"I am not comfortable spending the night in either city (Philadelphia or New York) because of the bedbugs out break"

That's really not a reason to avoid those cities. It's not just big cities that are experiencing problems with bed bugs. One of the largest outbreaks is in Ohio -
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011509,00.html

Keep in mind, the traveler that may have picked up bed bugs in a hotel in one city will also be traveling to other cities/towns. Perhaps even by train or plane.

I have to admit I'm curious - you've limited yourself to only one day in Philadelphia (due to bed bugs) and are writing to ask "what is a historical or not "must see" in either Philadelphia or NY "?

If your 11yo has not read Margaret Peterson Haddix's Running Out of Time, I strongly recommend it. It seems to fit your trip and plans on more than one level.

Wow. I don't know where to start.

Don't really have any recommendations on how to get from DC to Newport News, although apparently Amtrak and Greyhound are available. Can your aunt make recommendations?

Obviously near Newport News within your historical time period interest is Jamestown and Williamsburg. It's not clear to me what you mean by "doing Virginia". Charlottesville would be of interest but not directly on the way between Newport News and DC.

Several Civil War sites are on your way between Newport News and DC but of course that's after 1850.

I'll let others recommend hotels, but Crystal City and Alexandria (near the King Street Metro station) are popular areas and have Metro access into DC.

Consider the on-off busses (Old Town Trolley or Tourmobile) to get around the monuments, as the Jefferson, FDR, Lincoln/Vietnam/Korean and WWII memorials are all a good hike from Metro stops. Or take one of the nighttime monument bus tours.

Other sites are all accessible by Metro, including the Zoo and the John Paul II Center.

Mount Vernon is within your time period of interest but it will take a chunk of your precious time to visit, particularly with public transport. Maybe your Aunt could take you directly there on your arrival and visit it with you, then take you on to your hotel.

For a history visit, definitely visit the National Archives (book a timed ticket in advance on-line) to see the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and visit the American History Museum (part of the Smithsonian) to see such things as the Star Spangled Banner, Washington's uniform and the desk Jefferson used to write the Declaration. I'd also put a Capitol tour (also booked ahead on-line) high on your list.

You can also book ahead on-line for Ford's Theater and the Washington Monument (and IMAX and planetarium shows at the Air and Space and Natural History museums, but those may not be your focus for your history visit). Personally I think the Washington Monument is also a time-eater for a short visit like yours and would skip it (easier to work in a visit to the tower of the Old Post Office Building on Pennsylvania Ave.

In Philadelphia of course you should definitely visit Independence Hall and the Independence Visitor Center and the National Constitution Center. If you could have a car to visit Valley Forge, Washington Crossing Historic Park and Trenton that would be great, I doubt it's any fun getting there on public transit. (Plus with a car you could stay out in the burbs and be less worried about bedbugs, although I really don't think you should alter your trip just for that).

I'd probably skip New York to give you more time in DC and Philly, particularly given your intention to make this a pre-Civil War history trip. If you go to NY your focus would be in Lower Manhattan--Trinity Church, Federal Hall, Fraunces Tavern.

If you're headed to Manchester, NH, why not skip Philly and NY and go to Boston?

A shared "wow". You have some framework that is obviously not changeable - dates, family visits. Since you indicate this is an educational trip, you need a bit more focus on historical era - but need to balance that with logistics.

You arrive in DC on 11/4 and arrive in Manchester, NH on 11/7? And that includes Newport News plus Washington, DC? Or do you arrive in DC on 11/2 - you give the 4th in the first line of your post and the 2nd later on. I am confused.

Forget Philadelphia and New York - there is no way on this planet you are going to see anything in either city with that short time frame. Save them for another trip. Even with 5 days to spread among VA, DC, PA, NYC there is not enough time. Again, if this is educational, go for quality rather than drive-by quantity.

In Boston, focus on Revolutionary War era. Walk the Freedom Trail and spend some time at some of the smaller museums and historic houses along the way. While you can walk the Freedom Trail in a couple of hours, there is more to be seen along the way. Spend a few hours in one of the burial grounds - by reading tombstones you can gather some interesting info about lineage, history. Look at some maps of the topography of Boston prior to filling in of the "Back Bay" - gives you more of a sense of life at that time. Find a way to get to Plimouth Plantation (the re-created village, not the silly rock in a wire cage).

