nearby)
To me, the most important thing is to NOT overbook or you will all be tired and grumpy. We had a nice bus tour of the monuments, where we got off at each of them and were able to walk around.
We took a round trip boat ride on the Potomac from Alexandria. It was OK but not a must. We saw a street fair at Alexandria, which was pretty interesting.
We stayed at the Phoenix Park hotel, which was very close to the metro and national mall, as well as the Amtrak train station, which has a nice, reasonably-priced food court.
What does your tween like? Dresses of the First Ladies? They are at the smithsonean. Puffy shirt worn on Seinfield? Also on display. We spent a considerable amount of time at the various smithsonean museums. The postal museum was small but since H had been a collector, interesting and close to the metro stop.
Some of the best and most unusual museum food is at the museum of the Native American.
Library of congress is very pretty and interesting (at least I was fascinated). Lincoln Center is also a nice tour and your Congress person can get you tickets DoD free tour. It has treasures from all over the world which were donated. When we were there, there was a free concert being performed, which we listened to for awhile.
The panda exhibit at the zoo was fascinating, especially if you are there for the afternoon feeding and can see mom and baby.
@HImom Thanks for the advice. The bus tour sounds convenient.
She is emphatically not girly and definitely not interested in dresses or clothing, unless there is a grunge fashion retrospective. She is vegetarian and not adventurous in her food choices, but we can usually find something for her to eat. Unusual food sounds great for the rest of us.
I just looked at a photo of the American Indian museum, and that looks just like a style of building she likes to create in Sims.
That museum is an easy walk from Air & Space. Everything on the Mall will be crowded that week, but you could make a good day out of getting to Air & Space as soon as it opens, spending the morning there and then walking to the American Indian Museum for lunch and the afternoon. The National Botanic Garden is down that direction too and surprisingly interesting for kids.
Another fun day would be the zoo followed by looking around Embassy Row (near DuPont Circle) or exploring ethnic restaurants in Adams Morgan.
We did Washington, DC when my S was a grumpy tween. He enjoyed pretty much everything, although for the most part we knew he enjoyed it by virtue of the fact that he didn’t complain. We played it by ear, making sure to leave a place or stop for the day based on his cues. We visited the memorials, Smithsonian, art museum, zoo - plus, we were there for the 4th of July & had great seats on the lawn for the fireworks. We DIDN’T see a lot of things … and in my opinion, that made it more fun. Sure, we all want to pack in the sights … but if the kid isn’t into it, it won’t be worth it.
Georgetown is a fun neighborhood to walk around in. Teens usually enjoy it.
FYI - you will be visiting at a very busy time when museums and other attractions will be very crowded. Just giving you a heads up.
I gre up in DC and believe you will be able to satisfy a grumpy 12yo. Some ideas:
Museum of Natural History has interesting exhibits on gems & minerals. In same building w dinosaurs and blue whale.
walking on mall between museums.
Walk up steps to Lincoln Memorial. Hard not to be impressed by the view and the scale of the monument.
rent bikes near watergate and bike along the Potamac River.
zoo is great. It's built into the hill, so I would start at the bottom by rock creek parkway, vs top by Connecticut age. (better to walk down vs when u r tired)
Use tour bus to get around. Parking is dc is not for tourists or people that don’t know their way around the city.
I would advice against Madamme Toussets - it’s lame vs the one I. NYC.
Re food - there is a salad bar that you buy by weight in the basement of the National Gallery of art - in the corridor between the IM pei east wing and the old building. It’s the go to place to eat w my vegetarian daughter and has good food. Choices for the rest of the family.
Part of what my D loved when we took her often to D.C. as a tween and early teen was learning to navigate the Metro. We got weekly passes and I gave her the task of figuring out the routes to take. She was thrilled.
Smithsonian Castle – if your tween wants to read up on the origin of the Smithsonian, it makes it a great deal more interesting
Museum of the American Indian – so beautiful, designed to remind one of cliff dwellings. There are usually performances in the lobby and often in the courtyard when we visited (check website)
The Library of Congress - Jefferson Building – a great deal of architectural interest and the gorgeous murals. Take the tour.
