Thanks so much for all the useful suggestions! I’ll compile them all and try to boil a list of the top things down to a manageable list.
DS is much more into “space” than “air” and he listed for DD some of the things at the main Air & Space museum without having looking them up. So, I’m pretty sure that’s up there on his list. Isn’t the Udvar-Hazy annex more air than space? DH visited once (he has many business trips to the DC area) and brought back photos.
I couldn’t tell from the American History museum website whether they have a computer history exhibit on display or just in collections. Do any of you know? DS is fascinated by old computers (and new ones).
The National Building Museum and just walking around to look at the outsides of monuments, buildings, and sculptures is sounding good for DD.
If your son is fascinated by old computers, a trip to the National Cryptologic Museum outside of NSA at Fort Meade MD is worth a trip. They have an Enigma machine, and old Cray mainframe, and things of that sort. They have strange hours, so it’s best to check before you go there.
They charge at the National Cathedral? I used to give tours there. >>
They started Jan 2014. I forgot what their daily operating costs were, but they were higher than I would have thought. They are also still repairing earthquake damage.
we visited DC 1 time with our 4 kids when they were 4, 8, 12 & 14 yrs. LOVED the trip. want to return.
A few of our favorites included walking the mall with a DC On Foot Tour (google this; can’t recommend this enough!) the guide was entertaining and interesting, we kept moving and learned so much.
kids also liked the Peacock room at the Smithsonian, Mt. Vernon; the spy museum, walking around georgetown and eating out, and the guard changing at Arlington. Kids liked riding the metro too - Met an ethical hacker and a strip pole dancer.
I LOVED the Library of congress. (the kids not so much). I was very moved by its beauty. would love to go back.
A little advice from someone who’s been there, done that…
Try to think of this trip as your first trip to DC with the kids, not your only trip. Don’t worry about trying to cram everything in. If you don’t have time to do something that seems essential to a DC trip just think, “We’ll hit that up next time.”
Let your 6th grader select some of the destinations. Give her a list of possibilities and let her research them on the internet. If she chooses a museum or tour she’ll less likely to grumble that it’s boring, even if it is.
Plan in down time to wander a bit. When we were last in DC with the kids there was a military convention of sorts on the mall. My son had a blast picking out weaponry and engaging in conversations with the recruiters even though he was years underage for military service. I’m a veteran of the Million Mom March, so guns aren’t exactly my thing, but letting him have his hour to do what he wanted made a difference when we dragged him off to a museum afterwards. The time before that my kids were fascinated by a protest march and we all spent an hour just people watching. This was at least as educational as another museum.
Wonderful suggestions! I think that the air/space museum for your son, walk the mall and tidal basin for the monuments, especially late afternoon to nightfall. Spy museum, Ford’s theater, Holocaust museum, Kennedy Center has the comedy “Shear Madness”, zoo only if your daughter does not want to see the Smithsonian. Would you split up the family to see different sights?
It’s also fine to go into one Smithsonian for a particular exhibit or two and then move on. When my D2 was young, that worked for her. But we also were fine letting her go outside with one parent while the other parent and kid saw more in that building for another half hour or so. Lots of compromises. I agree to let her have a say in some choices. Personally, all the kids I ever knew were fascinated by going up the Washington Monument. Maybe less so for the adults, but you’re trying yo please the whole team. You’ll have more fun with balance.
I was going to post what @Sue22 suggested. Make a list of ten or so things and let the choosy child choose from the list.
We took our kids to DC about 5 times during their late elementary/ middle school years. My kids love Ford Theater, I think because it’s a little creepy. The Museum of American history was also a hit but it will probably be very crowded when you go (Dorothy’s shoes, first lady’s gowns, etc.)
If you decide to go to the National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art (in adjoining buildings), be sure to check out the Luce Foundation, which is essentially where they store stuff that is not on display. There are drawers and drawers of stuff like portrait miniatures and other cool objects, and display cases with stuff crammed in as storage, instead of on exhibition. I’m not sure exactly why, but there’s something very fun about encountering objects in this setting. It is more like a treasure hunt than a didactic experience. And it is in a very cool part of the building – in the old patent offices. Also, there are glass windows that look into the conservation department, so during the week you can see conservationists working on pieces. I highly recommend it.
P.S. If you want to get a sense of what it is like, do a Google-image search for “drawers Luce Foundation”
do your homework before you go - check all of the smithsonian museums to see what exhibits they have now - for example I just looked and saw that the natural history museum has its annual orchid show (saw that once and it was beautiful). One time we lucked upon an antique piano exhibit in one of the museums. Pick and choose with your kids the exhibits they most want to see.
