RaleighLaura

Hi Fodorites,
We're heading out on a long weekend at the end of July and I would love your take on my planned itinerary. This trip is all about fun for my 5th grade and 2nd grade boys. We've been to DC before, but the only place we spent real time was in the Air & Space Museum on the Mall.
So here is what I have so far..
Arrive lunchtime Friday, park and leave bags at hotel (staying near Dupont Circle). We'll eat street food for lunch (my kids love eating anything from a cart).
We'll head to the Bureau of Engraving and hope they have tickets left for sometime during the day (we tried but can't get them through our congressman's office).
If we can't get into the B of E, we'll do the Museum of Natural History until it closes or we get hungry for dinner.
That evening we want to do a tour of the Mall memorials. I'm hoping it will be cooler and pretty by moonlight. Any suggestions on which tour to take?
On Saturday, I thought we could go to the American History museum in the morning, and eat lunch on the way to the Library of Congress. I was hoping to get in on a short family-friendly tour there- does anyone know the precise schedule? I really want the kids to see the main reading room.
Then we have tickets to tour the Capitol at 2:15 and the National Archives at 5:30. If we wanted to, we could get a tour through our Senator's office on Friday, but then we won't get the chance at the Bureau of Engraving. If you had to choose between a senator's office led tour and the regular visitor's center tour, which would you choose?
I thought we'd have dinner somewhere the kids would like- either Union Station since trains are cool, or perhaps somewhere on the water if we can take a water taxi to get there. Ideas?
On Sunday, I thought we'd start the day at the Zoo and then go to the Newseum around lunchtime. Option B is to skip the Newseum (I know my 5th grader would love it, but since my 2nd grader is just getting really fluent with reading, it may be too much reading for him) and go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and see a little of Alexandria.
We'll need to get on the road by 4pm to head home.
I'd love your suggestions on how to make this more kid-friendly. Thank you for all of your help!
-Laura

sf7307

Actually, I think your 5th grader is also on the edge of too young for the Newseum, and it will be a day of just being dragged around for the 2nd grader.

If the kids were older, I'd definitely do Newseum - it's fabulous. Since they're not, I'd opt for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Alexandria (have dinner at Pizzeria Paradiso in Alexandria, or take the boat to National Harbor and have dinner somewhere in NH).

http://www.potomacriverboatco.com/national-harbor.php

sf7307

I should add, it's not just the ability to read (and you're right, there is a LOT of reading at the Newseum), it's knowing the history and having a context for what you're reading. Seeing a piece of the Berlin wall, or a film about Elvis might not be very meaningful to an 11-year old.

gardendiva

If you are not at the Bureau of engraving early in the morning you will not get tickets for that day and if I remember correctly, the last tour is at about 3:00. I would skip that and opt for the the tour of the Capital through your Senator's office. That will also leave you more time to see the Library of Congress on Saturday morning. You can reserve tour times online. The tour lasts about an hour. Behind the Library of Congress there is a restaurant called Good Stuff Eatery. They specialize in burgers and shakes. It may be a fun option for your boys for lunch.

Although the Newsmuseum is wonderful, it will be a bit overwhelming for your boys. I was and I am much, much older. I would opt for going to Arlington. Seeing the changing of the guard is just too impressive to miss. You may also want to take a trip out to the Pentagon to see the 911 Memorial.

Lastly, I took the Greyline tour of the monuments at night. It was about 2 hours long and you were given more than enough time to get out and see the monuments on foot. The one monument that they did not stop at was the MLK memorial. Perhaps on another night you can walk over to see it.

obxgirl

I think your schedule is pretty ambitious considering you've got a 7 and 11 year old in tow. I'm not sure most motivated adults could cover the territory you've got planned. While you obviously know your family's stamina better we do, I think you're underestimating travel time, eating time (even on the street) and fatigue from crowds and heat.

Skip the monument tour and pick a couple to visit (Lincoln and Jefferson?) by cab if the weather isn't stinking hot or if it's not raining. The tours last 2-3 hours with travel time from your hotel. My kids would have preferred a little chill time at the hotel especially if a busy Saturday is planned.

Agree that the Newseum is not the best use of your limited time. As you're leaving DC that afternoon, I'll assume you'll be driving to Arlington Cemetery and Alexandria. You'll need to join a tour at Arlington which will last a couple of hours and include the Tomb of the Unknowns.

