Family trip to Washington DC
 

We (my husband and I, 23 yr old son, 20 yr old daughter, and 12 yr old daughter) will be spending a week in DC area May 280-June 4. We are staying in a vacation rental (a house) in Old Town Alexandria. We will have a car.

I've made a rough itinerary of our must-sees. We don't want to over-schedule, so the days are not filled up. I have a list of other things we are interested in the end of the itinerary. I

Sunday, May 29 - attend church in Alexandria, get settled/buy groceries. There would be time in the afternoon for some kind of scenic drive in the area if anyone can suggest a route!
Monday, May 30 - visit friends in Winchester, VA
Tuesday, May 31 - Spy Museum in the morning, Capitol Tour scheduled for 2:00 pm
Wed, June 1 - American History Museum, walk by White House
Thurs, June 2 - Mount Vernon, in the evening drive into DC to see memorials at night (Can anyone suggest a good place to park?)
Friday, June 3 - Arlington Cemetery

Below are other things we are interested in. I wouldn't expect to add all of them since we want to keep the schedule loose so we can relax some...

A fun shopping experience (esp for my daughters)
National Archives
Holocaust Museum (maybe only husband and son)
Newseum
Union Station (would that be the shopping place?)
Should we spend time at the White House Visitor's Center? (We don't have tickets to the White House itself. We were just going to walk by.)

Thanks for any help from those who know DC!

On Sunday afternoon, I suggest you stay in Old Town Alexandria. There are lots a very nice shops there especially on along King St. - Really all the way from West St. to the river. Union Station is NOT the place to shop.

On Tuesday, have lunch somewhere on Capitol Hill before the Capitol Tour. 8th St. SE south of Penn Ave. and Penn Ave. SE between 2nd and 7th both have LOTS of options. I particularly like Seventh Hill Pizza http://www.montmartredc.com/seventhhill/
Walk back through the neighborhood (not along commercial Penn. ave.) on the way to your tour.

On Wednesday, a walk by of the WH is just fine - you can read about the WH on your own right now on the internet. You'll want to see it from the Penn. Ave. side. A good stop very close by is Breadline - http://www.breadline.com/ (breakfast & lunch only
)

On Thursday night self-tour of the monuments is VERY easy. There is ample, easy, free, parking everywhere that time of night. I would park first at the Jefferson - see that and the FDR. Then drive to Constitution Ave and park anywhere between 21st and 18th. From there it's an easy walk to the Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, WWII, and the Washington monument.

If you plan to drive into DC on Tue. & Wed., be aware that you'll need to park in a downtown garage (about $20). Use the Metro and/or taxis to get you around once in town.

Great suggestions! I'm glad to hear about shopping in Alexandria.

We plan to take the Metro into DC each day and only use our car when we stay out of central DC. Is buying a day pass for the Metro the way to go?

I second bardo--Union Station is not for shopping. I'll add Georgetown, or if you're into malls, The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City has all the usual stores. There is parking at the Georgetown Park, and of course at the mall. Since you have a car, further afield there is Tysons Corner and Tysons Galleria for the shopping experience--not too hard to get to from Old Town.

It may be worthwhile to do a comparison of the one-day pass versus individual Metro trips. For the itinerary you have posted it may not be economical. You can do the calculations on the Metro website. www.wmata.com. Personally I wouldn't drive--you may save money over the cost of Metro fares, but that could be easily lost in time spent in traffic and finding a garage.

Fashion Center is really close to where we will be in Alexandria -- perfect.

Since we won't be riding the Metro multiple times a day, the single trip tickets might be much less. I hadn't thought through that. We definitely won't take the car into central DC except for the one night to see the monuments.

If Union Station is not for shopping, would it be worth a visit? I've been to Grand Central Station in NYC -- is it similarly impressive just for the architecture, maybe a place to have lunch? I can't remember why it is on my list!

I have had many hours of layovers in Union Station. Many travelers walk through the rotunda and never notice the statues up on the balcony. There are many plaques scattered between the shops. Upstairs you can get a meal or buy a suit.
Union Station is on top of a major subway station. Buy your METRO tickets by computing the fares to where you are going and the return fare. The ticket comes back to you in the turnstile if it still has value.

We went a few years ago with our 3 boys who were 18, 14 and 12. Some of the things they loved:
Ford's Theater
Washington Monument (go to top - for them it was a thrill)
National Archives and Library of Congress (watch National Treasure movie first!)
Washington National Cathedral (requested by our 14 year old son- and it was amazing)
Holocaust Museum - everyone should experience this - not just the guys!
Tour of the Capitol was great

The Spy Museum was okay but pricey - wouldn't do it again)
They didn't really care for the Air & Space Museum

Be sure to see the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial.

