We did not get a White House tour. We were rejected.

What'd you do - vote for Obama?

I might suggest you rethink Hershey. I had that included in a trip with my then 16 yr old and it was a total flop.

Holocaust Museum takes at least a half day to give it justice and I think your kids are too young.

Air and Space and the Spy Museum would be at the top of my list for that age. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History would also be on the top of the list. Skip the zoo as there are so many places now with nice zoos.

The Lincoln Memorial is certainly worth a visit, as well as most of the other major monuments. The last time I was there with my family the WW2 monument was about to be decicated. It is moving too.

Save the White House for another trip and include the Congress. You need to arrange those trips through your state representatives way in advance as mentioned previously.

We went to Washington DC this past summer with our boys who are 11 and 13. I agree with other posters about skipping the zoo and the Holocaust Museum. Fyi, the White House and Congressional tours need to be planned far in advance through your congressman.

Our sons really enjoyed the Bureau of Printing and Engraving where you can actually see money being printed. You need to go there early in the morning to get timed tickets for the BPE tours. The BPE is a much better choice than touring the actual Treasury Department.

We also liked the International Spy Museum. The boys' favorite Smithsonian museums were the Air and Space Museum (and we wish we had had time to go the newer facility near Dulles), the Museum of Natural History, and the modern art museum on the mall (perhaps another poster can recall its precise name).

Walking around the monuments and the mall was a good break from the museums.

The modern art museum you are thinking of is probably the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

You might want to consider seeing the monuments and memorials at night. They are beautiful when they are all lit up, and you can walk between all of them fairly easily. The Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and FDR Memorial are some of my favorites. If you go at night, it will free up some time for the other things you want to do during the day.

The Capitol just opened their new visitor's center, and I don't think you have to get tickets in advance. You might want to look into it.

I agree with the previous posters, it takes me days to recover from the Holocaust Museum. It's incredibly powerful and intense. An amazing place, but possibly too much for young people.

Another vote for putting Air and Space Museum as well as the Spy Museum as top priorities.

Now back to your rental car. How about driving it to the closest Dollar Office to your DC hotel and dropping it there thus avoiding the airport fee, and 3-4 days of very high parking fees?

Another vote for Air + Space and the Spy Museum as priorities, but your kids' votes should take top priority. Can't agree more with those who suggest you have them get online and do some research, and maybe each pick one or two top choices. I'd avoid the Holocaust Museum with kids this age, frankly. While so important to see, it's a pretty harrowing experience even for adults.

Going online will also help you confirm what's open - for example, the American History museum (Dorothy's shoes, Archie Bunker's chair, etc. etc.) has been closed for renovations for some time (though they have moved a couple of the popular exhibits elsewhere), so check to see when it reopens. Another one to check is the Newseum - it just opened last April -- basically a history of the media in the US., very interactive, has a mini newsroom where kids can take turns at the newscast desk.

When will you be visiting? Timing really matters - if it's a holiday weekend and/or school vacation, expect crowds and lines at all the major museums + sites like the Washington Monument. Some museums (Spy?) may still require tickets in advance during those times. If you're coming in the summer, add the heat and humidity factor to the lines -- bring lots of sunscreen and water (some people use umbrellas to keep the rays off too!).

I'd second the motion to do a bus or trolley tour of the monuments, especially a night-time one when they're lit up. I wouldn't plan to walk between them, especially with a kid that tires easily, unless you're only doing ones that are very close to one another (e.g. Lincoln + Vietnam). The Mall is huge and spread out - they're not all that close to one another.

Re: the rental car: Definitely see if you can find a way to return it to a Dollar in DC, then you can use SuperShuttle or one of the other airport van companies to get to BWI. You'll end up saving quite a bit of money, between fewer rental days + no parking garage fees, since if you DO keep the car you should definitely garage it while there. For tourists, DC is very manageable by Metro and you will not want to deal with the hassles of all the one-way streets, rush-hour parking restrictions, no-lefts at certain times of day, and traffic jams.