The I.M. Pei East Building of the National Gallery – for architectural interest, contrast with neoclassical West Building
If you go to the Supreme Court - check to see if court is in session and you can sit in (for few minutes) during oral arguments. The lines can be very long
My D also loved this small museum that is run by the National Academy of Sciences. It’s a bit off the beaten path:
If you do the library of congress (which I highly recommend - beautiful building) - go next door to the national postal museum which is adorable (good for a tween)
One thing is that all of the smithsonian museums are free, so you can hop in and out and just see the exhibits you want to in any of them (and they are mostly located along the mall very close to each other)
I enthusiastically recommend the National Building Museum. It was an unexpected highlight of a trip with my then 11 and 13 year old sons about 10 years ago. We spent much longer there than we planned because the boys were so interested in both the exhibits and the building itself. The older son was usually finished with museums well before the rest of us, but this time he was the one who just didn’t want to leave.
While we enjoyed the Air & Space Museum on the Mall, we really liked the trip to the Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. It has many historic airplanes on display, and you can also see some of the restoration work in progress. We had the opportunity to talk with several volunteers who had piloted the planes on display, both commercial and military.
If you are not already a member of the Smithsonian, you might look into joining. Even the lower cost membership levels give you a discount at some museum dining facilities and at the museum gift shops, which are great places for books, educational toys and interesting souvenirs.
While I thought the Udvar-Hazy Center was cool. (Had long dulled layover and visited), I don’t think as 12 to girl would enjoy it. I would stick w DC proper.
She might enjoy a walking tour of Georgetown and the interesting architecture, as it’s the oldest area of dc.
I love the National Building Museum, both the museum building itself and the exhibits which are so interesting. Not sure if this is part of the permanent exhibit but there was a great photo exhibit on the construction of the Lincoln Memorial. The Newseum is outstanding although not part of the Smithsonian so not free. You can get 2 day passes to come back and I would recommend it as there is so much to offer. The monuments themselves are certainly worth it if you’ve never been, they will create lasting memories, not matter the age or how jaded the person. The Smithsonian American History Museum is great and has outstanding exhibits. The last time I was there Julia Child’s kitchen from her home in Cambridge, MA was on display along with the lunch counter from Greensboro, NC and we participated in an interactive event with a museum educator, and who doesn’t love seeing the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz??
The Smithsonian American Art Museum which offers the National Portrait Gallery along with the Women’s Art Museum. The Library of Congress and the Capital Building are great although security is I am sure more intense than the last time I was there. For what it’s worth my younger d was around that age and the only thing she was not especially happy about or interested in were Mount Vernon and the Air and Space Museum. She did enjoy Ford’s Theater and The Smithsonian American History Museum and lunch in the National Gallery and breakfasts and lunch we had at Union Station.
Georgetown is always great to walk around in plus lots of restaurants, so is Old Town Alexandria. Very easy to get around using the Metro.
As someone above said, don’t overbook yourself. You will not be able to see it all and DC will be crowded. For me I wouldn’t wait on line to go to the top of the Washington Monument but I would never not visit the Lincoln Memorial or the Vietnam Memorial. The FDR Memorial is excellent as well. All these monuments can be visited at night when they are lit. Hopefully the cherry blossoms will be in bloom, making it even lovelier.
We did DC with a grumpy tween many years ago. She enjoyed the zoo (although the pandas were off display mating), a Segway tour of the National Mall (don’t know if they still do this but a bike tour might be fun too), Air and Space Museum, Georgetown Cupcakes, visiting the horse stables in Rock Creek Park, and ordering in pizza and watching a movie in the hotel while adults went out to a nice dinner. She actually enjoyed DC enough to choose to go to school there (American U) and now lives and works as a tour guide there! She leads tours at President Lincoln’s Cottage, which is actually pretty interesting and off the beaten path. She is also an educator at the White House, which is of course, really fun if you can get your congressperson to arrange the tickets.
One of the most overlooked treasures in DC is the National Portrait Gallery, which is centrally located right across the street from the Verizon Center. Great exhibits, and wonderful portraits of every president and other national figures. You can literally spend hours in there.
You’ll be in DC during the Cherry Blossom Festival. If you’re lucky and the blossoms are out, even DD might not be able to resist a walk around the Tidal Basin. The bad news, of course, is potential crowds for the museums, and the Washington and other close monuments.
We played it by ear, making sure to leave a place or stop for the day based on his cues. We visited the memorials, Smithsonian, art museum, zoo - plus, we were there for the 4th of July & had great seats on the lawn for the fireworks. We DIDN’T see a lot of things … and in my opinion, that made it more fun. Sure, we all want to pack in the sights … but if the kid isn’t into it, it won’t be worth it.