You could see it when you go to Arlington Cemetary in the day and combine it with lunch/shoping at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City MAll & do consider to come back to see it at night..it is stunning and an unforgetable momment in history

http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/virg...ntagon_mem.htm

BTW there is a link at the bottem of the link above to Fashion Centre

I agree with advice to stay in the Alexandria area on Sunday. If your rental home has bikes and you and the weather are inclined, the Mt. Vernon bike trail along the GW Parkway would qualify as scenic. You can also drive to various points, park and ride or walk along the Potomac River. http://bikewashington.org/trails/vernon/index.php

If you enjoyed Grand Cental Sta, then I think Union Station is worth a visit but probably not a must see if your schedule gets too crowded. You can see from their website (http://www.unionstationdc.com/) what shops and restaurants there are to see. Your daughters will probably enjoy more the shopping in Alexandria or at near by Pentagon City (couple of metro stops from King St in Olde Towne directly to the mall).

Hope you have a wonderful time!

The cards and passes and fares for riding the metro can be a ball of confusion to someone new and trying to figure out what is best for you can take some calculation.

If you want an unlimited pass for the week with no restrictions (and thus no worries) get the 7-day fast pass for $47 each.

A 7-day short trip pass costs only $32.35, but time restrictions apply for longer trips and you have to use an exit fare machine to pay the extra fare if you take a long trip at certain times of the day.

A one day pass costs $9 and offers unlimited travel, but you can't use it before 9:30 a.m. on weekdays.

A metrorail farecard is a paper card that can hold up to $45 and can be recharged with more money when it gets low. When you exit the metro, you insert the card in the turnstile and it deducts the cost of your fare for that trip ($1.60 - $5 depending upon the length of your trip and the time of day).

A SmartTrip card is just like the metrorail farecard except it costs a non-refundable $5 up front, holds up to $300, can be used on buses, can be replaced with no loss of value if it is lost, and can be used to pay for parking at the outlying metrorail park & rides.

See http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm for details.

What you choose to purchase is totally dependent upon how much you plan to use the metro. If you really want to do your homework to figure out what is best for you on any particular day you can use the metro trip planner to figure out all the individual fares, and then compare those to the price of a pass.

http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/tri..._form_solo.cfm


Another great site is http://www.stationmasters.com/ . Click on the icon for the Metrorail System map, then clicking on any of the station names brings up a map of that station with entrances/exits, elevators, and surrounding places of interest.

In Alexandria, the free King Street Trolley runs along King Street between the waterfront and the Metrorail station.

http://alexandriava.gov/Trolley

This website might be of help:

http://washington.org/visiting/brows...e-things-to-do

I'm sure it will repeat some ideas above, but you might find a new thing or two you're interested in.

Just adding to the chorus for Alexandria - it's - it's a great little town and not just qfor shopping. - it's quaint, has great shoppinfq and eating, histoqrical architecture. Just a wonderful place to spend an afternoon especially iAd the weather is good.

if the Marine Corps Barracks Tattoo has begun by then, don't miss it.
national Gallery?

Your kids might like Georgetown. C&O Canal is scenic and the river is nearby. No Metro access but Circulator buses go there.

I really like the fact that you've not tried to squeeze too much into each day. Most people think they can do more than the day actually allows. Props.

That being said, I think you can do a little more on Wed. June 1st. Perhaps that's when you can do the Archives (it generally takes less than an hour once you get in if all you are doing is seeing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution). Take the yellow metro from Alexandria up to the Navy Memorial and you emerge almost right across the street.

I noticed you didn't pencil in Ford's Theater. You may want to consider one of their ranger led programs (they last about 1 hour) about the night that Lincoln was shot there.

You mentioned going to church on Sunday. I'm not Episcopalian myself, but I've attended services at the National Cathedral, and I've always been interested in attending a service at historic Christ Church in old town Alexandria (corner of N. Washington & Cameron Streets). George Washington and Robert E. Lee were both regular worshipers there.

Is this your first time to DC? How about the Smithsonian museums and the mall area? These museums are free and really great. You could spend a whole day just in this area. I especially like the Natural History museum and the Air and Space museum.

