sweetsailing

2 adults, 2 kids (ages 15 & 11, both girls). So far, I am thinking about going in June as soon as school is out to avoid the heat of summer. Definity don't want to be there for the crowds over July 4th. Any suggestions on the best time to visit DC in the summer? Are there better hotel deals in one month vs another?

Also, does anyone know how far in advance do I need to be thinking about booking a hotel? So far, I am leaning toward the Embassy Suites in Dupont Circle. But would want to take advantage of any summer specials for pricing. Does anyone know when hotels in the DC area typically begin to advertise any summer specials for next summer?

We will have a car and be driving to the DC area. We will have 7 - 10 days for the trip with at least 2 days taken up with driving to the area and back home. Is it realistic to do Washington DC, Williamsburg area and Mt Vernon in this time frame or should I focus on just DC and save the others for later?

pollyvw

DC and Mt Vernon at the same time make for a good trip with Mt Vernon providing a good change of pace from the historic/tourist areas of DC. Personally, I would not try to include Williamsburg on this trip. W'burg and Jamestown are a destination in themselves. If I were taking children there I would allow a minimum of 3 days...one for the amusement park and two for the historic area. Minimum. Just my opinion. Should you want to add a day trip from the DC area, I suggest Annapolis and a tour of the Naval Academy or Baltimore and its Inner Harbor which is the site of the National Aquarium, a great children's science museum and Ft McHenry where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the National Anthem (http://www.francisscottkey.org/).

I can't give any advice on lodging prices (I live in the 'burbs!) except to say, check all the online discount booking sites.

Early June (generally speaking...nothing is set in stone weatherwise) will most likely have better temps than July. I advise my houseguests who come to visit the city to not even think about coming in August.

bardo1

The best time to visit would be as soon as school is out.

The weather get just gets worse from early June through late August. Hotel prices tend to get lower the worse the weather gets (except it's always high around the July 4th holiday) with the lowest prices being in late August when the weather is horrid.

Embassy Suites in Dupont Circle is an excellent choice but you can always cancel if you come across a hotel special in an area you like later on. Hotel specials tend to get announced about a month out - I would reserve Embassy Suites at some point and then start looking for specials around May 1. Travelzoo.com is a great place to find the hotel specials.

Mount Vernon is an easy drive (less than 30 minutes) with the whole day trip usually lasting 4 hours or less. You don't need to plan ahead at all - just play it by ear once here.

Williamsburg is 3 hours each way and can keep you busy as long as you can hold up. A typical day trip there will have you leaving downtown DC at 7am and arriving back at your hotel in DC at 10 PM (or later).

I think you'll have time to do either or both day trips. Again, you don't really need to decide until you are in DC.

girlwilltravel

Hi sweetsailing,
June would be a great time, weather-wise. We visited this past March and it was cold and wet. June will give you warm days and nice nights.
I'm with pollyvw - I would not put Colonial Williamsburg in this trip. It is a terrific place and one that deserves plenty of time to enjoy. You will not have a problem filling your days and nights with lots of things to see and do in DC. Do a little planning ahead (grab a copy of Fodor's 2006 Washington DC guide and no I don't work for them.) We visited this past March and I found this guide very helpful. Also, a copy of the Official Guide to the Smithsonian was just what I needed to plan out time visiting the museums. I would decide how much driving you want to do inside DC and I would discourage it unless you really know your way around. It is truly best to park and walk or take the Metro. It will only take a couple of rides on the Metro for you to get the hang of it. It's really safe, easy and super fast. We stayed downtown last March at the Holiday Inn Capitol. It was nice and we enjoyed being downtown. I have stayed in the Embassy Suites in Old Alexandria and it was perfect! Alexandria is a terrific place to visit, too. I would call the hotels in the area where you want to stay and ask about summer rates or specials. Some may tell you call back at a later date or give you details of their plans for 2007.
Mount Vernon is a must for you next year. The new Mount Vernon Museum, the Ford Orientation Center and David W Reynolds Museum is opening, giving the world a fresh and wonderful view of our wonderful first President, George Washington. The grounds are beautiful, the gifts full of lots and lots for you take home to remember your trip and you have to have lunch or dinner at the quaint Mount Vernon Inn. They serve lovely meals to break up our day or end your visit.

mooselywild

June in DC is almost too hot for me (as a tourist)- but that's the best time to go if you have to go during the summer; the earlier, the better. Definitely do Mt Vernon! What exactly are you planning to "hit" in DC?- I could spend 10 days at the museums alone. If you can do long days (energy, energy), do go to Williamsburg for a day! The kids (and you) will really enjoy it. Otherwise- if you want to go slower or see more things in DC, Williamsburg and Jamestown would be better on a seperate trip.

We stopped in Alexandria, the first time I visited DC- good shopping (the girls will love it) and it was a nice break from sightseeing.

Have a great time!