I don't know anything about the family tours of the Library of Congress. Their website says they schedule based on docent availability and family interest -- hopefully you'll get lucky! I love that place and you will not see the same level of crowds there as in some of the Smithsonian museums.

You didn't ask, but the Smithsonian Postal Museum across the street from Union Station is a big hit with kids.

Are you driving to & from Raleigh NC? I hope you have great weather -- not too hot -- and a very enjoyable trip.

tenthumbs

Agree with skipping the Newseum. I went with my 8 year old niece and 6 year old nephew, and they were pretty bored. They did not care about the Berlin wall (or anything else in there, for that matter).

Your Saturday schedule doesn't leave much time for the Museum of American History if you plan on doing that, lunch AND the LOC before your 2:15 Capitol tour....

I am a pretty motivated adult, and as obxgirl pointed out, I'm not sure I could complete your itinerary!!

longhorn55

1. As Gardendiva stated, you will arrive in D.C. too late on Friday to get any tickets for the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. Since the BEP is not open on weekends, you'll have to save this activity for another visit. Take the Congressional tour of the Capitol on Friday instead. Also, you could eat lunch in one of the House cafeterias before or after your tour. (Your Congressional tour guide or any guard can show you how to get to one.) We ate at the Longworth HOB cafeteria after our tour a couple years ago and there is a good variety of food at reasonable prices.

2. The tickets for any "Monuments by Moonlight" tour are going to be pricey. It's easy enough to do by yourself and you'll have the freedom to spend as much (or as little) time at each monument as you choose. We do this when we have visitors and the last time we did it, we went from the grounds of the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and over to the Tidal Basin to see the Jefferson, FDR and MLK, Jr. memorials. I was pushing my MIL in a wheelchair and it took us 2 hours. You can use Metro and/or cabs to get to the Mall and back to your hotel. But, if you think that's too much for your kids after a day of sightseeing, it could be money well spent.

3. As already suggested by others, skip the Newseum because you don't have enough time for it and because your kids are really too young for it. Going to Arlington National Cemetery is a great choice. You are not required to take a tour there, but I actually would recommend doing the ANC bus tour which takes you to the Kennedy Gravesites, Arlington House and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It also drives by the graves of other prominent people and the commentary on the bus is good. Arlington National Cemetery is hilly and I've walked to all of the above-mentioned sites in July. It was not something I would recommend for someone with young children! The price of the bus tour is well worth it.

ElendilPickle

We did an evening walking monument tour with www.dcbyfoot.com which was really good. It is tip-based; the guide said most people give them about $10 per person.

Lee Ann

RaleighLaura

Thank you all so much! I will save the Newsuem and Bureau of Engraving for another trip. And I will see about getting the Capitol tour on Friday so we have more time for the museums on Saturday. I think Arlington Cemetary will be meaningful to the kids... Any tips for touring it? Also, I've read about a bike tour of the Mall. Do you have any experience with that tour?
Finally, any not to miss places to eat dinner with kids?
Thank you again for your advice!

RaleighLaura

Obxgirl, yep, we are driving and hope to avoid the worst traffic by arriving around lunchtime. We will be up your way inWaves in August!

longhorn55

The main tip for touring Arlington National Cemetery in July is to pay for the ANC bus tour. The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is not to be missed. It takes place on the hour and half hour (in summer), so plan your stops on the bus so that you arrive there close to those times. (You don't want to be sitting long in the heat at the Amphitheatre waiting for the next ceremony.)

Also, I believe that Arlington House (the home of Robert E. Lee) is still under renovation so there's not much to see there. But do get off the bus to see the great views across the Potomac.

MikeT

I'd also skip Alexandria. There's not much there to interest boys your age.

They might like the Building Museum and there's always the Spy Museum, which can be a hit-and-miss experience depending on the crowds and your kids' interest. If they like baseball at all, there's always cheap seats for a Nationals game in the evening.

con_brio

You've gotten good advice here. I just want to second the Building Museum which is fascinating and kid friendly. The FDR memorial is not to be missed. Going to the monuments by taxi is a good plan for your group.

Also, Mt. Vernon. You can take a tour boat to Mt Vernon which they'd love. They have a new Visitor's Center and museum there. (Watch the movie. They'll love getting snowed on in Valley Forge--in this weather, so will you.)

