What to do with kids in DC
 

I am traveling with a 3, 7 and 9 year old and would like to give the family sanity time while in DC. Is there a good place to take the kids give them a break from the walking or going to another museum?

The Zoo.

Another vote for the zoo. Best of all, I believe it still has free admission. I am not sure, though, since it has been a few years for me.

If you have a car, there is a large park/campground outside of DC in Manassas. Bull Run Campground is huge with a playground, picnic areas, stables, disc golf, pools, wildlife trails,etc. It is about 15 minutes (by cab) from the nearest metro station if you don't have a car. It would be a great place to take the kids for a pleasant afternoon to let them run off some energy.

Shaz,

Do they still have the huge four leaf clover pool? God, I loved that as a kid!

Yes, the Zoo is still free, we were there about six months ago and the kids loved it.
So did we.

Dan
www.familyroadtrippers.blogspot.com

If you're going in the winter, you can take them ice skating at the Sculpture Garden outside the National Gallery of Art. During the summer, you can rent paddleboats at the Tidal Basin. Any time of year, the kids can kick or toss a ball around on the Mall. You can rent bicycles and take a ride up the C&O Canal.

I wouldn't recommend it for a 3-yo, but if you visit Great Falls National Park in Maryland, the Billy Goat trail is a challenging rock scramble that should wear your kids (and you) out. The views are awesome.

Sorry clueless I didn't go to the pool. Teenage daughters did and all they commented on was the cute lifeguards. I'm glad someone has been there. We went in July and the entire vast park was almost deserted.

My son (age 9) asked me to also recommend a visit to the Botanical Gardens. Don't miss the catwalk over the jungle room.

The most important thing is not to overpack the days and take breaks. Too many people come to DC and turn it into a vacation deathmarch. Plan two or three things and then stop. Allow time for playing in the fountains, riding the carousel, looking at the animals at the Natural History museum. If you have everything scheduled down to the minute, you will make your kids miserable.

There is another outdoor skating rink called Pershing Park. I think it is on Pennsylvania, just a few blocks east of the White House. It is less crowded than the scultpure garden. The one in the sculpture garden is nicer because you are in the sculpture garden, but I think they are about the same size.

What time of year are you traveling Leann?

Definately need to know what time of year and where you are staying.

You could take a tour - the DC Duck tour - no walking, it actually takes a float into the Potomac.

Do a picnic at Haines point. Cool statue / sculpture at the end they will find fun. You get to watch the planes land at the airport.

Zoo is AWESOME.

8-)

My kids loved Mt. Vernon, Washington's home. They also liked watching money being printed at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.

I am staying in March.
I will be splitting the hotel (Priceline) between a hotel walking distance from the Capitol and in one in Georgetown.

Your kids might enjoy a show at the Smithsonian's Discovery Theater. It's located near the Mall.

http://www.discoverytheater.com/season/march.htm

Hmmm, March could be cold, warm, or a mixture of both. You've gotten a lot of great suggestions for days on which the weather is nice. Here are a couple more:
-- ask the staff at your Capitol Hill hotel how to get to Garfield Park, which is just several blocks away -- they have a huge playground with separate sections for both big and small kids
-- while in Georgetown, take a stroll along the waterfront at Washington Harbor; there are short river cruises that leave from there, this is one example: http://www.capitolrivercruises.com/tours.html
-- among the monuments that are particularly child-friendly is the FDR memorial, which has a number of water features, places to sit, and space to run around

For days when the weather is cold, the museums are truly your friend, not something to escape from! There are plenty of activites at the National Gallery and Smithsonian museums especially geared for children, including some provide a break from walking. The Discovery Theater cited above is one great example, but there are also children's films, storytelling sessions, performances and hands-on activites. You could start by perusing this site for the Smithsonian: http://www.si.edu/kids/ and this for the National Gallery: http://www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm Also check the individual Smithsonian museum websites -- many of them have activity guides that will help the kids get more out of the museums.

The Museum of Natural History has a couple of things that kids of your ages are likely to find particularly interesting. One is the mammal exhibit, which includes a brief film toward the end that taught me a lot, but was visually interesting enough to have my 4 year old nephew asking to watch it again and again. Another is the "Discovery Room" which is kind of like a giant scientific and cultural playroom for kids -- lots of stuff they can actually touch. It is only open limited hours, so check on the website or at the information desk for more info.

As someone suggested above, museums do not have to be a death march -- focus on one or two things in each museum that match your kids' interests, let the older kids in particular help select. Make a visit to the one of the art museums into a game -- e.g., see how many pictures of boats you can find. Let the kids pick out one picture postcard at each museum. Stop for a break in the museum cafeteria (the ones at the Natural History Museum, East Wing of the National Gallery, and the MdDonald's at Air and Space are particularly bright and airy), read a story, draw something they saw at the museum, etc.

Good luck!

Zoo is a great idea as is Mount Vernon. Also, pack a frisbee and let the kids run on the Mall.

As for staying half time in Georgetown, there's not much there for kids. I'm guessing the appeal is shopping.

The logistics to getting to Bull Run Park could be daunting. You're tempting fate with a 60-mile round trip that includes heavy doses of the I-66 that can be brutal with a cab meter running.

Closer options would be Hain's Point playground (quick, cheap cab), Turtle Park in NW or the Kalorama playground.

In Md, Cabin John Region Park just a few minutes from Bethesda. Wheaton Regional also has a nice collection of play equipment, including a train, and there's adjacent Brookside Garden. In Arlington, Va., a friend there reports that Woodmont Park with a ton of play equipment.

Another option might be the Montgomery County Swim Center near the White Flint (Red Line) Metro. A couple of indoor pools, including kiddie size, and a long water slide.

Also, Pershing Park rink is much smaller than the sculpture garden, almost too small but usually less crowded. Won't be open when OP is here.

I recommend you pack snacks and drinks with you, maybe a mat or blanket, and take breaks between the museums and memorials. Just play it by ear. There are plenty of outdoor grassy areas for kids to run around and let loose after tiptoeing through the museums and memorials. The restaurant at the Air and Space Museum is also great for families to grab lunch.

We took our kids when they were 5 and 7. Today when I ask them what they remember most of DC, it was feeding the squirrels apples in the park (we don't have squirrels where we live).

Definitely the Zoo!!! There is also a small Aquarium in the bottom of one of the government buildings...I believe it's the National Aquarium. There is a childrens museum as well, that I used to LOVE going to as a kid. You can touch and play with just about anything. Of course there are all the Smithsonians. The museum of Natural History was always a fun one...and I believe in the Insect section, there is an interactive area for kids. The American History Museum is fun too...as they have Kermit the Frog, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of OZ and a whole bunch of fun stuff!!! There is also a Carosel and a couple of skating rinks on the mall. Good luck and have fun!!!