Christmas Day in Washington DC...
 

My family will be spending Christmas day & night in D.C. this year. Does anyone know if there are any museums or other sights open on Christmas Day? We're spending the night to catch an early morning flight from Reagan, so we figured we'd see some sights while we were at it. I'm having a hard time finding any info on museum holiday hours. www.si.edu is not responding at the moment either. Any help or first-hand knowledge would be appreciated. Thanks

I'm pretty sure that Mount Vernon is open Christmas Day. I know it was a couple of years ago, you might check their website.

Sorry, travelnfam, but other than that, I can't think of a single museum or sight that's open on Christmas.

Hope someone else sees this come back to the top of the queue and has something to add.

Christmas, especially given it is a Sunday, is going to be pretty empty in DC. You could catch a service at the National Cathedral or find somewhere nice to eat. Otherwise, it is going to be fairly desolate.

I figured it would be pretty quiet. I think we'll try to visit the Cathedral...good idea! Of course the city is fascinating in itself with all the monuments and historical buildings. I'm sure we'll find a lovely place to have dinner...any suggestions? Thank you for the helpful advice!!!

The botanical garden at the foot of Capitol Hill may be open on Christmas day, at least the website doesn't mention dates when it is closed. It is a lovely spot often overlooked even though it is in the middle of the monument/museum district.

http://www.usbg.gov/your-visit/index.cfm

Thanks! Anyone know of any great restaurants open on Christmas Day???

Mount Vernon is open Christmas Day and it is a very pleasant place to visit. Unfortunately, their restaurant is not open for lunch on Christmas.

Hotel dining rooms are open Christmas day.

My favorite is Bisto Bis:
http://www.bistrobis.com/bistro/index.asp

Go to www.opentable.com to check availability on the 25th. I just checked for reservations and there are several restaurants open. You can find restaurant reviews at www.washingtonian.com.