Need help with my Washington DC itinerary!!!
 

I am planning a trip with my 7-year-old daughter to Washington DC over Veterans Day weekend (11/8/08-11/11/08). Having not been to DC yet myself, this will be our first mother-daughter trip, as well as, new terrain for the both of us. I am very excited!!!

Below is the itinerary that I have so far. I have not picked out restaurants; I'm not a foodie so I just plan on eating at places that are quick, reasonably priced, and (above all) kid friendly. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Main concern: Is this do-able? (As a bit of background, my daughter loves art... drawing, painting, etc. She is also very energetic... I don't have concerns with her complaining about walking around. If anything, I'll be the one keeping up with her!)

Day 1:
1. Arrive in DC at 1:10 pm
2. Check into hotel
3. Washington monument (4:30 pm reservations)
4. Old Town Trolley Moonlight Tour (6:30 pm)

Day 2:
1. National Zoological Park
(Highlights Tour reservation 9:45 am)
2. Washington National Cathedral
3. National Gallery of Art
4. (If possible, will take in a little of Air and Space)

Day 3:
1. Bureau of Engraving and Printing
2. National Archives
(reservation for 10:30 am tour)
3. National Museum of Natural History
4. Capital Building
5. Library of Congress
(I don't know how much time we will spend at 4. or 5.)

Day 4
1. Arlington National Cemetery
(I thought it would be great to pay respects to those who have led or defended our country on Veteran's Day)
2. Depart for airport and fly home in late afternoon

kmt0778:

I think that you have too much planned. I would skip the National Cathedral and the Archives. I don't believe that either are that interesting for a child. If you do go to the National Cathedral, I believe that your child can do a rubbing which can be taken home.

I also suggest that you think about the Hirschorn Museum of Art. It has wonderful contemporary sculpture and paintings. It is very close to the Air and Space Museum. My children enjoyed this museum far more than the National gallery of Art.

Pat

Too much planned on Day 3, especially. You can't do the BEP tour before the Archives appointment, the first one of the day ends at 10:45.

Sorry, I misread the BEP web site. The first tour is 9:00-9:45, but IMHO that's still a tight time frame.

You also might want to do the Zoo at your own pace; I didn't even realize that they gave formal tours. Don't miss the Small Mammal House, and try to catch the elephant training demo. The grounds open much earlier than the buildings, and sometimes the buildings are actually open earlier than the official hours.

Arlington Cemetery is going to be packed on Veterans Day.

I agree with everyone else that your schedule is too much. I'd eliminate the Cathedral and the Archives and the Library of Commerce.

If you would like to see the pandas at the zoo, I would suggest you get there early - as someone said, the grounds open before the buildings. It's less crowded when it's just the grounds open, and the pandas often play in the morning during this time.

For food, I would eat at the Museum of the American Indian one day when you're on the Mall. There isn't a very good food selection on the Mall, but the cafeteria at that American Indian museum is good, unique and tasty. It's also a relatively new, and IMO, very interesting museum. The structure itself is unique, and there are a lot of interactive sections.

Arlington is a great idea. Make sure that you get to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns - it happens every hour on the hour while you are there.

Enjoy your trip!

Thank you, everyone, for the posts so far!!!

Regarding the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, I scheduled a VIP tour through my congressman so we are touring earlier than the hours listed on the website. Our tour is at 8:15 am. I figured that would give more than enough time to fit in the National Archives.

The Arlington Cemetery comment... would you cut out going all together due to the crowds for Veterans Day weekend?

I think that Arlington on Veterans' Day will be quite crowded, but I would do it anyway, as I agree with you that it would be make a special memory. personally, I would drop the Library of Congress from Day 3--it's more interesting as a concept than as something to look at, if that makes sense. That is, you can't wander the stacks, for example. Otherwise, given that you're getting such an early start, I think that day, and all the others, are doable.

If your daughter likes drawing and painting, then I would try to focus on museums that would offer a chance to see that, and also possibly offer activities for kids. See what is on offer at the various Smithsonian Museums for the weekend you are there, go to www.si.edu.

I have to say that much as I like the National Gallery of Art and the Portrait Gallery, these may be too large for a child, you might consider private galleries like the Corcoran and especially the Philips. The Philips is mostly impressionists and modern art and is small, can be done in 2 hours or so, or you can just see a small part of the collection. The Philips is in the Dupont Circle area, full of restaurants and little shops. The Corcoran is near the White House. Both also have nice cafes. Websites are http://www.phillipscollection.org and http://www.corcoran.org. The Corcoran is having a “design your own campaign button” family event on November 8, but you may not yet have arrived into DC yet at that time.

