I take pride in having arranged very well thought out vacations to Europe and various US trips, but DC planning is overwhelming me.

I have never been there, but my children have thru middle school.

We live in Ohio, and the situation is we have a foreign exchange student from Germany coming to stay with us for one
month starting 3-21.

He would like to see Washington DC and the week after Easter is the only time that I can get off of work.

I originally was going to use the time to visit Niagara Falls and possibly a trip to Mammoth Cave.

Everyone I spoke to suggested that crowd wise this is the worst time of year to travel to DC.

Having called some of the places that we would like tour (National Archives for example), they have indicated that 6 weeks min to plan tour and even more at this time of the year.

I have always planned my other trips for off/shoulder seasons, and the last thing I want to do is wait hours in line.

I guess I'm asking if I'm overacting, or would it be better to convince the family that IF he returns next fall that this may be a better time to go.

Comments?

Don't worry and take a deep breath, DC is a pretty tourist friendly place and that "six weeks" stuff is wacky unless you're trying to get access to some private behind-the-scene type stuff.

Yes, there will be some lines, but if you can minimize the waits pretty easily. Places like the Washington Monument, Bureau of Engraving and Holocaust Museum have timed tickets.

If you hit other places early (and sometimes late) the crowds will have thinned.

But many of the sites are open for strolling -- i.e. most monuments.

If you send your time frame and priorities, folks will gladly provide more specific advice.

concur with repeat...

The BIG attractions will have lines, but there is so much to do and see that you can plan those things for the off times.

Don't fear! Plan away.

OK, (deep breath) Here is what I had planned to this point. Anything I should not miss on first trip?

Tue 4-10 thru Fri 4-13

(2) Adults and (2) 16 year old boys


1) Book hotel:

Suggestions on where to stay? ($100-$125/night) (indoor pool)
based on Metro transportation?


2) Things to see:

Monuments/memorials- Washington/Jefferson/Lincoln
National Archives
National History Museum
Capitol (check with congressman for tour option)
White House
Are presidential portraits at the National Gallery?
Bureau of Engraving?


Tue 4-10

Arrive early afternoon, check into hotel. Tour mall area and monuments. Get acclimated.

Wed 4-11

10:45 National Archives Self tour reservation (2 hours)
Afternoon - History and Space Museum

Thur 4-12

Bureau of engraving
Capitol
Whitehouse

Fri 4-13

Open morning
Return home.

Arrive early on the Mall and stop at the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Korean Memorial. Walk up the Mall toward the Washington Monument and arrive at the Museum of American History or Museum of Natural History just as it opens. Lines aren't too long then and move pretty quickly. Try to find lunch nearby then visit an art gallery. Next day start at the other end of the Mall at the Capitol and work your way back to visit the American Indian Museum and Air and Space Museum. Early starts help a bunch as you see the outside stuff and get to be near the head of the line as buildings open. Contact your representative and senator (maybe even the representative from the next district) to see if their office can help with tickets to things like the Capitol or White House. Have a great time!

You sound like you have planned a great trip but I need to play devil's advocate here. Teens hate museums. Yes, it would be nice for him to say that he saw one of the US's larger cities but compared to Europe's large cities DC will pale. We brought our French exchange student (16 yo) to DC because he said he wanted to see it. He was very underwhelmed. I felt like I was dragging him and my two teens through the museums and that the high point of the day was ESPN zone.
I like your original idea of showing him some of our natural wonders. Teens seem to do better with active, outdoor trips.

White House tours are often difficult to attain (as they have to be in groups of 10, and fill up quickly.) I would definitely call your Rep. or Senators ASAP - the intern who works for my Senator was very helpful on the phone, and can give you some good tips.

You can attain tickets for the Capitol tour in front of the Capitol building - these are timed tickets, and you would pick them up in the morning. It's a pretty short tour once you actually get inside the building (2 or 3 rooms, I believe) but is very informative. Don't have any liquids in your purse!

Many hotels in DC do not have indoor pools - but I'd check the major chains in Arlington, Rosslyn, etc., as they may have pools and many are close to the Metro, if having a pool is a necessity. (But be sure to check proximity to the Metro, as some are far away) Perhaps check Hotwire?

Depending on your family's inclinations, have you thought about the Holocaust Museum? It was my favorite museum there(I was in DC in Feb and am going again in April!).

