Be sure to call your congress person to arrange a Capitol tour and a tour of the dome - -we only asked for the Capitol tour- so we were a bit disappointed.
Comfortable shoes are a must, pay the $5 for the SmartTrip card - makes it easier to get around and reload for the metro.
Highlights of our trip were the Marine barracks parade (you need to send in a reservation in advance), Library of Congress (most beautiful architecture we saw in DC), Newseum (buy your tickets online), Smithsonian Natural History museum, Moonlight Old Town Trolley Tour (buy your tickets online) and Udvar Hazy space and flight museum (by Dulles). The FDR memorial is terrific, really beautiful something I have never seen widely publicized.
The White House visitor center and old post office are less than stellar. We went to the air/space museum in DC too - the Udvar Hazy is simply just head and shoulders above the DC museum - they have so much more space out by Dulles to house the planes etc.
Washington DC 4th of July, 2012
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It might depend on the Congressional office, as we asked just for a Capitol tour and spent 4 hours there(20 min in the House Gallery watching Congressional debate). I thought it was 10 times better than anything else I have experienced there. I will add the free Sunset Parade on Tuesdays at Arlington, the Free Lincoln walking Tour, and make sure to request your White House tour 6 months before you arrive
Washington Metro has pretty much made purchasing of the SmarTrip card a requirement, even for tourists, because now the use of a paper ticket will incur a $1.00 surcharge for each ride.
Yeah, that fare change happened during our trip. It wasn't well publicized at all beforehand. And we had already loaded paper tickets with money so we were stuck.
Good to hear your opinion on the museum out by Dulles. I also went to the air/space museum and was underwhelmed (although I admit I went more for DH - if it were up to me I would have skipped it). I loved the Newseum and next time I'm there I will spend as much time there as I can. Simply amazing!