There is a Georgia O’Keefe and Ansal Adams exhibit currently running at the American Art Museum, which is a fairly big museum, but if you just saw that exhibit, that would be doable (and of course her painting and his photographs are so very memorable and accessible to a child, IMO). This is on 8th and F NW, across the street from the Spy Museum and quite near Ford’s Theatre (see below).

I also very much like the Renwick, a branch of the Smithsonian, which is just American decorative arts and crafts, and is only 2 floors so is small and doable. It is also in a lovely restored building, and has a good gift shop (i.e. craft items). It is basically across the street from the White House. Agree on the Hirschorn, small and doable. You might drop the Museum of Natural History, unless there is something that might really interest your daughter. (I imagine what might interest <i>you</i> is irrelevant if you can’t convince a 7-year old to go along with it. Also it is a huge museum.)

With regard to the Old Town Trolley tour, while I think the tour would show some pretty sights, you may not want to spend 2 hours on it, esp (i) with a 7 year old after flying a good part of the day, (ii) as you have to go all the way up to Union Station to start the tour (just to come back down to the Mall), and (iii) you will already be at the Washington Monument which is IMO <i>the prettiest place</i> for sunset and seeing the lights come up on the monuments. (Sunset will be around 5 pm during your visit, twilight which is generally lovely in the cold months in DC, will last about another half hour.) As you have such a good timing to be up on top of the Monument, I would actually suggest you take advantage of that and just do a walk afterwards around the Mall area to see the monuments nearby. The WW Memorial is basically at the foot of the monument, and you will get great views of the Capitol building, White House and Lincoln Memorial from where you are, or you could walk around the Mall to get closer views. You could then do a short walk to someplace like the Old Ebbit Grill, right by the White House, for dinner, fine for kids see http://www.ebbitt.com/main/index-flash.cfm, make a reservation if you can.

I think the Zoo is a good idea, wow on a Sunday of a holiday weekend I think it is going to be crowded, but if you have a reserved slot should be OK. As an adjunct and in good weather, you could rent bikes near the Zoo and bike down through lovely Rock Creek Park to the Mall area or Georgetown area and can then drop the bikes off). You can also rent bikes and ride along the canal towpath in Georgetown. See http://www.betterbikesinc.com/index.html. You can also take a ride by mule-drawn barge along the canal, sponsored by the National Park Service. Hours are Fridays at 11 am and 3 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 11 am, 1:30 pm, 3 pm &amp; 4:30 pm. Cost $8 adults, $6 senior citizens, and $5 children. The park offers lots of other tours in the canal area, take a look at http://www.nps.gov/choh/Calendar/Canaller.html

There is a nice flea/crafts/artists market every Saturday at Eastern Market on Capitol Hill, and a good size farmer’s market many weekdays and Saturdays. This may interest your daughter and yourself. Inside the Market is a large veg/cheese/meat market. The Market Lunch counter is famous for its crab cakes and does great breakfasts. There are a lot of restaurants along this stretch of Pennsylvania Ave toward the Capitol. If you are taking the Metro, take the blue/orange line to the Eastern Market stop. You will come up the exit at Pennsylvania Ave and 7th St. With the Capitol building in front of you, cross Pennsylvania and go down 7th, and Eastern Market is about two blocks down on the left on 7th St where it intersects with North Carolina Ave. This would be a good place to go either before or after a visit to the Capitol, Library of Congress, or any museum along the Mall.

As you probably know, there is a hop-on-hop-off tour mobile which goes to most major sights including over to Arlington National Cemetery (which may be one way to get there on Veteran’s Day without too much hassle, but getting back may be a hassle; however if you don’t mind a walk, you can walk across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial. It is a great way to get around and see the city and also be able to get to all the sights without having to drive and park (a real hassle) or walk from the subway. (Take a look at www.tourmobile.com and www.tourmobile.com/tour/heritage.html.)Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for kids and are good all day.

There is also the “DC Ducks” tour mobile which is a semi-tour, really just a drive by, along Constitution Ave in an open converted amphibious military craft and then down into the Potomac River and down the rive to Regan Airport where you sit under the flight path of a few planes (pretty thrilling actually). It is actually quite a fund ride on warm and sunny day, and kids will be given a chance to drive the boat in the river, which they all enjoy. Take a look at http://www.dcducks.com/. You can get it at Union Station, right near the Capitol. The boat is totally open, so it could be a bit nippy on the water in November.

