family trip to DC
 

We are considering a family trip to DC this summer. We will be traveling with 3 children (ages 8 and 3 year old twins). We are looking to visit some of the museums, smithsonian and the zoo, but I am wondering what kind of fun kid activities are available. Is there a children's museum? Great playgrounds?
The twins will probably be in their own umbrella strollers, will this make nagvigating the metro difficult?
Also any family friendly great location budget hotels? Looking at the Embassy Suites?
Finally...which month would be better...Late June, July or August?
Thanks so much!

Earlier in the year the better - since DC in the summer can be incredibly hot and humid.

I think 3 small kids - 2 in strollers - will make using the Metro very difficult - who will hang onto the 8 year old while each of you are pushing a stroller?

Assuming the strollers are foldable I would count on cabs versus the Metro.

Not to put you off, negirl, but do a search on DC on this thread. "DC children" will bring up several titles of interest to you.

I too would say earlier in the summer the more comfortable. Your 8-year old may like the American Indian museum (it has a cafe) and Air and Space.

Good luck!

We had a double stroller (side by side) in DC for our trip last November and the metro was easy. You just have to look for handicap entrance signs to all of the stations. Sometimes you have to walk an extra block, but it isn't a big deal. The double stroller always fit easily into all metro elevators. It may be difficult to keep track of the 8 year old with both adults pushing strollers, but it just depends on how cooperative the 8 year old is. If you have or can get a double stroller for the twins, that would be ideal.

I don't think attempting to use cabs is a good idea. You would somehow have to manage car seats. The metro with strollers will be MUCH simpler.

Seeing the ducks and squirrels all over the mall and reflecting pools is always a highlight for kids. The Natural History Museum (part of the Smithsonian) is filled with animals and displays that would interest kids. The Air and Space can be fun too. Just keep in mind that every museum you enter will have an overwhelming amount of things to see. Just pick and choose what you want and don't regret walking out when you need a change of scenery. They are mostly free anyway. :)

I highly recommend taking the time to visit Mt. Vernon if you have kids. I think 8 is a great age to enjoy the museum and the grounds. There is plenty to do outdoors, and space for the three year olds to run around. Depending on the dates, they may have animals around too. Either way, it is beautiful, with a good mix of indoor and outdoor activities. There is an entrance fee though, so be prepared for that.

Have a great time! I look forward to hearing about your trip. I'm always looking for great kid activities in different places too. :)

We've been to DC in the summer twice, and both times have been incredibly hot and humid. We stayed inside the museums as long as possible just to stay cool. With that in mind, you will probably want to keep your day excursions short.

Katie mentioned about squirrels--our kids were still in grade school, and the best memory of DC for them was feeding their apple to the squirrels in the park along the mall.

I don't think that the Metro would be too hard to work with. The most obvious point is try no to be using it during rush hour. Also keep in mind that slower "human" traffic should stay to the right on any escalator or stairway.

My daughter was 6 when I first took her to DC. The historical significance was lost on her, and she found the monuments pretty boring. She loved the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum. My niece and nephew, who are 8 and 6, liked the Duck Tour.

I've taken my (many) nieces and nephews to various museums and other D.C. attractions at all ages.

The Zoo is definitely your friend, and it's large enough that you can make an entire leisurely-paced day of it.

I cannot recall if there is also playground at the zoo. Generally speaking, you'll find playgrounds in D.C. in small neighborhood parks or schools. You can check with your hotel if there are any nearby where you are staying.

With respect to museums, the first thing I would say is that there is a big gap between what a 3 year-old can "get" out of a museum (not much, though you can find ways to distract them) and what an 8 year-old can "get" out of a museum (quite a lot, if you put a bit of thinking into it and don't try to overwhelm them. So one thing you might want consider is whether at certain times, you and your spouse might split up -- e.g., one taking the 8 year old to a museum exhibit for 4 minutes, while the other stays outside and let's the three year olds run around on the grass.

That said, here are some more specific tips:

-- there is no longer a dedicated children's museum in D.C.
-- this website has great tips for visiting the Smithsonian museums with kids, including a link to kid-friendly events and programs: http://www.si.edu/Visit/Kids
-- on the Mall, there is a (paid) carousel and two sculpture gardens that are good outside respites. One frustration to be aware of with the sculpture gardens (outside the Hirshhorn and National Gallery of Art) is that there is a strict rule against touching the sculptures, which takes some of the fun out of it for kids).
-- In the National Gallery sculpture garden, there is a huge circular fountain surrounded by benches that is a great spot to relax. You can also sit on the edge of the fountain and dip your feet on a hot day. (This once kept my 3-year old niece amused for hours).
-- Inside the East Wing of the National Gallery, there is an underground cafeteria called "Cascades" in which there is a large windowed waterfall -- another great source of visual interest for kids.
-- The Museum of Natural History has a kids "discovery center" that is aimed at kids 5-12, but the 3-year olds might get something out of it, because they are allowed to touch things.
-- Ditto at the Museum of the American Indian -- there is an exhibit of jewelry that is contained in special drawers that the kids can pull out.