Head out to Lexington and Concord to continue the Revolutionary War era topic. Too late for foliage or apples, but some nice scenery anyway.

November in Boston area can be nasty, nasty, nasty weather-wise. Ignore forecasts. They will be wrong or change 24 hours out. Bring hat, gloves, warm coat, rain-gear. Not likely to snow.

Not as informed about Revolutionary War era Philadelphia. And much of that time around NYC had Hudson River/north geography - you would need a car. Some interesting small buildings from Revolutionary War encampments of of Washington and troops on banks of Hudson in Northern NJ and NY. Still think considering time, logistics and family, you need to go from DC to Boston - check out airfares since there are often really cheap fares from IAD (Dulles) or BWI (Baltimore/Washington) to Boston. Also check flights into Manchester, NH (Southwest) - sometimes good deals there as well that might be better than 8-10 hours on the train.

I'd definitely skip NYC on this trip. I think you could do a decent day trip in Philly en route to New England, but I don't know enough about the Amtrak schedule to say that confidently.

I used to live in DC, so I'd recommend staying in the city if you can, but unfortunately I don't have a hotel recommendation. DC is pretty easy to get around via metro or bus or walking. And for the most part it's much safer than the media would have anyone believe. Like anywhere, have your wits about you. But don't worry.

I was there last year with my husband and two kids (ages 4 & 7 at the time) and we stayed at the Crystal City Marriott. It was a very easy spot for getting in/out of DC. You can see the Pentagon from there and get to watch planes land at National Airport. Metro stop right there. We did have a car with us for further out sites in VA (like the Air & Space at Dulles), but we did several museums on the Mall, the Zoo, Georgetown, Union Station, Arlington all via public transit. I did 90% solo with the kids because my husband was there for a conference. I didn't have any worries wandering around alone with them. I really love DC and that whole MD/VA area. I think it's a shame more people don't take advantage of family vacations there because it really is such a great spot.

I'm sure since your daughter lives in NH she can give you oodles of suggestions for NH/MA. Does she have a car? I too recommend a place like Plimoth Plantation. Like the other poster said, it can be kind of raw in Nov. but don't let that deter you from getting outside. Just have some warm clothes and plan some nice lunches & snacks inside warm spots (hot cider....butternut squash soup.....)

Have a great trip!

Your November 2 is a tough day. Arriving after a long train trip and then having to make connections for a 3+ hour trip to Newport News is tough. I assume you may be arriving from Chicago; Amtrak could easily be hours late.

Your best bet may be to rent a car, check and see if there are one-way dropoff fees, might be best even to keep the car and drive it back to DC. But then again, you might hit REALLY BAD traffic heading south on I-95 on a workday afternoon/evening, check out the train schedules to Newport News (but make sure there are alternate trains if you miss the first connection).

You might consider spending the night on November 2 in DC area and doing a nighttime monuments tour that evening. That way you've knocked that off of your list, and you can schedule your trip down to Newport News in the morning with reasonable certainty. If you drive (or bus) down I-95 it will be much nicer in the a.m. on November 3 than in the afternoon on November 2.

On November 3 you could go directly to Williamsburg instead of all of the way to Newport News, if you have your rental car or if your Aunt can pick you up in Williamsburg in the evening of November 3. Then you can do Jamestown and Yorktown on November 4. Best if you then headed at least part of the way back to DC on the 4th with your Aunt.

Even then it's going to be quite a couple of days in DC. Are the Zoo and JP II Center essential?

I would scrap the zoo if the two of you have been to the San Diego zoo or any other big zoo lately. It's really not that great in comparison to the San Diego zoo.

I too agree about spending Nov. 2 in DC. I think you'll be very tired from your journey, give yourself some time to relax, walk, take a swim in the hotel pool, etc. And yes, the monuments at night are wonderful. Then you'd be refreshed heading South the next morning.

Also, I'd skip the zoo as well. Or bump it down on the list. The upside is it IS free, so you don't have to feel badly about only spending a couple of hours there. But it's also not as on the beaten path as some of the other stuff you want to see. And a zoo's a zoo's a zoo, ya know? For the historical stuff you are visiting, I'd suggest spending more time on the Mall. The museums there are endless, have a few extra hours would be well spent.