I think the Archives are quite interesting, and I think a 7-year old will long remember seeing the Declaration of Independence (I first saw it at 9 years old and clearly remember it), and as you have a pre-booked time, I would still keep it. It does not take long. Again, you are on the Mall and can do other things. Ford’s Theatre is within walking distance of this, as is the Spy Museum (this is a private museum and may be jammed, but kids seem to like it, it is quite interactive, I believe you can book a specific time, see their website.)

Please check on the Printing and Engraving tour, it is my understanding than none of the printing is actually done within the District any more, so I am not really sure what you will be seeing. Perhaps just bills, but as an artist, this may interest your daughter.

I actually think an arranged tour of the Capitol Building would be interesting. There is the normal tour through your Congressperson, or if you can arrange it, you can sometimes get a tour of the dome, which includes a walk up top of the dome inside and out. I have done this once through a friend who worked there (yes and even post 9-11 this was 2 years ago), and it was quite memorable, you might contact your Senator or Representative to see if this can be arranged. It is not a hard climb.

I think the National Cathedral is quite pretty, but might suggest you combine a visit with an evensong performance or organ recital, they are generally around 5:30 pm, but check the website for particulars for November, http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/ for info.

I personally think Air and Space Museum is going to be jammed on Veterans Day weekend, and if your daughter is not interested, perhaps a waste of your time as well. However, if your flight is out of Dulles, you might take time to see the newish“wing” of the Air and Space museum which is only a mile or two from Dulles Airport which is very interesting and not usually nearly as crowded as the actual Air and Space Museum. Take a look at http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/.

As for restaurants, there are so many good restaurants in DC and new ones are added all the time, and a place like Bethesda has dozens of good restaurants too. Take a look at the website for the Washingtonian Magazine at http://www.washingtonian.com/, which lots of people in DC use as their restaurant bible, and you can search by “kid friendly”

Isn't the Museum of <i>American</i> History reopening before your trip? If so, I'd skip several of your other choices in favor of that (it's one of my favorite museums anywhere, but then I prefer &quot;thing&quot; museums to art museums).

Thank you, again, for all the posts!

Cicerone,
You are a wealth of knowledge. : )

American History is currently scheduled to reopen on Nov. 21, about 2 weeks after this trip.

Please don't skip the National Cathedral, unless you have to. There is often a musical group rehearsing, so you'll likely hear some music during your visit. The children's chapel is exquisite.

If you can, and are able to schedule it, highly recommend contacting your Senators and representative for a guided tour of the Capitol. This is much more efficient than heading there on your own. Our tour was actually private because we were the only ones scheduled at that time. And, we went to a few places not available to the general public.

We chose the Grayline moonlight tour for the climate control and more comfortable seats. Do you really want to slide around on wooden trolley seats for 2-3 hours?

I'd recommend not adding any more prepaid scheduled activities. But, keep the itinerary. I usually find that no matter how packed the itinerary, we get around to it all with more spare time than planned. Just be prepared to adjust.

And, take a taxi when necessary. It's better to spend the money and get there than miss something.

I actually think the National Cathedral could be fun for your daughter, especially since she loves art. One of the &quot;artsy&quot; features of the cathedral are all of the hidden gargoyles.

www.cathedral.org/cathedral/visit/gargoyle.shtml

If you do go to the Cathedral, I highly recommend Two Amy's for lunch - fabulous Neopolitan (thin crust) pizza.

http://www.2amyspizza.com/

We are keeping the National Cathedral on our list of sights. I have downloaded the brochures from the Cathedral's website on where to spot each of the gargoyles. My daughter received a pair of binoculars as a gift for her sixth birthday. She has already set them on her nightstand so she remembers to pack them!

Excellent! Sounds like that kid has the makings of a professional traveler!

bookmarking

Thank you! She is very excited about going. When we were talking about where we wanted to go for out first mother-daughter trip, she exclaimed, &quot;Let's go to Italy. I want to visit the Leaning Tower of 'Pizza'.&quot;

Sadly, my current budget doesn't allow for international trips yet, so we had to &quot;scale down.&quot; With it being an election year, I thought Washington DC would be a good choice.

I overheard her talking to her Dad a couple of nights ago asking, &quot;So, have you seen the very important papers...you know... the Declaration of Independence and the Consti-ma-tution?&quot; Very cute.

At the National Cathedral, make sure to ask at the info desk for instructions on how to find the &quot;Darth Vader&quot; gargoyle, which should be visible through her binoculars.