Here is a revised plan based on lots of great advice:

Sunday, May 29 - attend church in Alexandria at Christchurch, get settled/buy groceries. There would be time in the afternoon for some kind of scenic drive in the area if anyone can suggest a route!

Monday, May 30 - visit friends in Winchester, VA

Tuesday, May 31 - Spy Museum in the morning, Capitol Tour scheduled for 2:00 pm

Wed, June 1 - American History Museum, walk by White House, Archives, Ford's Theater (had wanted to add that!)

Thurs, June 2 - Mount Vernon, in the evening drive into DC to see memorials at night

Fri, June 3 - Arlington Cemetery, Pentagon City Mall (is this the same things as Fashion Centre?), Pentagon - 9/11 Memorial in the evening

I am wondering if June 3 should be done by Metro. Am I reading the Metro map right that we could take the Blue Line from Alexandria to Arlington Cemetery, then back to the Pentagon City stop for the mall, then back to the Pentagon stop for the memorial?

I am so excited to hear about the free trolley in Old Town Alexandria! On the link you sent, I found a stop just blocks from our house where we can ride along King Street! Thank you!

>>Fri, June 3 - Arlington Cemetery, Pentagon City Mall (is this the same things as Fashion Centre?), <<

Yes.

>>I am wondering if June 3 should be done by Metro. Am I reading the Metro map right that we could take the Blue Line from Alexandria to Arlington Cemetery, then back to the Pentagon City stop for the mall, then back to the Pentagon stop for the memorial?<<

Yes.

Quick note here, but feel free to ask other questions. I've lived in Alexandria for 25 years and have a daughter and we're both shoppers. Yes Fashion Center and Pentagon City Mall are the same thing, but really they are not very special IMO, except for Nordstrom's, which is nice, especially if you don't have one in your area. I also wouldn't go out of my way to shop at Union Station but if you happen to be there, it is a beautiful place and worth seeing.

Not sure what furledleader is talking about but unlike other cities, there is no discount for multi-day passes but it it more convenient to put money on your card for multiple trips. Be careful though, unless you get Smart Card, other fare cards are very sensitive and get de-magnetized easily.

Louisa,
I don't ever recall mentioning anything about a discount for multi-day passes.

I personally don't see this family using the metro enough to spend $9 for a one-day pass, or even $47 for the 7-day pass. If I were them, I'd just get everyone a simple metrorail farecard, put $10 or $20 on each to begin with, then add more if/when needed. Adding more to each card is simple and can be done with a credit card at the machines in every metro station.

On the night you tour the monuments, consider driving up to the Marine Iwo Jima Memorial before heading back to your rental house. It's across the Potomac River in Arlington, just north of Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial is quite striking at night, and the high ground that it sits upon gives a more distant view of Washington itself.

http://www.aviewoncities.com/washing...mamemorial.htm

If you go, look for an interesting illusion. If you stand directly behind the men raising the flag, the flag will appear to be low. As you walk around to the front of the memorial your perspective changes and the flag appears to be rising, and when you get to the head of the memorial the flag appears to be nearly completely risen.

On yur first day after church you could drive down to Mt Vernon.

http://www.mountvernon.org/

Furledleader, there are no one-day passes. You have to pay for each trip.

I agree that a drive down to Mt Vernon on Sunday afternoon would be nice. That would also allow an extra day in the city, maybe to see one of the Smithsonian museums. They really are fascinating. It would be a shame to miss them.

I agree that you are missing a great opportunity to see the Smithsonians. I would highly recommend the Portrait Gallery, Air & Space and American History based on my trip from 2 years ago. All of them are great. Even if you just make a list of specific exhibits and just do them.

Louisa,

Yes there are......

http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm

Forget going to the top of the Washington Monument. Instead, go to the top of the Old Post Office Pavilion Tower (corner of 12th and Pennsylvania). It's free, no ticket is required, it's open & spacious at the top, and there are no lines. Just take the 2 elevators up and enjoy the view from the 3rd highest point in the city. It's 2 1/2 blocks from Ford's Theater on your way to the Museum of American History.

Checking the Ford's Theater website, I see that there are no Ranger-led programs on June 1st. As a matter of fact there are no ranger-led programs at all that week except for the day you are going to Winchester. That's OK, you can still do a walk thru of the theater and visit the museum beneath it on June 1st.

The one part of the Smithsonian that we have on our itinerary so far is the American History Museum. I'm waiting to hear from the kids about some of the others they might like to visit.

I didn't mention in my original post that our son has to fly in to DC to meet us on Sunday evening, so we put Mt Vernon later in the week so he won't have to miss it. He is the biggest history buff of us all -- and that is saying a lot.

