We're looking forward to visiting D.C. the last week of June for 3 full days, staying at the Embassy Suites Washington, D.C. What would be an "ideal" itinerary from experts? We are fine with walking and also like good, but not necessarily high-end, dining. We want to do the monuments, the National Art Gallery, Capitol, Mount Vernon and best of the Smithsonian. Anything else a must-do? We are two adults and a teenage son. Have heard good things about the Native American Museum at the Smithsonian...other high points? Tips for restaurants near the Embassy Suites also welcome.

Seeing the Smithsonians, monuments and memorials alone will take a few days. Don't forget the National Building Museum and the new Marine Museum in Quantico. As for places to eat, it all depends what your family will like; there are tons of ethnic restaurants, or if you would rather go to the familiar chain places, take the Metro red line up to Friendship Heights; there's a Cheesecake Factory there. Have a great time!

We prefer good ethnic restaurants, not chains. I'll look into the National Building Museum and the Marine Museum...don't know much about them. Thanks for the ideas.

I agree there are a ton of restaurants in that neighborhood (and DC). You could check out the restaurant finder on Washingtonian.com (under "Dupont Circle) or chowhound, if you want to look at others.

Personally, I wouldn't necessarily make time for the building museum or Quantico on a first trip, but then my vote for under-appreciated monument might be the FDR memorial. Especially at that time of year it is lovely. The National Archives might be worth a visit too.

With a teenage son, you might want to check out the Spy Museum (privately owned, and expensive, but very well done-- get tickets online ahead of time to save a wait). Many people find the Holocaust Museum to be very worthwhile. I think if you want to go to the White House, you need to contact your Congresscritter.

Mt. Vernon is a full day by itself.

If you want to get into the Washington Monument you must make reservations with the NPS in advance.

Not sure what you can do with the Capitol other than look at it from afar. It should take only a few minutes.

I am partial to the National Building Museum.

If you there over a weekend you may want to visit the Farmer's Market at DuPont Circle.

My fave restaurant is Jaleo's on 7th Street. It is Spanish tapas. The patatas bravas are TDF.

I would budget one very full day for the National Gallery and other Smithsonian museums on the Mall, plus a swing by the Capitol. You won't see everything, but the museums are all free, so you can dip in and out as you like.

Do the monuments on a night tour, thus saving daylight for Mount Vernon the next day, and perhaps Arlington Cemetery.

On the third day, return to any monuments you feel compelled to see in daylight, but don't bother going up the Washington Monument, it takes too long and isn't much fun anyway; walk past the White House; go to the National Cathedral, and walk past some embassies, too.

Agree that Jaleo is fun for dinner; Dupont Circle and Adams-Morgan have great restaurants, too. I would save forays into these neighborhoods for evenings, as you just won't have time to explore during the day and still see "the basics".

Have a great trip--enjoy one of my favorite cities!

Check to see if the Nationals are home if you are baseball fans. New stadium this year

The Capitol is open for tours, and it's a pretty interesting building-- you can see not only where the House and Senate meet now, but where they used to meet (I think the old Senate chamber is still used on the rare occasion when the Senate meets to discuss matters in secret), where the Supreme Court used to meet, the Rotunda where presidents lie in state (and perhaps the caisson used to carry their caskets since the time of Abraham Lincoln), etc.

I have nothing against the Building Museum-- it's an impressive building-- but I'd have a hard time recommending it over the Capitol. Likewise, I find the Washington Monument not worth all the hassle, but to each their own!

On the other hand, I'd definitely agree with the recommendation of Jaleo-- one of my favorite restaurants in the city and a pretty good value too.

What with all the security, I didn't think they gave tours anymore. But, if they do, then yes, I'd recommend that over the NBM, too.

If it's your first time the best way to get the feel of the town is taking the old town trolley.You can get on/off all day and the drivers are great guides.You can get your tickets on the Internet(cheaper).Paul

We took our 2 kids 10 and 13 last summer and we had a ball! The one thing I will tell you is that it is HOT! Everyone warned me but it was HOT so we moved a little slower then I expected!

We spent one whole day at Mt Vernon. It was our favorite destination for the entire trip!

The night monument tour is a do not miss.

We also contact our congressman and had a private tour of the capital! It was FABULOUS. The girls really enjoyed it and so did we. We had hit the museum of natural history in the am and then walked to the capital in for our 1pm tour which took the rest of the afternoon.

WE also spent a day doing georgetown, some shopping and looking at some schools (not because the girls were old enough just because they were nice campuses)

The National Botanical Garden (right next to the Capitol) is a pleasant stop.

Tips for restaurants near the Embassy Suites also welcome.

I would head two blocks north of your hotel soon after arrival and scope out the restaurants along P St. between 22nd St. and 21 St.

Some on that block I love are:

Pizza Paradiso http://www.eatyourpizza.com/

Obelisk (no website)
2029 P St NW
(202) 872-1180

Altiramisu
http:/www.altiramisu.com

Urbana
http:/www.urbanadc.com

Pesce
http:/www.pescebistro.com

Mark & Orlandos
http:/www.markandorlandos.com

If you are near your hotel around lunchtime on a weekday, CF Folks is both great and cheap. Get one of the daily specials, not the sandwiches (which are good, but still...)

http://www.cffolksrestaurant.com/

links that actually work:

Pizza Paradiso http://www.eatyourpizza.com/

Altiramisu
http://www.altiramisu.com

Urbana
http://www.urbanadc.com

Pesce
http://www.pescebistro.com

Mark & Orlandos
http://www.markandorlandos.com

CF Folks
http://www.cffolksrestaurant.com/

If you enjoy museums, I would absolutely include a trip to the Holocaust museum. Tickets are timed, and you can either get them online (for a very small fee - $3 or less) or you can get them day-of at the museum. It's nice to get them in advance so you can plan your day knowing what your entrance time is.

I took the tour of the Capitol and enjoyed it, though it is quite short (though I imagine that the length of the tour depends on what's going on in the Capitol that day.)

I second the Monuments at night, as it was one of my favorite things in DC. However, I found the FDR memorial to be just beautiful during the day.

I would also recommend Arlington National Cemetery (very easily accessible by metro.) In the summer, you can see the changing of the guard every half hour on the half hour until 7 p.m., and I think this is a must-see in DC.

The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian is beautiful, and also has a fantastic cafeteria.

I think a walk through Georgetown is quite enjoyable, especially if you walk from Dupont Circle past all the beautiful Embassies. There is a really terrific Argentinian ice cream place - Dolcezza - in Georgetown that would be terrific on a June day.

Have a great time!

There are two ES in DC -- are you at the one at 22nd Street NW or near the convention center?

The hotel on 22nd Street is where we are staying. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. These are the kinds of tips I was looking for since we only have 3 days.

Then certainly take Bardo's dining recs to the bank.

Also, it's a large time commitment for a short trip, but Mount Vernon is certainly worth it.

The Air & Space and the Indian Museum are a nice combo because of their locations, plus you can get a nice bite at the Indian Museum cafe.

Best museum dining is there and at the National Gallery on the other side of the Mall.