On Day 1: My immediate reaction at seeing 4:30 Wash Monument tickets followed by 6:30 Trolley Tour (which someone says leaves from Union Station) was, when do you eat?? I'd think a hungry 7-year-old wouldn't be a great audience for the tour. I'm wondering if you've left yourselves enough time to do both the monument and the tour.

If you do need to leave on a tour from Union Station around mealtime, be aware that there's a good big food court on the basement level of the station. I imagine you'll find something kid-appealing there.

I must admit, in my wanting to take in all of the sights, I haven't thought about when we would eat dinner. : (

In regards to the Gallery of Art, I think (in moderation) it would be a great art museum for your daughter. On the website or at the entrance to the museum, they have an art &quot;scavenger hunt&quot; where you look for a number of the paintings. They even highlight for the child as to which wing the piece would be located. I'm not sure if any of the other art museums offer anything similar.

I called my senator and congressman a couple of weeks ago. My congressman has secured a capitol tour... although the email says that I will get detailed information within two weeks of my trip. I know that I will have the tour on Monday; however, they haven't given a time of day. Does anyone know when they typically do the tours?

For what it's worth, my 7 year old half-sister loved both the National Galleries and the Portrait Museum.

I like both the Corcoran and the Phillips museums, but I think it's important to note that they, unlike those on the Mall, are not free. One of the great joys of the Smithsonian and NGA, especially with young children, is that you can see as much or as little as suits your mood, and it's FREE! So if there's something you missed, you can always go back, or you can just change your mind and head to the next museum, without having lost anything. I also second the recommendation to eat at the American Indian Museum.

As for Capitol tours, I believe they're scheduled between 8:00 and 3 PM. Have a great time!!

This may be a stupid question but... do you think Washington DC will be extremely busy over Veteran's Day weekend?

Great info for my first trip to DC the very same time. Thanks all!

The FDR Memorial is stunning and I saw children there having a great time. It is now my favorite site in D.C.

bookmarking

Lots of good advice above. Some additional thoughts from a father of a 7-year old:

--National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art are in the same building, and the Portrait Gallery in particular is accessible for young children, especially one who likes art. And it's located in Penn Quarter with lots of fun restaurants around.

--I second the Two Amy's recommendation near the Cathedral. Also don't miss the Bishop's Garden along the right side of the Cathedral (as you face the front of the Cathedral--it's the side you exit out of from the Cathedral's gift shop), and the little garden shop next door.

--Skip the Washington Monument by all means and make sure you eat something before the Trolley tour. There are lots of places to eat in Union Station (although not particularly inspiring ones).

--Skip the Zoo tour, just do it on your own. See the pandas for sure. Try to make it all the way down the hill and around to the Amazonia building. There is lots of construction going on around the Elephant House, so I'm not sure they have the elephant demonstrations going on right now.

--Your Day 3 is really heavy. Definitely skip the Library of Congress. Natural History is great for your daughter's age--dinosaurs, mammals, new oceans exhibit, insect zoo, Hope Diamond. As much as I think the Capitol building is great, it's a longer walk than you think to get from Natural History to the Capitol.

--Personally, I'd skip Arlington Cemetery on Veteran's Day. It's not that interesting for a small child, and it either involves LOTS of walking, or (on a busy Veteran's Day) waiting for crowded busses.

Where is your hotel?

I missed that you got a Capitol tour through your Congressman. That should be good, although it's much more interesting when Congress is in session.

I missed my usual lunch recommendation of the cafe in the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden, which is located along the mall across from the Archives and between Natural History and the National Gallery of Art.

DancingBearMD,

We will be staying in the Penn Quarter/Downtown area.

Then you will be well-fixed with plenty of eating places around, and in a good location for sightseeing. Enjoy!

A kid-friendly place to eat one block from the Portrait Gallery / Museum of Am. Art in Penn Quarter is South Austin Grill. It's Tex/Mex food, casual atmosphere. It's on E St. NW between 7th and 8th. (Portrait Gallery/Am Art occupies the block bounded by G (north side) and F (south side) and by 9th (west side) and 7th (east side). (If you happen to be staying at the Hotel Monaco, the Monaco is in-between that &amp; Austin Grill.)

BTW, another sightseeing spot in Penn Quarter that your daughter might enjoy is the Spy Museum (on F at 9th, across street from Portrait Gallery/Am Art). I'd suggest checking its website. As I recall, it has quite a number of kid-focused exhibits. It's a private museum, &amp; so has a $$ admission charge (unlike the Smithsonians, which have no charge).

