DC over Thanksgiving week - will it be busy?
 

Hello everyone! I've searched on this topic and not seen much about the week of Thanksgiving specifically. Has anyone visited Washington DC the week of Thanksgiving? We will be arriving Saturday morning and leaving Wednesday before Thanksgiving. My husband, two kids (2 and 9 months) and another family (two girls, 3 and 5) will be there. I'm expecting the museums, Capitol, Supreme Court, etc., to be not very busy. Am I wrong? We'll still make reservations for things that we really want to do. Do you think it is wise to get a timed ticket to the Archives? It has been four years since I've been, and the last few times were in October, so I don't know what to expect in November.

Thanks!
Katie

As a resident of the area, I'd say that since you are coming the week before Thanksgiving, you shouldn't run into crowds. (Large crowds definitely happen during the Thanksgiving weekend, however.)
The only thing I would be concerned about is the airport on Wednesday, if you are flying back home, or the traffic if you are driving home. I can guarantee that the airports will be a madhouse on Wednesday and you may run into traffic depending on your route.

No. Many Washingtonians with outside roots start leaving Tuesday and the town is virtually deserted by Wednesday afternoon.

well, I live here and usually go downtown at least once that weekend and have never noticed any unusual busy-ness. The airports, sure, for leaving, as well as the trains (or returning on Sunday). It's not even noticeable to me, nothing like around the Cherry BLossom thing when it is packed.

I don't know about the Archives, I've never gotten a timed ticket to it, even in some nice weather. Yeah, I had to wait once about 30 minutes, but it's not the end of the world (that was a special exhibit).

The Supreme Court would only be open Friday, and the Capitol Fri and Sat, so may be busy for that reason, but I've never gone there during Thanksgiving break. Of course, the workers won't be there nor court in session.

I don't think Washington is a big Thanksgiving destination, actually.

We spend most Thanksgivings with relatives in DC. Hotels are less expensive that week because the business travellers are not there that week. The Mall seems a little less crowded, but not enough to make you shout about it.

We drive so can't speak to airports

As I read the OP's question, they are arriving on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 20th) and leaving on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 24th). So their visit will occur entirely BEFORE the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Yes, we will be there before Thanksgiving, not for the actual holiday weekend. Thanks for the info. We are driving in from Atlanta, and out to a friend's home in Virginia, so the airport won't be a problem. Thanks again!

Sounds like you have a great trip planned, but are you prepared for the kids to be very bored and uninterested? They are way too young to appreciate what you are planning to see. I am speaking from experience, young kids don't enjoy adult tourist sites.

Our kids will be fine. We love traveling and decided when they were born that we wouldn’t put trips “on hold.” Of course our travel style is much different than it used to be, but it works and we don’t put pressure on ourselves to see everything. I’ve been to DC many times, and we will return in the future. The kids love being outside for walks, and have always enjoyed any time we are outdoors when traveling. The two-year old has been overseas three times, the 7 month old once. They can eat and sleep anywhere and most of all love having both my husband’s and my attention, so they are happy travelers. We are very considerate of other people and don’t let them cry or disturb other tourists, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

When doing anything with kids, I figure the worst that can happy is they have a meltdown and we have to drop what we are doing and return to the hotel for a rest. That has only happened once so far though. We have a great time and I always encourage people to go for it with kids, unless finances make traveling to certain places a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Just my opinion! It works for us. :)

I was in DC the Sat-Wed before Thanksgiving last year. It was completely uncrowded, which was very pleasant. There was a bit of a line at the Archives (maybe 10-15 minutes long), and I was glad I had a timed ticket because it was raining torrentially and I did not have to wait in line outside! Otherwise, everywhere else I went straight in with no lines. The other bonus was at the Capitol after the tour they let us go see the Senate Chamber, which is not usually included on the tour, but because the Senate is gone on holiday break, it was allowed.

I was inside both the Capitol and the Supreme Court on a weekday that week, but they were not in session. They most definitely were not closed. Note also the weather was warm enough to go to the Zoo, which the kids may enjoy.

My trip report can be found by clicking on my name above, in case you're interested.

DC is pretty empty around Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's a highly transient and global city, so most residents travel home for these two holidays. Be prepared for a travel crunch though. Airports and highways (especially I-95) are jammed constantly.

That's the spirit, KatieL!
We lived in Bangkok when our two kids were 3 - 5.5 years old (older) and 3 months - 2.5 years old (younger). We took them to Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia and all over Thailand and we always found fun things to do as a family. Of course, they don't remember a bit of all those travels, but they love looking at the photos and hearing us talk about those adventures.
With a little planning, I believe one can make virtually any destination both "adult friendly" and "kid friendly". (And it won't even kill the kids to be bored sometimes.) Two of the great things about D.C. are: 1) there are "kid friendly" exhibits in all the museums and if you have to leave a museum early, it doesn't really matter because it was FREE and 2) the Mall is a great place for kids to run around and get some fresh air.

>>That's the spirit, KatieL! <<

Echo this.

>>2) the Mall is a great place for kids to run around and get some fresh air.<<

Echo that.

You sound like great travelers willing to roll with the punches.

Thanks so much everyone! Amyb, great trip report! I really enjoyed reading it. I'll be sure to report back when we return.