My husband and I will be in D.C. for a week in August with our 11-year-old daughter. We've already contacted our Congressman for tickets to the White House and Capital; we're planning on seeing the monuments, the Air and Space Museum, Arlington, and the Zoo (my daughter is an animal nut.) What are the "must-sees" for children? (Please - nothing to do with the Backstreet Boys!)And is there anything to avoid? I already know about the heat and humidity, but we're Southerners...

Since I live close to D.C. we get to visit alot. This year we have seen the "Changing of the Guard" in Arlington Cemetary and then onto Mount Vernon.

If time allows you may want to go to an Amusement Park close by. King's Dominion is about 20 minutes outside of D.C.

A trip to Baltimore for the National Aquarium.

Near Jefferson's Memorial is Hain's Point. "The Awakening" is a statue of interest.

The Holocaust Museum is something to see but, time consuming.

Definitely take botles of water. Get an early start. Travel by tram when possible. Subway is great transportation.

Potomac Mills is a HUGE outlet mall.
Just south of D.C.

When you are in DC, will you be there on a Saturday? If so, check and see if there is a family tour that morning at the Air and Space Museum. Unlike the regular 1.5 hour highlights tours, this tour is geared towards children with things such as space "touchables" - a glove, helmet, etc. - which aren't displayed during regular tours. There are few docents who give this tour, so there may not be one, but it is worth a shot.

We were in DC last summer and when it was all said and done, my 11-year old son's and 8-year old daughter's favorite thing was touring Ford's Theater where Lincoln was shot. There's a basement museum with all kinds of artifacts relating to the events that took place that night. Kind of gruesome, really, but it gives a hands-on look to an event that kids know about and definitely understand.

A close second for the kids was sitting in the visitors' gallery in the senate chambers while the senate was in session. The senators were voting on the budget amendment and were all present. We couldn't get my son to leave--he loved watching all the goings-on.

Enjoy your trip--I didn't think the heat and humidity was THAT bad--we did make a practice of heading back to the hotel for a swim during the hottest part of the afternoon, though.

A few thoughts:

1. Capitol Children's Museum should be avoided. This museum is not free like most of the others (I think), and my kids don't like it at all. Hard to get to, also. Eleven is also a little old for it.

2. Ford's Theatre is a must. My kids think it is just so cool, and they have learned a lot from it. Try to schedule for one of the tours where a ranger explains how everything happened.

3. I think your daughter is technically old enough for the Holocaust museum (is 10 the minimum age?), but I think I'd pass unless she has a special interest in it or you want her to experience it. It is wonderfully done, but obviously, it is not an "up" kind of touring day. She may appreciate it more in a few years.

4. A totally off-the-wall suggestion that my kids liked: the Medical Museum at Walter Reed Medical Center (check my facts on this location). Very strange stuff there. They have a leech for you to see; you can hold a freeze-dried human brain; you can see the world's largest hairball removed from a human; you can try on a suit that simulates pregnancy, etc. etc. If she is even a little squeamish, though, you should pass.

Have fun!

One of the posts above said that King's Dominion is about 20 minutes from DC. That is incorrect. More like 2 hours, if you are starting from a hotel in-town. It's a bit north of Richmond VA. There is a nice amusement park - Six Flags America - just outside the DC Beltway. Now THAT is more like 20 minutes (unless traffic is bad... as it usually is).

I live in D.C. and it is a great town but it can get a little monotonous if you are an 11 year old. There are only so many historical documents you can see before they all blend together. One of my favorite areas is down along the waterfront in Georgetown. They have a number of restaurants down there and on the weekends there are boat races, etc out on the water. Very relaxing. There are also some dinner cruises that go down to Mt. Vernon and then up the Potomac and around the monuments while they are all lit up. This might not be the most interesting thing to an 11 year old but it definitely beats looking at old pieces of paper all day long.

the day you are on the hill, plan on having lunch at the food court at union station. they did a great job re-furbishing it many years ago, and it's definitely a good break from the hill, walking distance. also, i don't recall there being any "quick" places to eat on the hill, so this is unique in that aspect. the great hall is so beautiful, you will be pleasantly surprised. lots of shops there, some chains, but some unique. one in particular sells old campaign stuff, fun to look at.

Yes. Avoid Southeast Washington like the plague. It is very dangerous.

Don't forget the new Holocaust Museum on 14th and Independence Avenue, located next to the US Mint and opposite the parks where the Jefferson Memorial sits and the Washington Monument on the other corner. Also, don't miss the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the art galleries if you have the time. There is a children's section in the art museum.

There is a new restaurant in town I just learned about yesterday - it is called Timothy Deane's. I hear from friends who work on the Hill say it is excellent. If you are staying downtown as opposed to the suburbs, there are several nice restaurants along 19th and M streets, also in Georgetown.

Take the metro to the Washington National Cathedral on Wisconsin Avenue just past Tenleytown. It is gorgeous! Another site that many tourists miss is the US Naval Observatory on Massachusettes Avenue in NW Washington, just before Embassy Row.

Feel free to email me if you have any other questions. Also, my husband is a former DC Police Detective and we can tell you what areas to avoid.

Hope this helps.