I agree with all of those that recommend that you not try to get to Newport News upon your arrival in D.C. There are only two Amtrak departures for Newport News, the last one being at 2:30 pm. I don't know the "on time" schedule for the train you are taking, but I think it would be pretty risky to assume that you can make that 2:30 pm train.

Can't help with the Newport News part, but I have some public transportation thoughts on the rest...

In DC (nights 11-5, 11-6, visit the sites mentioned above. I would also recommend the Washington Cathedral.

On the morning of the 11th, hop on the Amtrak train and take it to NYC (looking at Philadelphia from the window) -- it is a fast train and can get you there by noon (No need to pay extra for the Acela, they're all pretty fast). Note you have to reserve tickets in advance for this train.

Then take a taxi to the bus terminal (try Peter Pan Co, or an economy bus like BoltBus, MegaBus -- I think they all have different terminal locations) and take an express bus directly to central Boston. You can switch to a bus for Manchester at that point.

(Personally I'd suggest you linger in NYC for a half-day, visit historical sites like Central Park and Ellis Island museum, stay over in the Big City, and take the bus the next morning. But whatever. )

I agree that you your day trip in Boston should definitely involve the Freedom Trail (google it beforehand to download educational materials and prepare for your trip.) Plan take your time at sites you find most intersting, and to stop and rest a couple times -- get a snack in a cafe or bakery -- so you can do the whole thing. (Skip ahead to not miss a visit to the USS Constitution, if you start to wear out.)

If you have time left over, take the T (subway) (probably dinner time by now) and have dinner in the Cambridge/Harvard Square area, or in the North End. Ok to walk around these areas in the evening.

Ahead of your time frame, but if I were to recommend ONE thing in NYC for a homeschooled student it would be the Lower East Side Tenement Museum -
http://www.tenement.org/

It is one of my favorite places to visit in NYC. Any of the tour options would be memorable. Be sure to get there early to watch some of the videos before the tour (and maybe stay after for a while).

Personally, I really think you should reconsider an overnight in NYC

Have you had your 11 yr old do some research yet and determined what sites in the areas you will be visiting that would be of particular interest to him/her? There is way too much to see to do it in a day or two in DC, Philadelphia, NYC or Boston, not to mention the Williamsburg/Jamestown sites near Newport News.

A lot happened before 1850 and if social/lifestyle topics are of interest, that would make choices of sites different from say Revolutionary War Battle sites.

The travel itself should provide a bit of schooling in any case.

I think the Tenement Museum is a bit later than 1850s but it's one of the most fascinating historical museums I've ever been too. It may be better to wait until your student is older and studying a later time period. We visited the part about the Irish family and their story is tragic. It might be too much for an 11yo to deal with. The tragedy has to do with greed, keeping cows in unsanitary conditions and adulterating the milk. Combine with visit to Ellis Island.

I have not been to the Lowell MA mills but that might be a good combination with another trip and visit to your daughter to lives in NH. Plan a good weather trip when Canterbury Shaker Village is open daily for tours.

In warmer weather it's usually not too hard to find a revolutionary war encampment someplace in New England. We've been to a civil war encampment that was incredibly fascinating. One volunteer who is a doctor in real life as well as his civil war personality, can explain all the medical equipment and use of leeches.

d, I agree and tried to communicate that with the "ahead of your timeframe" intro. I was curious about your comment and checked the website -
http://www.tenement.org/tours.php

The Irish tour DOES have 12+ as the recommended age.
There's one for 5+ and four for 8+.
Good to know. I've been going since there was only one tour, then two (to alternate two groups) and the last time I took the "Piecing it Together" tour. All tours are in the same tenement museum, but focus on a particular apartment/family/heritage story. All the tours I've been on have been fabulous.

If they go to Lowell mills I have another children's book recommendation to read before the trip.

I think you meant "reenactment" rather than "encampment". I completely agree that the reenactors are dedicated to historical accuracy. Here's one list of upcoming events -
http://www.reenactmenthq.com/eventlist.asp

As far as "reenactments" go, I recommend the revolutionary war camp at the Victory Center in Yorktown. The day my 9 yo son and I went last winter we were the only ones there and got a great tour from the two docents, including the gruesome doctor's tools and holding the musket (after a firing demonstration).