Shalott

You can reserve advance tickets for priority viewing to see the pandas in the National Zoo. Go to the Zoo website.
There is a personal trip report with good suggestions for spending four days in Washington here
http://tinyurl.com/fcp6j
With regard to hotels, Priceline can offer some great hotel deals for Washington DC, just be sure you scope out on biddingfortravel.com or elsewhere what the good locations are and what the most common hotels are.
You might for example want one with a pool.

sweetsailing

Thanks for all the great advice. Did not know about travelzoo.com, looks to be a great website for hotel deals. I will definitely keep my eye on prices here. There is soooo much to do in DC and we want to hit all the museums on our visit, but I am a little afraid we will get tired of the "museum thing". Are they all different enough to keep everyone's attention so we don't feel like all we have done is museums? Don't get me wrong, looking forward to all of them, but sometimes too much of a good thing...you know. I think we will definitely do Mt Vernon and this will be one non-museum activity. Williamsburg just looks sooo interesting that I don't know if we will regret not making time for this too.

kayd

Yes, the museums are different from each other, but I doubt you'll be able "to hit all the museums." Even hitting all 14 of the Smithsonian museums (never mind others like Holocaust, Spy, Building, National Gallery of Art, Phillips, Corcoran, etc.) would be challenging. Next spring, start consulting the websites of the museums to see what special exhibits are planned and then map out your route.
Break up the museum-going with a day in Alexandria, at a nearby Civil War battlefield, or just a walk on the C&O Canal at Great Falls.

mooselywild

Whoa- you'll never hit ALL the museums....that could take a lifetime
The ind. Smithsonians are ENORMOUS- and your children will probably spend an hour in each gift shop

Simthsonian 1st choices- Air and Space, Natural History, Am. Indian (never been to last but hear kids love it).....and that's nearly 2 days worth

Non Smithsonian- Holocaust!

And C. Williamsburg/Mt Vernon are simply outdoors museums....(but a nice break and def. worth the time)

kencolian

We did a similar trip in early June of 2005 with my then 9 yr son. We drove to DC, did Mt. Vernon on the way to Williamsburg, then drove to Monticello to break up the trip home. It was a wonderful trip.

I think in 8 days plus 2 travel days you could do both DC and Williamsburg. (Without amusement parks)

If you want a White House tour call your Senator as soon as you decide on your dates.

Have a wonderful trip.
colleen

AmyF

I live in Williamsburg and used to live in DC. If you do decide to do a day trip to Williamsburg, go mid-week to avoid the beach traffic which is bad from Thursday through Sunday starting in May.

I think it would be better to not do both in one trip if your kids haven't been to DC yet.

Amy
[email protected]
www.sofiabean.com

FauxSteMarie

Please note, that insofar as Mount Vernon is concerned, it can no longer be done in a couple of hours. Mount Vernon has been totally redone with an added museum and educational center. I have put up a separate post about all of this. You need to allow an entire day for Mount Vernon to do it justice.

I was there on December 31st for 4 hours and saw only the museum and educational center. The house, tomb, slave quarters and grounds would have taken another 3 hours.

Mount Vernon is a totally different experience from before the renovation--and should be mandatory now for anyone coming here. Add an extra day to your trip and go. In fact, Mount Vernon is even discussing having 2 day passes. They would not be a bad idea at all. I expect there will be plenty of folks who see DC and then spend a night down by Mount Vernon before going home. The hotels in that area (nt many now) will obviously mushroom (Alexandria is the closest "interesting" town to stay in if you want to focus on Mount Vernon). They will also have to build additional parking. I suspect the number of visitors is going to increase about 4 times in no time flat because the site is now state of the art and much more interesting.

Postal

Remember that the Metro (subway system) is clean, convenient, and easy to use so staying in Alexandria or Crystal City is worth considering rather than dealing with a car in DC.

Jgsbro

I lived in DC for 15 years when I was single, and now return with our 3 kids (8-14) to visit. Totally different experiences! If I could recommend only one thing it WOULD be to spend July 4th on the Capitol grass listening to the symphony and watching the fireworks. There is NOTHING else like it- very inspiring and patriotic. You can take the subway in.
To save money with the kids, we stayed at Embassy Suites or another at the King Street metro stop in Alexandria. Easy metro ride to downtown, and about a 10 block walk to downtown Alexandria.
I recommend going by boat to Mt. Vernon from Alexandria- fun!
Top destiantion for teens? Holocaust, Vietnam Memorial, Smithsonium American History, Old Town Alexandria, and Georgetown (both the town and University- eat at the Tombs for college burgers). Agree that Williamsburg is worthwile if you can't go on a separate trip.
JW Marriott downtown I think is the best overall location- on a metro stop and centrally located to the Mall. But Dupont Circle is a great scene.

FauxSteMarie

If you do go to the July 4th celebrations in DC, remember, if you take Metro, there will be a huge crush to get back to wherever you are staying after the fireworks are over. It can take hours--and I do mean until 2:00 am or so afterwards. Be prepared for it.

Yes, a hotel where you can walk "home" afterwards would be convenient, but have you any idea what they charge for the night of July 4th?

For many people who live here the July 4th fireworks are a "must do" each year. For some people, and I am one of those, it is to be avoided like the plague. Some of us have to work on July 5th and cannot be getting home in the wee hours of the morning.