kwren

I thought I would check here to get some up-to-date info on taking a group of French exchange students into Washington. (I find homes for 20 days in July for them and plan 3 excursions for a small group in VA. My other students are in MD, VA, PA and don't have planned activities if anyone is interested. )

First I'm planning a trip up the Washington Monument. I see that I can reserve tickets online for $1.50 per person. Do we still have to go to the bookstore with our online receipt to get the tickets?

How long should I plan on being at the monument including ticket pick-up, waiting, going up and down? Is an hour enough time? More? Most importantly, do they let anyone with reservations just go right in at their reserved time or is there still a line to wait on?

Are there restrooms at the monument?

I'm also considering the Tidal Basin paddle boats. Has anyone done this? Should I reserve for 12 people? Any tips? How long does it take to get situated in the boats and out on the water

What about tours of the Capitol? Worth adding into the mix? We won't have tons of time.

I can't do everything - I'll probably only have 4 hours in WDC.

obxgirl

The whole thing will take between and hour and an hour and a half. All entry tickets are timed. In July you will spend much of it waiting in line potentially in the hot sun so prepare for that. No restrooms in the monument. Restrooms are on the ground nearby. It's a bit like the Eiffel Tower. Lots of queueing for a short opportunity at an iconic view.

Check the Park Service website about ticket pick up:

http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDe...O&parkId=77811

Paddle boats. If your visiting day is fixed you risk the weather. It could be stinking hot & humid, raining or threatening thunderstorms.

NewbE

The weather is a big factor in July. If it were me, I wouldn't reserve paddleboats unless there's no penalty for cancellation. An indoor plan, or at least a plan B, is a must. Maybe that could be the Capitol?

longhorn55

Expect to spend over an hour at the Washington Monument. You do not have to go to the Lodge to pick up any tickets once you have purchased them online. But you will want to be at the monument to get in line about 30 minutes before the time of your tour. Then you will spend about 30 - 40 minutes getting up there, looking around and getting back down.

There's a lot more interesting things to see and do in Washington, D.C. other than the paddle boats--especially in the heat of July. I'd look for some indoor activities. The tour of the U.S. Capitol is excellent (and it's free and it's indoors).

kwren

So it sounds like buying the tickets in advance just allows you to skip the ticket line and you still have to queue up with everyone else anyway. I guess the reason they give you tickets for a certain time is to spread everyone out.

Just curious, if we would get there very early (which I am not going to do) would they prevent us from going in before our reserved time and make us wait to the side until our time slot?

Is going to the Mint the same sort of thing? That might be a cool stop too. Are there tickets involved there too?

obxgirl

So it sounds like buying the tickets in advance just allows you to skip the ticket line and you still have to queue up with everyone else anyway.

Or getting tickets at all. There are daily tickets available but during the most heavily visited times, daily tickets are gone quite early on. Tickets are timed for entry so, no, you won't get an early admit. Perhaps in January but pretty unlikely in July.

Sorry to be **that poster** but since you only have half a day, why not focus on things that don't require standing in a line? If I were going to haul a group of international teens around DC for 4 hours, I'd do the Lincoln Memorial (iconic view of the Mall, iconic American), a walk by and photo op of the White House, lunch at the food trucks at Farragut Square and a visit to one of the Smithsonian museums.

Don't know the details on the Mint. Haven't been in years. It's not as popular as the Washington Monument.

NewbE

Oh gosh, I'm sorry, too, but I'll be **that poster** with obxgirl: her itinerary sounds really good to me! With only 4 hours, I agree that you shouldn't spend any time in a line. Going into any museum on the Mall is free, no tickets necessary, so as she said, I'd pick one and do that instead of the Mint.

A tour of the Capitol would be good, too, but it is a longer walk from the monuments, and I just don't know the details of how the tours are timed or if you should reserve ahead with that big a group. Maybe someone else does...

kwren

I think that sounds like a great itinerary! Thanks for the suggestions. I initially thought that we could get our timed tickets and walk in at that time. Silly me!

I didn't know about the food trucks at Farrugut Square - that's why I ask my questions here! I'd like to check that out myself.

Any pros or cons about the Udvar-Hazy Center outside WDC? (not the same day) I was there once and enjoyed it. I would also include the IMAX. It's that or tubing, but I was leaning towards this because of the same weather concerns listed above.

longhorn55

First, the question about the Bureau of Engraving and Printing... (Not to be pedantic, but a Mint creates coins and there is not a Mint in D.C.) Tickets can only be obtained on a same-day basis. You have to be standing in line when the BEP opens to have any chance of getting a ticket and your ticket might not be until later in the day.

Next, as much as I enjoy the Udvar-Hazy Center, I think you have to be fairly interested in planes and/or spacecraft to really enjoy it. I seriously doubt a group of French students (I assume they are high school-aged) would be that interested. If you want to take them to an IMAX film, you can go to the Air and Space Museum on the Mall or the Smithsonian's Natural History museum to see one. Both of those museums also have an IMAX theatre.

