DC in a day
 

My husband and I are going to be in Washington DC for one day. Any suggestions on what to see. We want to go to the Smithsonian and possibly take a tour. Thanks for your help.

Which Smithsonian, what kind of tour? You really need to be more specific as to your likes, dislikes, etc. if you expect to get a response.

First, you need to understand that "the Smithsonian" encompasses several buidings featuring several interests -- air & space, natural history, etc. Fact is, you could spend a whole day going through "the Smithsonian."<BR><BR>What are you interested in?

Thelma, with all due respect, I suggest that you get hold of a Fodor's guide to DC, or look at it online, and do whatever sounds most exciting to you. You can't go wrong, as there is waaaay too much to the city to do in one day--but you knew that!<BR><BR>As dc points out, the Smithsonian is composed of about a dozen big museums, any one of which could take a whole day. You could pick one or two, then take the trolley tour bus that has been discussed here on the message board at length for a drive-by of the monuments, White House, Capitol, etc., perhaps after dark (the "moonlight" version). Have dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill, just to say you did.

(David must be a DC lawyer who just can't provide a suggestion without being mean.)<BR><BR>Thelma, you can see DC in one day, but you'll have to decide between seeing snippets of most things, or spending time seeing just a handful of the "must-sees." Either way, one day is not enough. This is the "tour" we use for weekend visitors: Before the museums on the mall open, take the time to see the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. From there, head to the American History Museum. After a quick lunch there, spend an hour or so at Natural History, and wrap up the museum-going at either the National Gallery or Air and Space. Time permitting, stroll through the sculpture garden. It may not be the "best," but you do see the highlights, and it gives you plenty of reasons to return.

As a DC resident, I would also say you can't go wrong taking the U.S. Park Services Tour. They are in the blue and white trams and they go all over the "Mall" and even over to Arlington Cemetary. You can get on and off where you would like and you get to see all the sights.

You'd better stay longer...we were there for 3 FULL days and certainly didn't see all we wanted to see. Change your plans to include more time. Melinda

Here is the web site for the Smithsonian Institution and its 15 separate museums: http://www.si.edu/ You may want to look at it before you go and decide which one(s) to visit. I would go to the American History Museum -- the one with the Star-Spangled Banner, the First Ladies exhibit, a new 9/11 exhibit and many other fascinating historical items (most of what you hear about as "in ths Smithsonian" are here).

pass on Old ebbett grill, if you do eat there don't tell anybody! Like you go to nyc, you eat at the arches - are you gonna brag about it back home? well, midwest excepted.

If you want to go up in the Washington Monument, you will need to stand in line for tickets at about 8am. They give you a ticket for a set time. That's the only way up. We were only there for a couple days, but missed the chance because we found out about it too late. The ticket booth is at the base of the monument. As far as the Smithsonians, my favorites are definitely the Air and Space Museum and the American History Museum. Have fun!