Good luck!

We live here and have kids now 10 and 4. A few thoughts:

Natural History Museum has an insect zoo, along with the dinosaur bones and a very good mammals exhibit that are engaging for kids. And they have a butterfly pavillion which requires timed tickets (free on Tuesdays, otherwise $6 for adults and $5 for children), you can book ahead of time on-line.

Hit the carousel on the Mall near the Smithsonian "Castle" building. There is unfortunately a dearth of easily-accessible playgrounds within the tourist areas of DC, but as mentioned above the many monuments and fountains can be a diversion. See the Einstein statue just across Constitution Ave north of the Lincoln Memorial/Vietnam memorial which they can climb upon, and the Navy Memorial at the entrance to the Archives/Navy Memorial Metro station with a big map of the earth and friezes with ships and such. Also the FDR memorial with all of the water there.

You can book on-line in advance tickets for IMAX theaters in either the Air and Space Museum or the Natural History Museum, a welcome sitting break in the cool during the summer.

Absolutely take Metro. The younger kids will be free. Use the handicapped fare gates with the strollers, and look for the elevators if you don't want to take the strollers on the escalators. There is one elevator from street level to the fare gate level, and another after you get through the fare gates down to the track level.

For the National Zoo, use the Cleveland Park station for arrival and head south on Connecticut Ave, it will be just a little further but much less uphill than from the Woodley Park/Zoo station. Use Woodley Park statio when you leave.

The National Zoo goes greatly downhill from the main Connecticut Ave entrance down to the entrance nearest Rock Creek. Hit what you want to see on the way down, then catch the shuttle bus outside that bottom entrance that will take you most of the way back up the hill.

Unfortunately they have announced that due to budget cutting the popular farm/petting zoo/pizza playground exhibit at the Zoo (which is right at the bottom of the hill) will be closed this summer, although there is a campaign to raise money to keep it open. Also at the bottom of the hill (but check the map to find it) is the Amazonia building which is pretty cool for kids.

On the bottom floor of the American History museum there are a couple of hands-on science exhibits for children. The lab there (which is scheduled to close later this year but I believe will be open for the summer) has stuff for a variety of age levels.

Dont think twice about considering this, just do it.

We are from the UK and we went there with our 2 children(aged 2 and 4) last year and are going again in May this year. The museums are awesome as is the National Zoo. If you have a car, I would recommend the Air and Space museum near Dulles, The Steven f.Udvar-hazy center, our kids were amazed by this place. Also the National aquarium at Baltimore is a fun day out.

Nearby places are nice also, Alexandria is wonderful, you can get the Metro or take a boat across the Potomac(great parks there for the kids aswell). We had no problem using the metro with our buggy, although it wasnt a double.

We were surprised how accessable all places were, much better than the UK. Everywhere we ate seemed to cater to children in some way or another. I would definately recommend

Sorry to bump for a somewhat tangential question, but are car seats now required in taxis? Is this just a DC thing? I've never seen children in car seats in cabs in any city. It's like lap children on planes. You just sort of suspend common sense and get in. Or am I just a bad parent?

No - kids in taxis are not required to have car seats - and I've never seen a cab that has one - in any city. If you're doing a long trip (as in from a distant airport) parents often get a a car service that will come with car seat. But for taxis, buses or subways there are no child seats parents just hand onto the kids.

Not required by law to be in a child seat although it is encouraged that you bring your own, which isn't really practical.
See http://dctaxi.dc.gov/dctaxi/cwp/view...7C30625%7C.asp for more info

Personally, I would wait until the 3 year olds would get more out of the visit. I would also suggest going anytime but Summer (miserable heat and humidity), Christmas week, and the Spring (Cherry blossoms, Spring Breakers and every school age child within a 4 hour radius makes for a crowds. DC is a pleasure when the exhibits aren't mobbed.

<<<and every school age child within a 4 hour radius makes for a crowds>>>

Make that 6 hours -- lots of schools in California run spring break trips for eighth graders!!

deladeb on Apr 25, 11 at 2:42pm
>>Personally, I would wait until the 3 year olds would get more out of the visit.<<

But then you'd never go anywhere, and the older child misses out.