Regarding your transportation options to Newport News:

Don't take the bus. It's more expensive, takes longer and you have to transfer buses in RIchmond. If you do take the bus, for booking purposes know that the station in Newport News is referred to as Fort Eustis/Newport News.

The suggestion to spend the first night in DC is a pretty good one. The following day there is a 7:30 am train out of Union Station to NN. You can catch that same train in Alexandria about 20 min later if that is closer to your hotel. There is a metro/subway station (King Street) which is co-located with the Alexandria train station. Train gets to NN around noon.

If you prefer to get to NN the same day of arrival in DC, the 2:30 train is the obvious choice, but if you miss it there are five later trains which go to Ashland Va or Richmond's Staples Mill Road stations. Your aunt should know where those are and while that will involve a trip of an hour and a half each way, it's mostly all highway driving.

In fact, rather than your aunt driving you all the way back to DC, consider having her drop you in Ashland to take the train back. There are trains leaving Ashland at 6:15, 7:15, and 8:15 am that all get into DC early enough to get in a whole day of touring. It will save your aunt a lot of time and the aggravation of having to drive into the DC area at rush hour.

Any chance you can fly east (instead of Amtrak) and have more days to see stuff?

Don't overlook Megabus for transportation between DC, PHL, NY and Boston ... the fares really do start as low as $1, and the buses are nicer than most Amtraks, and have better on-time performance. I've taken it Albany-> NYC -> DC and was quite pleased... and I'm a "railfan", so I have no grudges against Amtrak. http://us.megabus.com

I agree completely with obxgirl ... if you drive, I would consider renting a car for the trip to NN. Rent from Enterprise in Springfield VA, and you will have missed the worse of the Beltway traffic ... or rent from anyone at National Airport and take GW parkway from the airport right to Mt Vernon, visit there, then continue south from there.

There are "chinatown buses" now running between Newport News and NYC for $35 each way.
http://search.gotobus.com/cgi-bin/bus.cgi?nm=11169&st=11169&option=Select&roundtrip=0&bus_from=Newport+News%2C+VA&bus_to=New+York%2C+NY&filter_date=next8&return_date=&quantity=1
or just http://gotobus.com if that doesn't work.
I've not taken them, but thought I'd mention them in case you wanted to head north from NN, maybe spending more DC time before you head to NN. I absolutely love Colonial Williamsburg, and if you visit it, feel free to ask LOTS of questions, the staff is more than happy to answer.

If I do not stay IN DC, my next favorite location is near the Rosslyn Metro station, in Arlington VA. It is the closest station to DC on the Blue and Orange lines, and between DC and Alexandria, should you choose either of them for nighttime activities. Holiday Inn, Hyatt and Marriott near the station.

Y'know, this probably won't help with your problem of cutting things out from the trip, but New England is home to all kinds of ``open air museums'' that do living reinactments of olden days.

Your 11 year old could probably get a lot out of them: consider Mystic Seaport, Ct; Plimouth Plantation, MA,
Old Sturbridge Village, MA; Strawberry Banke NH; and Canturbury Shaker Village (not really a reinactment place, but interesting). Another not-to-be-missed site is the Mashantucket Pequot Museum in CT, which tells the early history of this land and this nation from the other point of view.

You'd have to skip some city time, and rent a car to get around, but its mostly rural driving, not too bad, and any of them would be very appropriate to your educational mission. Maybe the NH relative can get you to a few of them.

I think you are way underestimating actual travel times and end up with prctically no time for sightseeing.

Amtrak from Chicao to DC will very probably be late - possibley by as much as 4 or 5 hours, so that day is really gone.

And getting from DC to New Hampshite will take an entire day - even with not stop anywhere (forget either Phily or NYC). If you look at the amtrak website to get from DC to Manchester New Hampshite by a combination of train and bus take about 9 hours - assuming there are no delays.

I would just do DC and Boston and actualy see something.

Your trip left me a little confused. I will share that I homeschooled my daughter when she was 11 for a semester due to an injury.

I did a historical trip of sorts. I say of sorts because other things were built in. I found that worked best for us. I do not think I ever did a trip report. I cannot remember?

