A Day in DC with Young Children
 

We will be in DC in early July with our two grandchildren (age 2 and 6). Since it will be a one-day trip what would you Fodorites suggest as "can't miss" ideas to keep them excited and interested?

Air & Space museum

Pick two or three things TOPS. The Natural History Museum, maybe the Park Service tour bus, ride the Carousel on the Mall.

Prepare for it be HOT HOT HOT and for them to get BORED BORED BORED. I wouldn't plan for more than 4-5 hours.

The problem with A&S is it will be literally overrun with tourists. You run that risk at Natural History, but I wouldn't think the huge crowds at the A&S would be much fun for kids that young dealing with those kinds of crowds.

I

The National Zoo, although it will indeed be very hot and muggy and the animals won't be any peppier than the people.

The Carousel on the Mall is a good idea. As long as you're on the Mall, check out the Air and Space and Natural History museums. Yes, they may be crowded, but they're air conditioned, and if you scurry in and make a beeline to the back and upstairs (away from the front door, on other words), you can beat a lot of the crush. Plus, they're free, so if the kids get bored, you haven't invested much. And you can buy them ice cream and popsicles from the vendors on the Mall.

I don't know that seeing the monuments from a Tourmobile would work for such little ones. But all the monuments are surrounded by grassy areas where kids can play, and a peek at the giant Lincoln and Jefferson could be fun for them. The FDR Memorial featurers a statue of Fala that kids seem to love, and water fountains, though they can't go in them.

Be sure to take the kids on DC's subway, called "Metro". Kids of all ages enjoy it!

Between the Natural history Museum and the National Gallery of Art is a sculpture garden area with a pool in the middle that kids regularly dip their feet in, and there are ice cream vendors around there also. When I helped chaperone a class trip last month, the kids enjoyed this area. Get some inexpensive personal fans with a mister, the kids will enjoy using them and it will help them cool off. Take water bottles, but pack minimally - you have to have bags searched when going into the museums. The Air and Space Museum has a nice large food court with a McDonald's, ice cream, and pizza. Have fun!

I would never recommend the cafeteria in the Air & Space Museum to anyone. The lines are long, the food is terrible and the prices are high. You only eat there if you desperate.

I do recommend the food courts at either Union Station or the Reagan International Trade Center. There is also a food court in the Old Post Office Building at 12th & Penn. Ave., NW (not as good as the others, but you can go up in the tower for a view).

I'm not sure a 2-year-old will be interested in looking at much, but IMO the Natural History Museum is the best for your children. On the second floor there is an insect zoo. I was there last summer with my two grandsons, ages 4 and 6. The 6-year-old was thrilled to hold a two-inch-long cockroach in the palm of his hand. "Do you want to hold it, Grandma?" "No thanks, honey--I think I'll just pet it." I didn't really want to touch the darn thing, but even less did I want to be a sissy in front of my grandsons.

All the museums have cafeterias or food courts. All are a bit high priced for the quality, but the convenience is just right. The places the previous poster mentioned as having better food are too far to walk to (if you are in any museum on the mall), especially in the heat of July.

We were at Natural History museum in May and the insect zoo was closed for renovation. We were really disappointed, that is my younger daughter's favorite thing in that museum. I can't remember when the sign said it would reopen. I recommended food court in Air & Space because it is very kid-friendly, very noisy, the kids I chaperoned loved it.