I looked at the link above (http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm) and found this:
"Farecards hold from $1.60 to $45. Farecards are available at fare vending machines in Metrorail stations or online in $10 or $20 denominations."
This sounds like a good deal for us since we may not make enough rides on some days to use the $9 card.

We will plan to shop in Alexandria. And if we don't get enough shopping from there, we can always add a mall trip. Thanks!

I will add the Marine Iwo Jima Memorial to our monuments-at-night route.

Another monuments question: Would we miss anything if we don't visit the memorials at all in the daytime (only go at night)? I read the following about the Jefferson Memorial on the Fodors website - "Learn more about Jefferson by visiting the exhibit called Light and Liberty on the memorial's lower level." Would that be open at night? (Couldn't find info about this exhibit on the official website.)

Do we need to buy Mt Vernon tickets in advance or just plan to arrive at opening time? On the website there are currently tickets available for all times of the day for all the days in the first week of June. I would rather not be tied to a specific date in case of rain or other changes. Does anyone have experience just showing up and having a long line to wait for entry?

I've never bought tickets to Mt. Vernon in advance and never had a problem whether I've arrived in the morning or early afternoon. Don't see why you'd have to. Now, if you're planning on doing the special "National Treasure Tour", the docent led tour of the grounds that explores the movie National Treasure 2, then you might want to get tickets for that in advance. I've never done that tour.

There is a lot to see at Mt. Vernon, and most of it is just exploring on your own. If there is no line to get into the mansion, start one and get in right away. If there already is a long line waiting to get in, check back later to see if it has shrunk.

For the monuments, I see no reason why you can't do them all at night. I did a night tour of them and we did them in this order: Capitol, Jefferson, Korean, Lincoln, Vietnam, out to the Iwo Jima, WW2 and then the White House. The only issue is that some of the lights were out at the WW2 Memorial (due to a power outage nearby). We had been to it the previous day. You could do this on your own depending on parking.

If you decide you want to do the organized tour, This is the one we used.
http://www.onboarddctours.com/dc-the-lights-tour/

There are a few different tours that do this so check the itineraries.

I've been to Mt. Vernon in high summer and in the afternoon. No lines, no issues. You'll be just fine just showing up - especially at opening time.

On the shopping front: Union Station is a really beautiful building and there are a number of interesting smaller shops (if you happen to be in the area). To me, Pentagon City/Fashion Center is similar to the malls I have at home so I usually don't bother. On a recent trip back from Virginia Tech, we did detour through to the outlets at Leesburg. Great center -- you and your daughter might like that for shopping, or perhaps Potomac Mills (south of the city, right off 95).

Two things:
Things that appear to be walking distance are pretty far apart.

The museums always take longer than you think they will.
Air and space and the US History museums are amazing.

WE took a bunch of nieces and nephews (read bored to death w/history teens..where is my iPAD!!) to DC and they were all in awe of US Treasury Tour... watching huge volumes of money being printed mesmerized them.
They especially liked the secret info about how to find misprinted bills...kept them entertained est of trip..

http://www.moneyfactory.gov/tours/wa...ondctours.html

Union Station is near the Capital. I go off at Union Station when I went to the Capital. I do not know where the Spy Museum is but perhaps Union Station can be your Metro stop between there and your Capital tour.

We are also planning a family trip to DC - the National Cathedral is on my "must see" list. I'm also hoping to catch one of the free concerts at the Kennedy Center that they have at 6pm every evening (Millenium Stage). We may plan to have a picnic dinner on the Mall, see the concert, and walk around the monuments.

Since your family is older, I don't think you'll have any trouble fitting in your favorites. We are also planning to take the metro almost everywhere, because I am very sceptical of finding parking for our 12 passenger van. If we could find a spot in a garage and pay $20, it'd actually save us some money, but might also be more hassle.

Furled leader, apologies. Despite living in Alexandria, it is news to me about discount with this pass. They have not advertised this at all.

I've reserved tickets for the National Archives. On the website it says to allow 90 min to go through the exhibits and view the Charter of Freedom. If our ticket time is 1:30, should we arrive much earlier than that? Is that the time we will be allowed into the building and then we will have to wait in a line to see the Declaration and Constitution?

Oops I found mention of arriving 10 min prior to ticket time. My other question - will there then be another line once we are inside in order to view the documents?

Yes, there may be another line inside to view the documents. That is when you are scheduled to go in