I flew from LAX to JFK and stayed several nights in the New York City -we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn - saw 2 musicals, Natural History museum and saw family. I tried to build things in like different transportation experiences as silly as that might sound but to help my daughter be a little more well rounded than I was (I was afraid of the subway till this forum frankly) - subway, train, bus, airplane, horse and buggy, that sort of thing.

I rented took a train over to Newark Airport in order to rent a car - as it was far less expensive, saw family in NJ and headed to Philadelphia.

I stayed at the Marriott https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phldt-philadelphia-marriott-downtown/ it was great. I walked to the historical area. If you do go - I suggest you go to the http://constitutioncenter.org/ and of course the Liberty Bell area. I enjoyed it and never felt 'unsafe"..and you should know I am phobic gal.

BTW, I dropped the car there, took a train to Williamsburg - loved the Williamsburg Inn and LOVED it. We rented a car there and drove to friends in Richmnond and stayed there a few days and kept the car till DC - and dropped it there.

I stayed at Westin Grand in DC - on points - http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1013 -

I had contacted my congress person's office and arrangements were made for a few tours for us. I think it might be a little late for you to do that - but if not I suggest you do. We went to the Holocaust Museum which I HIGHLY recommend - I believe EVERY person should go there and it is vital that we teach our children lest they forget or think it did not happen. I realize that is not a part of your agenda but I would not pass the opportunity personally as you do not know when you will return. My daughter also loved the Spy Museum - again not on your "agenda" but a ton of fun.

I hope some of this helps you out... enjoy your time with your son.

There is no train service to Manchester, NH. You can take a bus to Londonderry, NH (exit 5 off route 93) or to downtown Manchester at the Radisson Hotel on Elm St.

Both locations are clean and safe if you arrive after dark.

starrs, I picked up the word encampment from places like Musterfield Farm in NH, here's an example at Fort Ticonderoga
http://www.fort-ticonderoga.org/events/revolutionary-war-encampment.htm
it could be the difference between acting out something that happened as opposed to setting up camp and letting the public wander around. Who knows! LOL
I forgot about the MP Museum in CT. It's terrific and not to be missed. You will need at least a half day there esp if you listen to all the audio tour details in the village (indoors).
The living history museums are so much more interesting than the history visits to Boston we used to make when we were in school. I think those school field trips were boring. I really didn't get much out of sitting in the old church or visiting a historic house. The Tenement Museum (I've just been on one of the tours but I certainly would like to go on the others) brings life to the stories because they focus on a family and what was going on at the time.

OP, good luck on deciding. There is so many wonderful places, I hope you can make a second visit. I also agree that the logistics of traveling are an education. DS relied on what he learned on family trips when he was on his own. OTH I have friends who had never gone on a subway or train or bus until we were on a trip together.

Oh, sorry. My mistake.

If you are in the DC area and are most interested in time periods before 1850, I would definately see the <a href="http://www.fxva.com/yourfairfax/history-heritage/civil-war-battlefields/">civil war battlefields</a> in Fairfax County.

dfrost and starrs - As someone who grew up reenacting and encamping, I can tell you that both terms are perfectly acceptable and pretty much interchangable

Thanks, november_moon. I was wrong.

"grew up r & e" - I bet you have stories to tell
I know an reenacter who started as a drummer boy and now his wife joins him at camp. Now I wonder if they have plans to bring the little ones (when/if they arrive)

starrs - Yeah, I had a sort of odd childhood. One of my friends likes to remind me that "Not everyone went to Daniel Boone's school for toddlers" I did have a tomahawk when I was 5 years old.

thanks, november-moon, I bet Daniel Boone's school for toddlers was a terrific education. I think the 4-H working steer club from our county goes to some event in Plimoth.

Sounds like a lot of great advice. One addition: there are tour buses and walking tours availble in every place mentioned. While they might be "touristy" and even cost a few bucks, they can be a great way to see highlights of a place in a short period of time. Spend some time surfing the web, and no doubt you can find ones tailored to your educational interests and time constraints. One other thought; we were advised to get a car for our family's trip, which is similar to yours, also benefitting 2 homeschoolers (9 & 13) and spans the east coast. The car leaves us unencumbered by transport schedules. Good luck!