Just north of Penn Quarter, around 7th &amp; H, is Chinatown. Not a big Chinatown, but still, several very kid-friendly Chinese spots &amp; a whole bunch of non-Chinese spots. The Chinese stuff (what's left of it) is mostly along H, the non-Chinese stuff is mostly along 7th between G and H.

I've been considering taking her to the Spy Museum. It will, quite literally, be within a couple of blocks of where we are staying. In creating the itinerary, I just wasn't sure what I would cut to fit it in.

Good for you and your daughter...I love that she likes art. I agree on the National Portrait Gallery as a good spot to visit. One thing I found that it's worthwhile to check in advance on the Smithsonian website for special exhibitions (or maybe your daughter can do it.. can 7 year olds?) For example there's a special exhibit on posters at the National Portrait Gallery that looks good. The National Gallery is huge, so the smaller Art museums may be easier to handle, or you could just pick out a few sections to visit. Which actually is a good thing to do for all the museums.

Can you bring a sketch pad and colored pencils, etc. to the art museums? In reading the websites, there are many things that you CANT bring... no photography, large purses/backpacks, no strollers, but no mention about art supplies? Maybe that's supposed to be a no-brainer?

I sometimes see people sketching in the museums. I do not think they need special permission, as is required for setting up easels.
If your supplies fit in a reasonably sized purse/tote, why not try? the worst that could happen is that a guard asks you to stop.
And photography is permitted in some museums, National Galery at least, though it may be banned in specific exhibits. I've taken photos of the interiors of both buildings, but I have never aimed the camera at a specific painting.

I just got back from DC over Labor Day weekend with my 7 year old son.
I agree with other posters that you have too much planned, especially day 3.
A 7 year old girl may be different than a 7 year old boy, but we spent a lot of time in National Air &amp; Space Museum. They have TONS of stuff to see including some IMAX movies and Flight Simulators.
We also spent time in the Museum of Natural History. She'll love the Butterfly Farm. My son loved the dinosaurs.
Make sure the BEP is open. It wasn't on our weekend.
Great that you have tickets to Washington Monument saves a long line and time.
Are you using taxis to get around? There's a lot of walking involved.
Don't know your daughter but I'd take off the Zoo, Archives, Capital and Art Museum for one or two of the museums.

Thanks for all of the posts and information.

AttyWSW,
We will not be renting a car, so... it will probably be a combination of metro, taxi, and walking.

We're also visiting the BEP on a Monday... I set up a VIP tour that morning at 8:15 am. I'm hoping that, although my itinerary is packed (and slightly unrealistic), I have scheduled and pre-purchased enough to minimize wait times.

It's just so hard to whittle it down.

I second one of the other posters responses that you should keep your current itinerary. If you're not able to do everything, you could always make some last minute cuts.

Hi kmt,

DC is such a great place to visit, you will love it! I spent a week there with my son..here are my thoughts:

Energy is good though most of the main sites are within one square mile, so not a HUGE amount of walking.

Day 1. The monument will only take you about an hour to do, its a very small viewing area at the top and your daughter will most likely be interested in the gift shop up there :) I would not waste money on a tour bus. The city is very, very safe, even at night and there is virtually no traffic. I am assuming you are not bringing a car (its madness to drive it in the city during the day). But if you did, you can easily park it along the Mall at night. If not, ride the metro there and walk around yourself. Its the most beautiful thing to see the monuments at night.

Day 2. The National Zoo was a disappointment especially if you've ever been to any other big city zoo. Kids like animals of course, but the downtown city aquarium is nicer, in my opinion. Also, the zoo is very, very hilly with virtually no water fountains, make sure you bring your own supply. The National Cathedral is simply breathtaking..and I disagree with the poster who said your daughter won't appreciate it. She definitely will, especially since she loves art..its a phenomenal building. Sign up for one of the tours, they'll point out some very cool gargoyles :) I would allow at least 2 hours here. Remember, the museums close most nights at 5pm and won't be open on Veterans Day, I don't think.

Day 3. I'd skip the engraving and printing, it was pretty boring besides seeing big stacks of money. Do not skip the Archives, very interesting...even for kids. Natural history is a great museum with lots and lots to see. Do you have a tour of the Capital arranged? This is a HUGE building and very cool..but it takes a few hours to do. I would not be so sure if they were even open that weekend. If I were you, I'd do Arlington on this day..as V-Day is going to be jammed packed with visitors and ceremonies. Enjoy DC!