Have fun and thanks for visiting!

With boys that age I would do the following:

Smithsonian: Air and Space and Natural History (forget the others)
White House (contact your representative now)
The Capitol (ditto)
Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
WWII monument
Spy Musuem
Mount Vernon

Can't imagine they wold be interested in Hersehy - I thought that was for little kids.

For that age I'd recommend a 90-minute tour with DC Ducks http://www.dcducks.com/about.htm
to quickly cover the major buildings and memorials.

Spend a couple hours in each of the Smithsonian museums that might interest them (Air & Space, Natural History and American History being the most likely). I think the boys are old enough to benefit from a couple hours at the Holocaust Museum, too, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is right next door. Do your research to minimize waiting in line for these.

The National Zoo is worth a visit just for the giant pandas, which are near the Connecticut Ave entrance. Taking a taxi would be quickest, but if the boys have never been on a subway you should experience the Metro. Take the Red Line to the Cleveland Park stop and walk 5 minutes south (downhill) to the zoo, rather than getting off at the Woodley Park/Zoo stop and walking 5 minutes uphill to the zoo. When it's time to return to the Mall area use can walk down to Woodley Park. The zoo isn't too far from the National Cathedral, so if you want to visit (it feels like you're in Europe) take a cab there from the zoo.

The children would enjoy the Spy Museum and the Newseum, but these have entrance fees so you'll need to look at your schedule to see if it's worth it on this short visit.

Enjoy!

When is your trip?

Let me speak to Hershey, since there have been detractors here:

I like Hershey for Hershey Park, and the chocolate there really is fresh, better than what you'll get at home.

Hershey Chocolate World (company visitor's center) is a Disney-like ride through an exhibit that explains the chocolate process. The ride ends at a huge retail area with all kinds of souvenirs. I had the BEST chocolate milkshake there. Chocolate World is separate from Hershey Park. The last time I was there, it was free.

Hershey Park is a really great amusement park with something for everyone. If your kids like roller coasters, they will enjoy Hershey Park. There's also a small zoo in the park.

As for DC, be sure to check the hours for the Smithsonian museums you want to visit. Suggest you plan to hit those in the morning to give you time to see what you want to see. The last time I was in DC I was surprised at the time the museums closed, it seemed early to me.

I know you didn't mention it, but when I was that age I enjoyed Ford's Theater and Mt. Vernon (and the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, and the monuments). You know your kids best! Most sites in DC are free, but the Spy Museum is a private enterprise and I thought the tickets were expensive. But I suppose that's countered by the fact that most everything else is free.

Just want to mention that it's not necessary to contact your representative to get Capitol tour tickets, you can schedule a tour on-line through the new visitor's center site:

http://www.visitthecapitol.gov/

Also wanted to mention that the Museum of American History (previously closed for renovations) has reopened.

Bookmarking

Re: The rental car.

You'll never find a parking space for it. Instead, you'll either spend 3 days circling round and round looking for a parking space, or leave it behind and take the Metro, walk, or taxi. If you must have your car, do not drive it into D.C. Hopefully instead you will be staying somewhere offering free parking (outside D.C.) and can leave it at the hotel or Metro. Otherwise, taking Super Shuttle or similar from the airport and back is a better idea; you don't need a car in D.C.

Re: Your itinerary.

I don't think we could do this in a week. Skip the zoo. Pick one or two of the Smithsonian museums and plan to spend one day doing just that. The Treasury is really neat, make room for that. Will you be there for the Inaguration? If so, I'd plan a week plus a couple more days.

Anyway, the Air & Space Museum would be fun for the boys. There's 19 museums and 9 research centers, you know. Maybe pay a visit to the Castle, just to pick up some flavor. Pick another, for if you have time: http://www.si.edu/visit/
-- they might like the American History Museum, if they like very old cars and such. Or the Natural History Museum, for dinosaurs and a host of strange stuff (saw bugs one year).