Amanda

British couple taking their 5 yr old daughter to Washington, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas in August. Are we mad??!!
Anything for kids not to miss (- doing the usual Disney/ Sea world /Universal/Circus Circus & Grand Canyon etc.)? Any tips on jetlag very welcome also! Never been to the States before.

w

No, you are not mad. You can have a great time in all these places. Weather will be a bit dodgy though. LV will likely be 40+ and San Diego could be 15 so you'll want to pack creatively.

As for jet lag, set you watch to local (US) time when you take off and stay awake the first night until at least 10 (may be tough for a 5 y/o but try).

In Washington don't miss the Smithsonian.

xxx

Amanda,

Do you mean Washington DC or the state of Washington?

Amanda

Washington D.C. - told you that I'd never been to the States before! Which bit of the Smithsonian (?) would be of interest to a 5 yr old very girly-girl?

t

Amanda: It definitely wasn't obvious that you were going to Wash DC! Anyone with common sense would guess that you had meant the State of Washington since the rest of your trip was centered on the West Coast. So don't be so smug to assume that just because you had never been to the U.S., we should have been able to guess your trip destinations.

Personally I can't think of much for a girly girl in DC. Why would a 5 year old be interested in U.S. history?

normal

Hey t, way to welcome foreign visitors to our country.

Amanda, pay no attention to the previous poster, most of us aren't that nasty.

S

When we were in D.C. several years ago, my youngest was that age. Being a 5 year old Brit, some of the specific U.S. stuff won't be that interesting to her yet. My daughter thought is was really cool to stand in the 12 inch circle that was the center of the capital. Your daughter would also probably enjoy some of the Smithsonian museums.

John

Amanda, my chief concern with coming to Washington DC and Las Vegas in August will be that all of you will suffer from the opressive heat in both places - very hot but dry heat (100F+) in LV and hot (90F) AND very humid in DC. This means you will need to spend a lot of time indoors, with obvious ramifications for your daughter and you. There will be virtually nothing in LV that will appeal to her aside from TV; the major hotels offer sitting services and some have kids' areas, which basically means video games, but even the pool will be too hot most of the day.

In DC the choices will be greater - there will certainly be some exhibits at the Natural History museum and the American History museum, or even the Air and Space museum (all the main museums on the Mall are part of the Smithsonian) but 5 years old is pretty young for anything to sustain interest for more than a short time. That being the case, it's on to the next place or back to the hotel, which means you're outside in the heat, and so on...

My actual recommendation is to skip LV and/or DC until you can arrange a time when she's older and/or you can travel at another time of the year (May or October would be great in both places.)

If you can't reschedule your holiday, then try to minimize the time in both of those places and maximize the time in LA/San Diego, because there will be more things for her and the weather will be much more tolerable.

janis

Amanda: I agree w/ John. Las vegas in August will kill you. It is often impossible to be outside before about 11PM. This is fine since all of the casinos are VERY WELL air conditioned, but that doesn't help your daughter. Even laying by the pools is uncomfortable unless you are in the water 100% of the time. It can easily be 110F or even higher.

And Wash. DC (I also assumed you meant Washington state since SD and LV are on the west coast) might seem even hotter. I am planning my own trip to DC and Virginia in Sept and everyone tells me to expcet 85% humidity. If it is a normal August the heat and humidity will be pretty unbearable.

San Diego will be lovely - but if you have flexibility maybe you should plan to go some other places. Oregon, Washington (the STATE), Northern California will all be more comfortable in August.

Sue

Well, here in Las Vegas at 7:00 pm it has cooled off to 110 (44C) (a dry heat, however, haha). It was 113-115 in mid-afternoon, so I agree about more time San Diego: Sea World, zoo, wild animal park, Disney (longish drive), swimming, etc. And I have no tips for little ones here except possibly Lied Discovery Children's Museum on 833 Las Vegas Blvd North or a tour of the Ethel M Chocolate Factory & Cactus Garden at 1 Sunset Way in Henderson (really Las Vegas).

Website for Lied: www.ldcm.org
For Ethel M tour: www.ethelm.com/profiles/tours.htm

Welcome to the US--hope your trip is great (despite heat)!

mare

Not much for a 5 year old at Universal. Knott's Berry Farm is a better choice, especially if she would enjoy petting animals and a pony and train ride. The Los Angeles Zoo is under-rated and very nice.

Amanda

Thanks everyone for warnings and advice - fore warned is fore armed!!
In Vegas, planning to see the Aquarium and other indoor stuff based at different hotels. Too late to change any plans- leaving in 10 days, but you'll be glad to know that majority of trip is spent in and around L.A.
Glad to see some genuine people out there willing to help - unlike t!

RnR

Hey, Amanda, DC has a children's museum, with hands-on displays and tours. Usde to be in NE DC, but may have moved - anybody know? My kids loved it! Air and Space has lots for little kids to see. And don't miss the carousel on the Mall, near the old Smithsonian Museum, on the Independence Ave. side. It will be hot, so rely on the A/C of the museums, and take lots of water. Air and Space I believe is now serviced by McDonalds.

Ann

On the Washington Post site they have daily online discussions. Every week or two they have one called "Got Plans? with Kids". People ask questions about what to do and where to go in the area with kids. You can call up the archives very easily. Just go to www.washingtonpost.com and scroll down until you see "Live Online" and click on it. There is some really good stuff on there, and you could post questions whenever they have the next chat.

Don't miss the National Zoo. You can see t on display there.

Lisa

We just got back from the L.A. area. We went to a little amusement park called Adventure City. No waiting for rides, 1/4 the price of Disney and all rides were appropriate for a 5 year old.

fanny

an idea: in LA, if you drive 15 minutes west on the PCH, to Malibu, your child can watch the surfers come in on Surfrider Beach. The scenery by the ocean is fantastic - something that a little kid my find spellbinding, and the people on the boards are amazing. Best to go before 9 a.m.

jim

Hi Amanda -

There is lots in Vegas for a 5yr old...although it will be hot. Go out to Hoover Dam and do the tour. Kids (and grown ups too) love it. The water park on the strip in Vegas is also a very good one (I have been to several and this one is pretty good - especially if your daughter is up for the more thrilling slides). The free Treasure Island show is good too - just make sure you warn her that there will be fire / explosions so she isnt startled.

Enjoy.

Amanda

Have car with air-con in L.A. and Vegas, so will try out the beach suggestion, thanks. What will traffic be like driving from L.A. to San Diego and back? Any good scenic routes or stop off places? Also, thinking of driving thro Death Valley - any tips for that?
Thanks again for everyone's messages - hope you're all that friendly when we get there, with minimal t's!

Traveling man

Amanda, you don't want to drive through Death Valley in August. Even in an air-conditioned car, what would be the point of that? It is stifflingly hot, you wouldn't be safe to get out and explore. As hot as it will be in Vegas, add on 10 more degrees Fahrenheit. It would be foolhardy to do with a child.

Ann

Amanda-while I personally wouldn't drive through Death Valley in the summer, my parents did it with a car full of kids and no AC in July, and we made it through without the car exploding. There are now water pit stops every so often, so you have access to water in an emergency. But it would be a good idea to buy a few gallons before you hit Death Valley--for the car (and for you, just in case).

Last time I was there was in February (and a lovely 70 degrees), and we didn't get out much to explore. Once at the lowest elevation and along one trail.

There's a visitor center where a ranger does a presentation. It's good, and it's air conditioned, and they can give you the best advice on how to handle the heat and what to see from your car.