Kid Friendly Washington DC Travel TipsOur family has been able to put together this list of Washington DC travel tips through our many short visits to Washington DC. |
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We live fairly close to DC, so have tried to expose the children to the history of that area.
Here, we will offer reviews of our favorite kid-friendly Washington DC attractions, and offer you the chance to tell us and our readers about your favorite Washington DC vacations.
We initially made several "history" trips to Washington DC trying to "do everything", and eventually realized that we were wearing ourselves out, and boring the kids, so.....
We finally decided to make shorter trips, choosing several Washington DC attractions for each visit. Our family vacations to Washington DC now usually consist of three days / two nights touring two to three Washington DC attractions....with all of the walking required, this has turned out to be the perfect solution for our family vacations.
Where We Stayed
When we visit Washington DC, we normally stay in one of the outlying areas, and choose a hotel that is close to a metro stop. We use the metro as our primary form or transportation throughout the stay. Our favorite areas to stay are Alexandria, Virginia and Arlington, Virginia. If you are interested, here are links to reviews about the two hotels that we enjoy staying in.....Embassy Suites - Alexandria Old Towne and Days Inn Arlington/Washington DC, and these are just two fabulous DC Family Hotels out there.
What We Did
The Smithsonian Museum is located on The National Mall in Washington DC. We visited several of the museums. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History has some fantastic exhibits including the dinosaur exhibit. The National Museum of American History includes some great exhibits - our favorite is the exhibit depicting the modes of travel. A very favorite museum is the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The exhibits there include spacecraft and airplanes. The Washington DC National Zoo is a free attraction. It is not located on the Mall, but is very accessible via the The Washington DC Metro Rail System.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is a great place to visit. You will see actual US currency being printed. There is a great gift shop where you can purchase uncut bills. The National Archives is a very interesting attraction. The Declaration of Independence is on display as well as many other National Documents.
We visited The US Capitol on one trip to Washington. You will need to contact you US Senator or US Congressman to get a tour, so planning ahead id mandatory..... but it is well worth it!
The Arlington National Cemetery can take an entire day to visit if you are willing to spend the time to really look around. If the weather is nice, walking the cemetery is the way to go. There are many memorials there.... be sure to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The Washington Monument
and
The Lincoln Memorial
are classics.... a must see while there. Visitors can travel
to the top of the Washington Monument. The tickets are free,
but you must have a ticket.
Other places that we visited
Ford's Theater
and
The Spy Museum.
Fords Theater is open for tours daily. You will be able to
see the the box set that Lincoln was sitting in when he was
assassinated, and visit the museum in the lower level. The
spy museum has many interactive activities and gives a lot of
information on espionage in the USA.
Washington DC Reviews
Washington DC Attraction Reviews sorted by popularity
Our Favorites
US Capitol Tour
Washington DC Zoo
Bureau of Engraving & Printing - the kids really enjoyed this tour....
Washington Monument Tour - get there early to get free tickets to tour the monument.
Washington DC Books
Check out all of our Washington DC travel tips for kid friendly family vacations......
Kid Friendly Washington DC Tips - Kid Friendly Washington DC spots and tips submitted by our visitors!
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