The Air and Space Museum is usually pretty crowded, and the portion with the pieces from the American History Museum, such as Dorothy's Slippers and Kermit, was PACKED-and I went during a low season, so I would consider going there first thing in the morning to avoid the lines.

Not to pile on, but Arlington Cemetery is fantastic too, lots and lots of walking, but seeing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns is pretty great. I might see this over printing and engraving?

I wouldn't worry too much - it's a very walkable city, and there's so much to do, everyone will be able to find something interesting. Have fun!

The boys will probably like the International Spy Museum.

I would also suggest a Washington Nationals baseball game if they're in town that weekend.

Your budget of less than $125 with an indoor pool is going to be tough.

The Wasington Wizards are playing at Verizon Center on the day of your arrival. I would think this would be a very appealing activity for teenagers!

I'm with Birdie on this one, though... I think there needs to be a bigger balance of history/museums and some more fun/teenage activites. The Spy Museum is a good suggestion. A visit to National Cathedral for gargoyle spotting could be fun too (though the National Cathedral will pale in comparison to European cathedrals)...if you do National Cathedral, consider having pizza at Two Amys for lunch (near intersection of Macomb and Wisconsin).


Other ideas: Dim Sum in Chinatown? Stroll through Georgetown or Dupont?

I also recommend a visit to the monuments at night (especially FDR memorial)...they are even more beautiful when lit up (and generally less crowded).

Don't forget Arlington National Cemetery...the changing of the Guard is not to be missed

The week after Easter is fine for visiting, don't worry about it.

I haven't noticed any comment so far in this thread, but the museum of American History is closed for renovations. Go to Natural History, Air & Space, and the Spy Museum instead.

You don't need any 6-week lead time to visit the National Archives, just walk in the door.

Don't miss the monuments for Lincoln, Vietnam, and WWII.

First: thanks for all the comments.

Booked Woodfin Suite Hotel Rockville
for $149/night. Give us some room to move.

Shuttle to Rockville Metro 7-10 and 4-9.

Was thinking for the first day about Arlington Cem. on arrivial (1PM) then drive back to hotel and catch shuttle to Metro for evening on the mall.



Question - If we stay late in DC will Rockville station have taxi service to get back to hotel?

Sam

Just found that the room rate drops to $109 for Fri/Sat stays. Is it worth saving the $100 and hit DC on Friday and Saturday (crowds) instead of Wed/Thur?

Sam

It's not at all clear that the weekend will be more crowded. The Metro will run less frequently, and commuters will be absent. Tourists tend to be vacationers from out of town, who often use weekend days for travel. The very fact that the room rate drops is a major indicator of fewer people around, not more.

You could probably just drive to the Rockville station and park in the evening. That way you wouldn't have to worry about the shuttle. Rockville is a pretty long Metro ride to downtown DC and while the hotel looks nice and cheap, it's also really inconvenient.

fyi, you can usually get Wizards' nosebleed tix for $10

After thinking about the subway costs for 4 and time, I booked the Red Roof Downtown for $136/night at:

http://www.washington.org/cherryblossom/

It will be a little crammped but most attractions will be within walking distance.

The Red Roof is a nice hotel, not one of those standard roadside inns you see, and it is "spitting distance" from the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro stations. For the kids' appetites, there is Quiznos and Burger King on the same or next block. Also very close is the National Building Museum, dedicated to building (as in construction) in America .. it usually has 4 exhibits going on, and almost always one of them geared for younger children (for those readers that this applies).

I also suggest visits to the Old Postal Pavilion building, with free tours of its clock tower for a great view of DC. During an evening you might visit Union Station, where food courts and a movie theater will tend to appeal to the kids. ESPN and a Hard Rock Cafe are very close to the Red Roof as well.

I don't recall a pool at the Roof, but there was a fitness room, and I think a laundry too. There's an Irish bar downstairs. Enjoy your trip and please report back afterwards.

That's a good room price. Don't forget that there will be 17% added to that for room tax D.C. Just so you aren't surprised.

I would consider bringing a frisbee or small nerf football...the boys might enjoy a few minutes of "down time" in between museums and there is plenty of space to play on the mall!

Also, think about seeing an IMAX movie at Air and Space. I recently saw the one about Mars and it was quite interesting (my husband who can act like a teenage boy, haha, really enjoyed it as well!).