Op,
Haven’t read all of the thread. But things that I enjoyed when visiting DC that a 6th grader would like would be
Monuments at night (or something like that) which tours the monuments when they are lit up at night. The Spy museum is fun for younger kids. And haven’t been, but usually things like natural hist museum (from your list) is fun for kiddos. And pandas at the zoo sounds cute.
You can “prepare” for your visit to the zoo by checking out the panda cam before you leave. Have your sixth grade give you some updates over the next few weeks.
“If you decide to go to the National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art (in adjoining buildings), be sure to check out the Luce Foundation, which is essentially where they store stuff that is not on display. There are drawers and drawers of stuff like portrait miniatures and other cool objects, and display cases with stuff crammed in as storage, instead of on exhibition. I’m not sure exactly why, but there’s something very fun about encountering objects in this setting. It is more like a treasure hunt than a didactic experience. And it is in a very cool part of the building – in the old patent offices. Also, there are glass windows that look into the conservation department, so during the week you can see conservationists working on pieces. I highly recommend it.”
I second this recommendation and also the ones about not doing too much. Sometimes the big attractions like the Hope Diamond and Dororthy’s shoes are so crowded that they’re hard to fully appreciate. My D and I spent many wonderful hours just strolling the virtually empty galleries of the lesser-visited museums not on the Mall and we stumbled on this wing. And there is a restoration area where visitors can see the work being done by the conservators.
I chaperoned my kids 6th grade class to DC a while back. Iirc, aside from the Air & Space, the kids seemed to like the National Gallery of Art. It was quieter, less crowded, and the huge larger than life paintings seemed to awe them, as well as the lavishness of some displays. We were lucky to happen on an artist copying a segment of one the paintings (Rubens’ Daniel in the Lion’s Den) and watching his talent in action was impressive.
I live in the DC area. Some things that I haven’t seen mentioned yet. Postal Museum (as others have mentioned) doesn’t sound exciting buy my younger son with short attention span really liked it. Also it’s next to Union Station which can be a great place for lunch. Lots of eateries so everyone can get what they want (and better prices than some of the museums). Also, if DS is wanting to spend lots of time at Air & Space and DD is bored, check which Imax movies are playing. They are expensive, but a great way for DD to spend some time (if she’s interested in what’s on) while DS can explore the exhibits for more time. There are hands-on exhibits in most of the museums so maybe that will be more interesting to DD. Capitol Building tour is interesting–especially when they talk about the acoustics (which DD may enjoy) and how being in one spot you can hear what’s being said across the room. She may be too old (in her mind) but they have a National Parks Junior Ranger program where she can fill out an activity book about the monuments and get a patch at the end (might be boring to her or she might enjoy something to do if you take the bus tour of the monuments).
It’s a nice walk from National Portrait Gallery to National Building Museum to Postal Museum and Union Station. Stop by Wiseguy NY Pizza for a slice on the way!
We frequently go to DC and I have found that seeing IMAX movies has always been a hit! Even if one parent hits the IMAX with Grumpy and the other explores the exhibits with older child. IF you include a few in your itinerary it will give grumpy something to look forward to. Also, air and space has “rides” that you can include in that itinerary which will break things up. The air and space at Dullas has an amazing imax called Operation Red Flag about flight training with war games which is the best IMAX we ever saw. And it is even better than the air and space on the Mall. There are lots of good places to eat- try the old ebbit grill right near the white house exhibit. The food is fantastic, not toooooo pricey and the menu is for all palates. It’s a perfect lunch break for everyone. Eat lunch early before you all fall apart. Good luck!
Skimmed through the four pages for comments from others…
We were there 3 years ago; D2 was 13. She is a history buff, but she loved Mount Vernon, Arlington, American history, archives, Ford’s Theater, Newseum, Air and Space, and riding the subway (she was always looking to ride, even for one stop) the most.
In all the times I have been (with and without kids), I enjoy the National Cathedral, all the monuments, Ford’s Theater, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and Mount Vernon the most. I chaperoned a group of 9th graders and found they didn’t really understand the Holocaust Museum; I was so affected I could hardly get through the day.
The comment above about this not being the only trip your kids will take to DC is a great way to see the city. Choose places your kids want to see the most for this trip. Check online to get tickets because some things will be sold out for spring break already.
Also, I just remembered that we went through our Congressman to get tickets to the Capitol. We stopped by his office at the Rayburn office building to pick them up. That was an added bonus.
I think the Holocaust Museum is great, if your kids are prepared and have some grasp of the significance. The sheer numbers of victims is staggering and hard for a kid to conceive. My kids were 5th grade and 8th grade the first time we went. They have a personal connection (H’s grandparents and mother were in Auschwitz) and we watched Schindler’s List with them ahead of time. But definitely not a “fun” experience.
I used to give tours there. >>