Just got back from 6 nights in DC, along with a raft trip in Tennessee, a ballgame in Baltimore and two days in the Outer Banks.

Background first: we are a Dad, Mom, Son 14, and Daughter 11 from Arkansas. We stayed at the DoubleTree Suites on New Hampshire Avenue, a 5 minute walk from the Foggy Bottom Metro station. We had a bedroom with two queen beds, a living room with sofa bed, and kitchen with full size refrigerator, dishwasher and stove. Cost was $149 a night plus $20 parking. I would definitely stay there again.

Monday was Memorial Day and rainy. Visited the National Gallery of Art and the American History Museum. After supper we went to the National Archives which was not crowded at all in the evening.

Tuesday we started in Arlington National Cemetery. Took the Tourmobile to the Kennedy Graves and the Tomb of the Unknowns. The ceremony at the Tomb was very moving and one of the best things we saw all week. From Arlington we took the metro to the Smithsonian station and started walking the memorials. Passed by the Washington Monument, then to WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean, FDR, Jefferson, and back to the Smithsonian metro. We walked about four miles that day.

Wednesday we had prearranged tours of the White House and Capital. Our White House tour time was 9:30, but they let us in as soon as we got there, about 20 minutes early. The whole walk through took less than a half hour, but at least we can say we've been there. We had to go back to the hotel for our cameras and then headed to our Congressman's office for our staff led tour of the Capital. We were able to see both the Senate and House in session. While we were in the neighborhood we also visited the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and ate supper in Union Station.

Thursday we started in the Air and Space Museum where we took a docent led tour and then explored on our own. The second part of the day was spent at the Natural History Museum. After supper we got the car out for the only time all week and drove to the west side of the Capital (plenty of parking), to the Ellipse for pictures of the White House (very little parking) and then to as close to the Vietnam Memorial as I could park. We walked to the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials to see them lit at night.

Friday we went to the Spy Museum, then to Ford's Theater and the Old Post Office Tower for a great view of the city.

On the way home we took a family poll to rank the attractions. We saw so many things, we split them into categories: Memorials, Museums and Other. I hope this might help others decide what to see in limited time.

Here they are ranked from most to least favorite:
Memorials: WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln, FDR, Korean, Jefferson
Museums: Air and Space, Natural History, National Gallery of Art, Spy, American History
Other: National Archives, Capital, Arlington Cemetery, White House, Library of Congress, Ford's Theater, Supreme Court

As you can see it was a busy week. We took the Metro all over (we had 7-day passes), but still walked A LOT. The activities we could do each day were limited more by aching feet than by time. I will be glad to answer any and all questions. Hope it wasn't too long.

Rich

Thanks for posting. Sounds like you all got the maximum sightseeing out of your limited time in DC: an indication of great pre-planning on your part. Especially impressed at the bargain you got on your suite (in June!). One question: any favorite dining spots?

Really nice and useful report. You did a good "job" as tourists! Let us know about the OBX, too.

Thanks for a thoughtful and useful report. Interesting that the new Spy Museum ranked 4th out of 5 museums -- considering that it charges a rather steep admission fee, that's a real reason to skip it!

Bardo: Pizzeria Paradiso served great pizza and was very inexpensive ($39 for 4). Pizzeria Uno in Union Station was very good, moderate price ($73, we had steaks, not pizza). Johnny's Half Shell had great food, but they didn't give you much and it was expensive. We paid $108 for two adults and two kids, and had to go back to the room and snack on junk food. The rest of the time we cooked in the room, which is why we got the suite with a kitchen. This is not a city for eating out with kids and trying to maintain a budget.

richbutnot - Thanks for the trip report. Can you give us any info on the ballgame part of your trip? Did you go to Camden Yards while staying in DC? or was that a separate part of trip? If so did you drive from DC there or use public transportation. Also what did you think of the park?

We're heading to DC in July and have tickets to a Red Sox/Orioles game so I am curious to hear your thoughts.

Also - can you give more details on the White House tour? YOu said it was short but what did you see? Are you escorted? Is there a guide to explain things? The White House website says the tour is self guided but I can't picture how this works. We've requested a tour from our congressman but haven't received confirmation yet if we'll be able to do it.

Thanks again for the report.

We checked out of the hotel in DC Saturday with the intent of going to Fort McHenry, check into the hotel (Days Inn Inner Harbor) and walking to the baseball game. Unfortunately, it rained ALL day and those plans were cancelled. We ended up going to the game Sunday afternoon after we checked out of our Baltimore hotel. Bought tickets from a season ticket holder for less than face value and had better seats than I did for the original game. Camden Yards is a fantastic place to watch a baseball game.

The White House tour took about 20 minutes. We entered at the southeast corner and never even saw the front or back of the house. It is basically self guided between velvet ropes. There are Secret Service agents ALL OVER and they are more than happy to answer questions. We saw the East Room, the State Dining Room, and the Red, Blue and Green Rooms. You can't bring anything in with you, including cell phones, cameras, beepers, etc, and there is no place to store them so you have to leave it all at the motel. Make sure all adults have picture IDs.

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the report. My family (Mom, Dad, kids ages 16, 14 and 11) will be in DC August 6-8 and are planning the itinerary. It'll be hot for sure, and we'll have no car (taking a car in from Dulles). Noticed you didn''t go to the Holocaust Museum or the Smithsonian but went to a bunch of others, how come?

We're staying at the Melrose Hotel (no pool I think, or kitchen) so we'll have to find decent value restaurants.

richbutnot - thanks for the lowdown on the White House tour. At least we know what to expect now.

mike: I think rich DID go to "the Smithsonian." The Smithsonian Institution operates two dozen places, most (but not all) of which are in DC, including the National Gallery of Art, the American History Museum, Air & Space, Natural History. The Smithsonian also operates the National Zoo. See the full list at www.si.edu

Gald to hear you had a nice time. If you enjoyed the Air and Space Museum, next time you should check out its brand new wing at Dulles airport, where they have the space shuttle and the Concorde. We were there for the first time over Memorial Day weekend (as local residents) and really enjoyed it.