Sounds like you have done good research already. We just returned from spending a week in D.C. Avoid the aquarium that is in D.C. It it one of the only places that charges admission. Even though it was only $3, it wasn't even worth the time at no charge. It is very small, but my main complaint was that it was not very well labeled. Other than that, we had a great trip. The ease of getting around on the metro was great. Also there are lots of "staff" near all the sites to give directions,etc. It was a great trip.

Our 11-year old son especially liked the Air and Space Museum, including the Mission from Mir film (I bet all the films are good, and a nice break from
all the walking around), and a tour of
the Capitol building which we had pre-arranged with our congressperson.
The tour was given by a 20-something aid
who made it personal and fun. We also
did a city bus tour, which was a bit pricey, but worth it as an easy way to get a quick view of all the sights (including Arlington Cemetary), many of which we otherwise couldn't have visited in our very limited time. We waited a long time to do the Bureau of Printing and Engraving Tour and found it
very disappointing. I'd heard that the FBI tour is also short on substance and long on waiting, so we skipped that. My son loved the Metro, and was very happy
to have fast food at Union Station. The
view from the old Post Office was pretty
spectacular and a fun climb. No way you
could have gotten us to an amusement park or mall on that trip -- save those
for another time (and place) and enjoy what's unique about D.C. We loved it and can't wait to go back. Hope you have a great time.

i went to dc with my neice several years ago. she must have been about 11 or 12. she really enjoyed the fbi tour and i thought it was pretty interesting too. she also loved the house and senate chambers and we didn't even get to see them in session. also went to the supreme court. they were in session. it was a very long wait and they didn't let you stay in very long but we both thought it was worth it. there is so much to chose from in dc. i love it!

I'll bet your 11 year old daughter would love to visit the Discovery Channel store in the MCI Center in downtown DC. Also, she would probably like the Discovery Channel Theater! When my husband and I lived in Maryland, one of our neighbors took her son - it was all he could talk about!

Check out these websites for more info on the MCI Center and Washington DC:

http://www.mcicenter.com/mci_subpage..._discovery.cfm

http://www.123washingtondc.com/Attra...nter/index.htm


One more thing - take LOTS of water with you wherever you go. DC in August will be sweltering.


Have Fun!!

Your daughter will be intrigued with "The Awakening" at Hains Point as mentioned earlier. Don't miss it. Also, take Metro (the subway system) when you go to the zoo. The escalator there was, at one time, the longest one in the free world. Make sure she has a watch that measures seconds so she can measure the time required to move from one level to another. Another suggestion not just for the child: Be sure you see the monuments as night...an entirely different perspective. Enjoy!

Here is another website that lists things for kids to do in DC.

http://www.our-kids.com/

Big AMEN to Margie's recommendation against the "National Aquarium" located in the basement of the Commerce Building. It's a colossal waste of time--and I ought to know, because I used to do PR for them until I could stand it no more. In a city full of great free attractions, paying $3 to see miniscule fish is not exactly my idea of quality vacation time--for adults *or* kids.

Also would like to echo Edie's plaudits for the Union Station food court. It literally has one of the best selections of food that I've ever seen at any food court, and if your daughter likes food courts, as I guess a lot of kids do, it'd be hard *not* to find something that pleases her there. There must be 40 or so restaurants.

Elliana is right that much of Southeast DC is not safe, but not *all* of Southeast--which can confuse folks visiting sights like the Library of Congress, which is in Southeast (although just barely). DC is laid out in "quarter sections," with the Capitol as the center point--so when you walk one block south and one block east from the Capitol, you're in Southeast DC--but not in a dangerous neighborhood. (In fact, you're in a rather pricey neighborhood at that point.) So if you're planning to visit a sight or restaurant and see that the address is "SE," don't panic and automatically avoid it--check with someone at your hotel to make sure it's okay. (There are some excellent restaurants on Pennsylvania Ave. SE, for example.)

Have a great time in this wonderful city!

Take a break and wander thru the new sculpture garden next to the National Gallery; she can put her feet in the fountain if it's sweltering!

<<Take the metro to the Washington National Cathedral on Wisconsin Avenue just past Tenleytown. It is gorgeous!>>

Sorry but Washington National Cathedral is not exactly on the Metro. It's a LONG walk from the nearest Metro stop to the Cathedral! You can take a bus transfer down Wisconsin Avenue to get there but be aware it's not right there at the exit.

There are some awesome tours there, including something especially for children with a Medieval Workshop just for pre-teens where they can carve a gargoyle or create a stained glass window or do rubbings.

The website is http://www.cathedral.org

I took my daughter when she was 11 (she's 14 now). My advice is plan carefully what you want to see among the meuseum to go to what interests her. Even adults can get meuseum pretty quickly in DC so 11 year olds get burned out fairly quickly.

I think her favorite things were the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (she can relate to Money) the changing of the Guard at Arlington Cemetary, some of the Computer stuff at the American History Museum, The Rotunda at the Capitol, the White House tour, and of course the Zoo.

Remember there is so much too see, you can run a kid ragged. I left a fair amount of time for going back to the Hotel for breaks (stay near a Metro stop) and pool time.

I had my daughter do a research paper on the Constitution for me so that when she saw it at the Natl Archives, she had some sense of the importance of the document.

As far as what to avoid with a kid, common sense prevails. The Holocaust meuseum is way over their heads as is much of the Art exhibits, but a lot of that depends of the childs personality I imagine.
It's about time to take my younger daughter who is now 11, so I will probably do that next spring.