On the other hand, an afternoon of innertubing would be a FANTASTIC idea for a group of French students. I would be fairly certain that this is not something they have ever done before. (I don't think it's common in Europe as it is here.) It would involve a bit of a drive to either Harper's Ferry, WV (Shenandoah/Potomac Rivers) or to Scottsville, VA (James River). July would be a perfect time to go--the cool river water will feel great on a hot day.

Finally, if you have questions about what sites in D.C. offer or require advance tickets, I will direct you to the Washington D.C. forum on Trip Advisor. On the right hand side of the page of the Washington D.C. forum is a section called "Top Questions" and there is one that addresses that question with links to all the various sites. It's a very useful tool.

kwren

Thanks longhorn for all your info. Next stop WDC Top Questions

But first...

I had already found tubing at the VA Outdoor Center in Fredericksburg on the Rappahannock River. Is anyone familiar with that river? I took kids once years ago to a river in Delaware and the water level was very low in the July heat. I don't need a huge river, but prefer one that isn't going to dry up. I'm familiar with Harper's Ferry and that would be great, but I'll use quite a bit of my budget on the bus to get there, as opposed to Fredericksburg VA. Can anyone compare the two areas?

Are the food trucks at Farragut Square every weekday? I read one post online that they are only there on Fridays, but other sites seem to imply they are there every weekday. I also read in that same post (may have been older) that there is jazz at that square "evenings" from "noon to 2:00". Doesn't seem like the most trustworthy source! We will be going on a Tuesday - I love the idea of food trucks for lunch - is Farragut Sq our best bet? I read that there are many squares with food trucks. Which would have the most trucks, nicest atmosphere, etc - or are they all about the same?

Day is shaping up thanks to all the great suggestions! Merci! Now to find enough host families.....

gardendiva

I have to agree with the few others to skip the Washington Monument. We were there in October and waited in line over an hour. I would also skip the Bureau of Engraving. You have to be there at 8:30am to get timed tickets that could be as late as 2 or 3 in the afternoon. If they are not actually printing money that day the tour is a bit boring. You get to see the equipment, hear the story but not actually see money being printed. There we also had to wait in line for over 40 minutes for a 20 minute tour.

The Capitol tours are more timely and interesting. You can get tickets online in advance so there is minimal waiting in line.

The walk between the Capitol and the monuments is a bit long but it is a short Metro ride.

obxgirl

The main places for targeting food trucks in DC are: Farragut Square, Franklin Square, L’Enfant Plaza and Metro Center. M-F b/c their business is largely office workers and then tourists.

I generally suggest Farragut Sq b/c that is close to the White House. Franklin Sq is block or so to the east.

You'll find them at other places in the city (Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle) too. I have used Food Truck Fiesta on my phone to see what and who is where. But mostly I'll wander over to Farragut b/c that is what I'm closest to.

There is a Friday food truck thing, I think, during the summer near the Navy Yard. Don't know anything about the jazz you mentioned but only b/c it isn't something I'd normally seek out.

kwren

So we're going to do the tour of the Capitol. Question: if we have a tour scheduled, what time should we arrive at the Visitor's Center? Is it interesting enough for teens to spend some time there or just get there a bit before the tour starts? I imagine the tours start on time since there are so many time slots. I read online that the tour takes about an hour, including a 13 minute film. Accurate info?

Most of these kids will presumably be taken back into Washington by their host families so it's not that important for me to cover all the possibilities.

I'm thinking of this itinerary, depending on heat and/or rain:

10:00 - 10:30 Drive through Washington from Virginia side
10:30 - 12:00 Visitor's Center/Tour of Capitol
12:15 - 1:15 Union Station Food Court or Farragut Square Trucks, lunch
1:30 - 1:45 stop for pictures of White House
2:00 - 2:30 Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Wall

kwren

We did the paddle boats after all and the kids loved it.
Thought I'd give some info here.

It's best to go in the morning because there usually isn't too much of a line. That's what we did - luckily it wasn't too hot on our day.
You can get boats for 2 or 4, $15 or $24 respectively.
You can't reserve in advance unless you have a larger group.

We started at the Lincoln Memorial, did the paddle boats, walked through the Mall and had a tour of the Capitol. Great day!

sf7307

Sounds lovely!

sf7307

Sounds lovely! Did you end up not doing the Washington Monument?

kwren

I followed the excellent advice to avoid the lines and skipped the Washington Monument. It was really hot that day so waiting on the line would not have been a good idea. As it was, we did a lot of walking and the kids were lagging behind, but it was cool in the Capitol so that revived them.

We ended the day in a local cafe for karaoke! That was fun for them too.