Accidental Trip to DC
 

Hello! Due to an error on my part I will now have a short trip to DC. We will be driving from PA to Hyatt Crystal City on a Saturday and stay two nights. Our flight on Monday is very early, so we will be able to tour possibly for a short time Saturday evening and all day Sunday. Most of the sites I want to see in this short time are in the national mall. Can this be done in one day? How hard is it to walk with 7 kids (2 families)? We will be using metro transportation. My plan was to get smartip cards and just ride to one spot at the mall and walk. Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated. I should mention the Sunday we plan to tour is 9/11. I expect extra crowds/security. Anything else?

So here's my question. I'm not seeing a list of what you want to accomplish. You can certainly spend a day touring the National Mall- but last trip, I spent 5 in just that area and still didn't see everything on my list.

As to the other part- the Mall area and DC in general is very walkable. It's a lot of walking, actually- the Mall is larger than it looks on paper because the museums are huge. Make sure everyone has good shoes, probably don't plan a sit down lunch. The American Indian Museum has a really good cafeteria, and that's what I'd do. The families may want to split up based on interests. But if you don't want to split up, I'd hit Natural History in the morning, Air and Space and/or US history in the afternoon, and then spend the evening exploring the monuments. (All of this is free. If you have serious interest in one of the paid museums, like Newseum, you could substitute). I have natural history in the morning because it can be seriously a zoo in the afternoon, but you may want to check the hours for your dates. There will be tons of people touring the monuments at night- you don't have to worry about being the only folks around- you may actually want to start before dusk, because once the tour buses start, it gets crowded.

You can get through the security lines faster if you don't have bags, but I am assuming that is not an option for you.

As marvelousmouse said, there is a LOT to see on the Mall -- you will need to decide in advance your priorities. And absolutely, be prepared for a long walk and wear appropriate shoes. Even in Sept., it can get very hot in DC, so consider that, too, when you plan.

The cafeteria at the National Museum of the American Indian is well worth visiting for lunch. It's called Mitsitam, and here's the info:
http://www.mitsitamcafe.com/home/default.asp

The National Gallery also has a few cafes that might suit for lunch:
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/visit/cafe.html

Although the mall itself is open 24/7, most of the museums will close around 5:30 or so.
http://www.si.edu/Visit/Hours#/?i=1

Could be a fortuitous "error"!

This is how I would handle the situation to see the most in your limited time.

Once you arrive, get something to eat and then head to the Mall. Take the Metro from Crystal City to the Smithsonian stop on the Blue line. This lets you off almost at the middle point of the mall. Visit the monuments starting with the Washington Monument and then walk down to the Lincoln Memorial and all the others. Don't miss the MLK Memorial or the Roosevelt Memorial that are on the Tidal Basin. This should fill your evening.

For Sunday, pick 2 or 3 museums that you want to see or maybe the Capital. Take the Metro to the stop closest to the first museum.

Other than the cafes at the museums, there really aren't too many options for food right on the mall. However, a few blocks away is the Penn Quarter where there are many options.

Thank you for your replies. We want to see all the monuments, Outside of the Whitehouse, Natural History and Air and Space Museum. I would like to go to Arlington and see the outside of the pentagon, but I don't know how realistic getting all that in is.

That sounds ambitious to me, but it depends on what, exactly, you want to see and at what pace. The Arlington National Cemetery is open until 7 p.m.:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Visit

Arlington Cemetery, The Pentagon and Reagan National are all on the Blue Line. (google for map)
Which airport are you flying out of? Are you paying to park a car in DC for the time you are gone?

You do not say when you are taking this trip. Arlington closes at dusk or 7pm whichever is earlier. To see the changing of the guard and some of the more historic graves, Arlington can take a minimum 2.5 hours and that would be very quick.

You could do Arlington at the end of the day and then take the Metro to the Pentagon. I believe that the 911 memorial at the Pentagon is open 24/7.

Keep in mind that the Metro does not run as often on the weekend as it does during the week. We waited a good 30 minutes for the train to get from Arlington to the Pentagon on a Sunday evening.

@ gardendiva: The OP specified that the trip includes 9/11.

IMHO, the most moving of all the memorials is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. No words to describe it.
If the kids are old enough, the Holocaust museum is very important.

We arrive via car from PA on 9/10 and leave 9/12 early morning. We are hoping to turn in our rental car on 9/10 when we arrive and use the metro to get around. Our hotel has free airport shuttle (flying out of DCA). I found out today we may be able to arrive earlier than expected on the 10th. If so I am hoping to leave PA at 8, which would get us there on 9/10 before noon (traffic depending). If that's the case I hope to do Arlington/Outside of the Pentagon after we arrive and then head to the monuments after dark.

Your trip might be weather dependent. If you need to be inside, the Nat'l History and Air & Space are both great, but each one could take all day. They have great websites so maybe ck those out to see what is best for your family.

The Pentagon Memorial has an audio tour you can download on your phone which gives a lot more info. I've been 2x and on the last visit there were more informative plaques to help you understand the memorial.

Arlington Cemetery is another several hr trip. I recommend the tram ride to see the sites including the Changing of the Guard which is very moving.

The White House is interesting, but you are so far removed from it. I love all the outside monuments/memorials, but this will take a day and lots of walking. Some people take a tour on 1 of the bus companies w/ on/off privileges at sites. The WWII Memorial is best at night, and I thought safe, but you miss the veterans and rangers who are there during the day. The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument have museums inside which would be closed at night.

I 2nd the mention of the Holocaust Museum; I spent 13 hrs over 2 days on my 1st visit. It is very emotional and well-done. Sounds like you have to pick and choose and plan another trip to DC.

I agree about the Holocaust museum. For me, that's the most important DC museum, especially for kids. But it would be a disservice to not give it at least a half day. Its galleries proceed as a timeline- you can't skip around and you need time to absorb it all.

The Monuments & Memorials have rangers present until 10pm and the Jefferson Memorial until 11pm.

The White House is only a couple blocks from the Natural History Museum. We stayed next to the White House. It is about a 20 minute walk from The Lincoln Memorial along the Reflecting Pool and past the Washington Monument. Once you see the White House it is just a few blocks to Metro Center Metro Stop to go back to Crystal City.

I also have to disagree with Momof3boys that the monuments and memorials take all day. I think it took us all of 3 hours to see all but the Jefferson Memorial. In that time we also waited for a Ranger talk and stopped to have something to drink. None of us are speed walkers.

My favorite map of DC is printed by MapEasy. I got mine at a local bookstore but they are available online. It may be worth the $8 investment. It is sort of cartoonish so the kids will love it. It has all of the museums, monuments, metro stops, restaurants and stores listed right on the map. There is also a Metro Map on the back.

DC was the only trip I have made that I actually sat down and planned what I wanted to see, when.