Another Itinerary Question for Washington DC
 

Hello everyone. I have a few days off upcoming and decided to go to Washington DC.

My tentative itinerary looks like this:

Friday January 22, 2016:
Leave Hawaii

Saturday January 23, 2016:
Arrive at Washington DC at 12:22pm.

Sunday January 24, 2016:
Arlington National Cemetery
8:00am – 5:00pm (Free)

National Zoo (3 hours)
10:00am – 6:00pm (Free)

National Portrait Gallery
11:30am – 7:00pm (Free)

or

Phillips Collection
12:00pm – 7:00pm

Monday January 25, 2016:
Smithsonian Museums

Natural History Museum
10:00am – 5:30 pm (Free)

National Air and Space Museum
10:00am – 5:30pm (Free)

American History Museum
10:00am – 5:30pm (Free)

Tuesday January 26, 2016:
Washington Monument
09:00am – 5:00pm (free)

Lincoln Memorial
09:00am – 5:00pm (free)

Holocaust Memorial Museum
10:00am – 5:00pm (free)

Bureau of Engraving
09:00am – 2:00pm (free)

Wednesday January 27, 2016:

Ford’s Theater
08:30am – 5:30pm (Tour Booked for 9:00am. Only thing set in stone and reserved.)

National Archives
10:00am – 5:30pm

Library of Congress
08:30am – 5:00pm

International Spy Museum
09:00am – 06:00pm

Thursday January 28, 2016:
Leave Washington DC at 8:30am.

Thoughts and recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

Add:

Supreme Court

The Capitol (get in contact with your Rep now)

There are many other memorials along the Mall and around the reflecting pool and none should be missed (although I always feel the Lincoln and Viet Nam memorials are the most moving)

If you get a day with good weather you might consider heading to Mount Vernon, which is fascinating

And you really need to not tie yourself to specific places on specific days - since the wether may affect how long you want to be outdoors (We have had an oddly warm winter so far but it's now getting seasonable - highs in the 30s with possibility of snow - and you need to be prepared for bad weather some days and do indoor things those days).

Visits to the top of the Washington Monument require a ticket. They can be obtained in advance, online, for a small fee. If the tickets for the day you wish to visit are sold out (or if you don't want to commit to a day in advance), there are a limited number of free same-day tickets available at the Washington Monument Lodge (on 15th Street) beginning at 8:30 am. See: http://www.nps.gov/wamo/planyourvisit/fees.htm

I agree with NYTraveller that you should do a tour of the U.S. Capitol. You might be able to pre-arrange a tour through the office of your Representative, but you can also book them online (for free). As you'll see, if you don't want to pre-book a tour, you can go to the "Public Walk-up" line. During the time of your visit, it should not be difficult to get on a tour on a walk-up basis. See:https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/plan...k-tour-capitol

Finally, I'm not a big fan of the International Spy Museum. It's a fairly small museum with a relatively high admission price. You'll get more "bang for your buck" at any of the Smithsonian museums/galleries.

I'm not sure you have enough time (or interest) but we loved the Newseum. If you're a history or news enthusiast, it's great. A ticket gets you in for two consecutive days, and it might just take that long to see it all.

I'd also try to include the Jefferson Memorial. Just reading the quotes inscribed on the walls is inspiring (but I agree that the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Memorial are the most moving).

I didn't visit the National Portrait GAllery until about my tenth visit to DC, and I now know how much I missed! since this is a jam-packed visit, I'd go the Nat'l Portrait GAllery but I'd limit my visit to the Presidential portraits. There's much much more if you want to spend the time.

If you get a chance- my two favorite memorials are the Korean War and FDR.

And be sure to have an idea of what you want to see in each museum. Hit the stuff high on your wish list first- some galleries get very crowded, and even smaller museums- like Holocaust- can take much longer than you expect to get through.

Thanks for the replies.. I might switch out the spy museum for the Capitol building, depending on if I can get a reservation.. I wanted to see the White House, but due to this being a spur the moment trip, I know I'm not going to be able to.. Hopefully I can fit the newsume in somewhere, as I've heard great things..

Agree with the Korea and FDR memorials; would add the VietNam as well.

As sf7307 stated, the tickets for the Newsuem are good for 2 consecutive days and there's a very good reason for that. The Newseum is a great museum, but it's also a huge museum. I've been twice and spent 8 hours (over 2 consecutive days) and 6 hours there, respectively.

Right now there is a significant winter event in the offing for DC this Friday & Saturday. I hope it doesn't impact your travel plans or your first day in the city. Plan with the possibility in mind both for cold & wet weather and switching around your itinerary to be indoors if it's unpleasant outdoors.

Regarding the White House, you can go to the Visitors Center and do a walk by on the pedestrian mall to get the iconic view.

If you have a particular interest in the Spy Museum, I certainly wouldn't be put off by the cost. There is plenty to see there and mid week January is an excellent time to visit when the crowds are thin. (ditto with the Holocaust Memorial Museum). In general though if I had to pick one between the Spy and Newseum, I'd pick the Newseum.

Hope you have a great trip!

The Newseum is just as expensive as the Spy Museum and I would not recommend it over the other if you didn't pick it out yourself due to interests. I'm sure you don't want to spend two days there, I don't have the attention span to even spend one day just in a museum myself and didn't spend over a few hours in it. It has some interesting artifacts but a lot of it is just reading, sort of like a library. Which I would guess you could suspect for a museum about news which is the media, solely written for a long time. For a short visit to DC, I wouldn't spend a lot of hours or days in the Newseum. You have plenty of other museums, for interesting artifacts and current events, you have the Museum of American HIstory which is free.

I think the Phillips COllection is rather pricey, also, for a small museum. Unless there is something in particular you want to see there, I'd scratch that one as the National Gallery has plenty of great art. But that's if budgeting is an issue, it is definitely closer to the zoo than the Portrait Gallery. And in fact, the American Art museum right next to the Portrait Gallery is free, also, and has some interesting art. Depends where you want to end up that day, actually.

I'd personally rather go to the Capitol bldg than any museum, just for history and the experience.

See the Air ans Space Museum on the Mall. https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/mall/
You don't have the time to go out to the branch out next to Dulles.

Safe to assume the OP postponed his/her trip?

<<Safe to assume the OP postponed his/her trip?>>

With the blizzard that's coming on Friday, I sure hope so!

Well, for future reference then, I would skip the Spy Museum--some people like, many don't, including me--and the Newseum.

The Newseum is great. But it takes hours to see it properly, and it's a lot of reading, and for a short visit, I would vote for the Capitol (with or without a guided tour from your rep), or more time at Smithsonian museums and monuments.

The Phillips Collection is world class, but not near the National Mall, so unless a visit to Dupont Circle is desired on this short visit, skip it.

I'm not a fan of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. I would replace that with the Supreme Court or the Library of Congress, provided that you take a tour (free, leaves hourly or so), or again, more time elsewhere.

I like the Lincoln, Jefferson, Korea (quite interesting) and WWII memorials. The FDR memorial is interesting for the portrayal of the era, but its portrayal of the man would have him rolling in his repose. The MLK memorial is an eyesore - seldom has the US memorialized someone so poorly. That thing wouldn't be out of place in Szoborpark in Budapest.

The OP doesn't have to cancel. Since it can't happen with the airports closed, the trip has been cancelled for the OP. Do be sure to try to do another time.