ideas for what to do in DC for 10 days??
 

Hi All
My 14 year old son will be attending the People to People Leadership forum for 6 days and his tour is jam packed with all the highlights of dc. So what can we do together for a weekend? What can I do while he is on his forum? He then joins me and we have three days together again? what now?I will stay in the Arlington area.

Is Mount Vernon on his schedule? If not, you can do that.
How about a day trip to Baltimore. There is Harbor Place with the tall ship Constitution that you could visit as well as a WWll submarine, the aquarium, the science center etc. Fort McHenry is also nearby. Will it be baseball season when you are there? If so, maybe catch a Washington Nationals game.

Check the DC threads on this forum for dozens of more ideas.

What are his interests?

How about a drive down to historic Williamsburg for the three days? You could hit Williamsburg one day for history, Busch Gardens for the rides on another day, or head over to Virginia Beach for some beach time. (Note- these aren't day trips from DC; you would need to give up your hotel in Arlington!)

A day trip to Annapolis (more history) and then a drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is cool.

Baltimore would be a great day trip or a few days.

How about a trip out to the Blue Ridge for hiking?

While he is on his program, all of DC is there for you: museums, restaurants, shopping. A day exploring Old Town Alexandria (colonial town with cute shops and restaurants on the Potomac) would be fun. Lots of nice day spas in the area too, if you would like to pamper yourself.

I do recommend the Halocaust Museum altho it will take time and give you both enormous pause.

Not knowing your interests, if I had six days to myself in a big city...

1. Take in some of the art. There are suggested itineraries to see the "highlights" if you're not an art person, then enjoy a light lunch and some gelato at the National Gallery cafe--sit near the waterfall and thumb through a magazine or read a chapter of a book.
2. Explore Old Town Alexandria and Dupont Circle. Very different areas, each equally interesting. Have a bento lunch at Teaism.
3. Go to the Natural History Museum Hall of Gems to ooh and aah at all the sparkly stuff.
4. Day spa, indeed. It's more fun sightseeing with a fresh manicure and facial.
5. If you've got a car, spending a day in horse-y country would be fun (Middleburg comes to mind.)

Now, with your son...

1. Baltimore or Annapolis would be fun day trips. I personally would prefer Williamsburg, and agree that it's best done with a couple of overnights.
2. In DC, there's the Spy Museum and the Holocaust Museum if either interest your son.
3. For outdoor activities, Great Falls Park offers three different trails; you could rent bikes at Thompson Boat Center and bike all the way (15 flat miles) to Great Falls Park along the C&O Canal.

I am guessing from previous posts that shanita may not have a car while here. If I am wrong, I apologize.

For your weekend away you can take the train to Williamsburg and stay in a hotel near enough to walk to Colonial Williamsburg and restaurants. You will need to take the bus or a taxi to Busch Gardens but that is do-able.
www.amtrak.com for train schedules
www.history.org for Colonial Williamsburg
www. buschgardens.com

You can also take Amtrak to New York and Philadelphia.You can take the bus to these cities too.
www.greyhound.com

If I wanted to entertain a teenage son, I'd probably take him to the beach at Ocean City MD but I don't know an easy way to get you there. Maybe others can help.

There are day tours from DC to Monticello and Mt. Vernon.
www.dctours.com

Let us know what sounds good to you and we can help you with details.