It's been 100' here this week and humid. Hopefully this wilol break soon and be nice when you are here. Your guys may well appreciate some down time. You can't possibly see all of the wonderful things DC has to offer in one visit anyway. So don't push yourselves and do plan to return.

Have fun!

RaleighLaura

Thanks, conbrio, Mike, and Longhorn. I will check out the building museum and we will do the bus tour at Arlington. I was trying to make the trip a suprise for the kids, but my smart 5th grader has an iPod and asked me why I downloaded lots of Washington DC apps. Busted! His big comment was "can we go to a Hard Rock Cafe and see if they have any Green Day stuff?"

longhorn55

The Building Museum (which charges an admission fee) has a couple of exhibits that should particularly appeal to your kids. One is the Legos Architecture exhibit (and play area) which has been there for a couple years but closes in September. The other is a new exhibit that just opened a couple weeks ago--a minigolf course designed by leading architects.

I would definitely read the information closely about these exhibits. They are timed and, at least for the minigolf course, tickets can sell out.

tchoiniere

Laura, the Hard Rock has a very unique setup and is in a great location. Was there in February. Same food / drink prices as all of them but its still a good stop. Looking at their website, there is no Green Day memorabilia but they had some great stuff. I'll never forget the bartender asking a trivia question and not expecting anyone to know the answer.

"Name the earliest president that still has a living grandchild". I immediately stated a president and was shocked that I was correct.

Its located right next to Ford's Theatre.

Enjoy your trip. I'm heading to DC in September.

RaleighLaura

Thanks again! I now have preferred seating at the Hard Rock, and will google the trivia question you pose! Longhorn, I will go look up the building museum, too.

sf7307

I already did - John Tyler -- it was all over the net a couple of months ago!

tchoiniere

Yes. Thats when I was there. I sarcastically yelled out Tippecanoe and Tyler too. Was shocked when I was right.

Another good one is "Name the 2 presidents buried in Arlington Cemetery."

5alive

Hi, We just went to DC and got back a few weeks ago. My kids are 16, 14 and 11. I felt like we did too much and we had more days so it wasn't as packed as yours. And, we had older kids. Don't underestimate the heat!

There's an Art of the Video Game show at the American Art Museum on about 7th and F streets. The kids saw that with my husband and really liked it. (I was staking out a blanket for the Fourth.)

My 11 year-old desperately wanted to go on the Library of Congress tour. There was only room for 2 more people, so he and I went. The rest of my family just cruised the building on their own. These tours are done by a volunteer docent. It was mostly about the building, how it was built, where the marble was from etc., and not so much about the collection. You get to go up to the top level and peek into the reading room from a balcony with plexiglass across it. You cannot take pictures there. You cannot go into the Reading Room itself on the main floor. I asked if the tour would talk more about the collection of books and the size, and the docent said you need to order that tour from your congressman. So apparently they are different?

I would definitely go to LOC (there's a public underground passage to/from the Capitol too!). But I am not sure the tour was worth it. We needed to go see the exhibits after the tour was over. There is also a Young Readers Room that we missed because it closed while we were on the tour. Might be the better option. If not on the tour, you still can go up to that balcony to view the Reading Room, but the guard makes you take turns when the organized tours are not viewing it.

If you get to Arlington quite a bit before the Changing of the Guard you can stake a place to wait, or you can go into the air-conditioned small museum right at the top of the steps, where they have all the different medals and honors bestowed by countries around the world.

The Bus tours are reasonable, about $8.75/adult and less for kids. You don't have to stop at every stop if you don't want to. Also there are no water bottles sold anywhere including the entry hall where you buy your tour tickets. Supposedly some are sold at the Women Soldiers Museum at the very end of your tour. Best to bring your own. Two people had heat exhaustion the day we went and it was maybe 3 pm when we left, so they could have had more.

Robert E Lee's house is now open to the public, and certainly needs more furnishings, but they have uniforms and some stories about the Lee Family. You cannot go upstairs (not sure if you could before). The view of DC is excellent in front of Lee's house!

I would do the Senate organized tour if you can. We did the self-ordered one and it was okay but not amazing.

We parked near the monuments and walked but it takes a really long time.Would NOT recommend for a 2nd grader. Another option would be a boat ride at night? Would be more fun than a bus tour.

Really a fan of Mount Vernon. We loved this day.

Oh, I heard you can climb to the top of the tower in the Old Post Office Building to see the view since the Washington Monument is closed. Didn't make it there ourselves.