Momddtravel2

Greetings,
I will have a day to myself in December in Washington DC.
In the past I have been to:
Spy Museum
Newseum (may go back)
Holocaust museum (twice)
library of congress
Martin Luther King monument
Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Jefferson Memorial

I am thinking of going to the Smithsonian and spending the day there... unless I am missing something?

I am staying in McLean and will have a rental car..it is a Friday and I have to be back in Mclean for a function @ 6:00 pm

FrankS

Hi Dawn!
Call your Congressperson and see if you can be scheduled for a tour of Congress and the Senate.

HappyTrvlr

The Smithsonian Museums are wonderful, so well done. Start with the American History Museum. If you had more time The Air and Space Museum and The Museum of the American Indian are also interesting to visit.

tchoiniere

Since none of the Smithsonians open until 10, you may have a few hours before to start (depends on when you will be getting to DC from McLean).

I would actually walk the Monuments starting with the FDR Monument then clockwise past the Wash. Monument - mostly covering the 3 War Memorials unless you have visited them. Then head to the Smithsonian or two of your choosing. my 2 favorites are the Air & Space and the American History Museum. Or instead of the Monuments, go to Arlington Cemetery first thing in the morning.

Momddtravel2

Frank that is a great idea! I hope it is not too late! My congressman actually lives in my neighborhod and is a member of my church - so I might be in luck!

tch - not sure I will get to DC before 10 - it is my understanding from my husband that travels to the area often says travel is a bear... ?

Happy - good call!

Momddtravel2

Frank - I spoke to their office and submitted the form - good call - should be fine! Excited

FrankS

Im excited too Dawn! and Im not even tagging along. I think its the best tour in DC, even better than the Whitehouse tour. Another bonus is that you share your tour with other people from your district. There were about 9 total in my group, we got along so well on the tour we all walked to a nearby casual Peruvian restaurant for a late lunch

Momddtravel2

Frank I will let you know what ends up happening! Hope it works out!
I was mistaken (for the record) my congressman is not who I was thinking of - I was thinking of my house representative.

FrankS

I look forward to hearing about the trip and if you catch Congress in session. Its neat to watch them from the balcony, but neater when they just quickly brush by you when on the tour

obxgirl

The Congressional tour sounds super -- hope that works out.

I'll add the following suggestions:

There is a wonderful holiday market that runs through December at 8th & F Streets NW in front of the Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum. I've enjoyed being a shopper and an exhibitor there in the past. Also ongoing in December is a special Van Gogh show at the Phillips Collection as well as a recommended exhibition on JFK at the Newseum in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Haven't seen the latter two but they are on my list to explore this month.

Driving into DC doesn't have to be any more than unpleasant urban congestion if you time it correctly. Plan in advance your place to park your car, presumably a garage.

longhorn55

Hopefully your Representative offers 'personal' tours by a staffer or intern. (I understand that some Representatives just submit requests for the regular public tours.) The staffer/intern tours are smaller and you can go more at your own pace. Also, you might have the chance to ride the Members' subway from the House Office Bldg. to the Capitol, which is cool. If your tour is around lunchtime, a good choice for lunch is the Longworth HOB Dining Hall. It's like a food court, but there are a lot of choices of food, the quality is very good and the prices are quite reasonable. Just ask the staffer or any guard how to get there.

Do not plan to park on the street in D.C. Parking is hard to find and the restrictions can be confusing--even to those of us who live in the area. But most importantly, parking enforcement is RABID. Popular parking garages for all-day parking are at Union Station or the Ronald Reagan Bldg. Or find a garage at: http://washingtondc.bestparking.com/

tchoiniere

The other option if you decide not to head all the way into DC would be the Udvar-Hazy Air Museum at Dulles which is part of the Smithsonian.

yestravel

If you enjoy art and architecture, the Kreeger Museum on Foxhall Rd is wonderful. Since you have a car you could try and go on your way into or out of DC. http://www.kreegermuseum.org
Have you seen the Roosevelt memorial? I think it's one of the nicest memorials in DC.
Also agree with box on the Phillips - its regular collection is great. I haven't seen the JFK exhibit at the Newseum yet but several friends have and thought it not that great. That said a second visit to Newseum for you would still be nice. It's got so much to see and absorb.
Have fun!

gardendiva

I am not familar with where McLean is in relation to DC but the one time that I drove to DC we parked in Alexandria and took the Metro into DC. You may be able to find a similar situation.

I enjoyed the National Archives. If I remember correctly, tours start at 9am. The one I took lasted about 1 1/2 hours.

tchoiniere

I would highly recommend the JFK exhibit at the Newseum.

kja

"I am thinking of going to the Smithsonian and spending the day there." -- not sure what that means, as there are multiple Smithsonian museums, any one of which can take part or all of a day. But they are worth it, so go for it!

AtlTravelr

I only had a few hours in DC this last week and made it to the American history museum for the first time. I loved it! Quite my kind of museum-a relatively small number of objects presented so as to tell a story. I didn't get to see it all and will definitely go back. I was there on a Monday, arriving right about 10 and it was not crowded, easy to get around, and I really found some of it quite moving. Highly recommend!

5alive

The prior comments are correct about the Congressional tour. We just did the general one. It was quite a large group, hard to hear, and therefore not the most rewarding. We did love seeing the small intersection where all the streets in DC stem from. A tour led by your congress rep's interns would probably be more interesting.

We really loved the Smithsonian American History museum. So much to see. The exhibit hall on the flag and the Star Spangled Banner was really well done. The third floor had something for everyone...Kermit, Roberto Clemente's jersey, so many pieces from American history.

Enjoy your day.

yestravel

"love seeing the small intersection where all the streets in DC stem from". Where is that?

DebitNM

Dupont Circle??