Museums and Monuments...Family trip to DC

[duff]

Any gems off the beaten path. 2 girls, one 10 the other 8.

We are going to be there the first full week of April.

Thanks.

[GoodKarma]

The International Spy Museum, if you consider that off the beaten path enough.

[The Sybian]

The International Spy Museum, if you consider that off the beaten path enough.

I was going to say that, but I don't know if girls would be into it. I took my kids there, but they were too excited to play with my friend's son, so they mostly ran past the exhibits. I think 10 and 8 are good ages for the museum. I love it, as I am a Cold War buff, and read a lot about the history of the CIA, KGB and espionage in general. My point being, you can enjoy the museum on several levels. They have some interactive stuff, like an air duct you can call through and spy on the people below you.

[howard]

…I am a Cold War buff

How you diggin' part II ?

[Pruitt]

The International Spy Museum, if you consider that off the beaten path enough.

I was going to say that, but I don't know if girls would be into it. I took my kids there, but they were too excited to play with my friend's son, so they mostly ran past the exhibits. I think 10 and 8 are good ages for the museum. I love it, as I am a Cold War buff, and read a lot about the history of the CIA, KGB and espionage in general. My point being, you can enjoy the museum on several levels. They have some interactive stuff, like an air duct you can call through and spy on the people below you.

My son loved it when he was 10.

But then again... a boy.

The National Gallery of Art - while certainly on the beaten track - has a really cool sculpture garden. Great place to dine al fresco. Greta gallery too.

[DaveInSeattle]

Never been, but I've heard the Newseum (http://www.newseum.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) is supposed to be great.

[wlu_lax6]

Never been, but I've heard the Newseum (http://www.newseum.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) is supposed to be great.

Newseum is great (on the mall near the capital). So is the Spy Museum. It is just hard to feel good about paying for a museum when you have so many free ones in DC (Kids will love the American History and Natural History---bug zoo/hope diamond). American Art Museum is my favorite art museum for young kids. It is by the Verizon Center.

If you do the monuments..Do them after dark. They are just much cooler and Vietnam, MLK, and Korea and more impact with the lighting. If you can get a tour of the capital building or white house...go for it (call your congressman).

The archives are great. Not just the main exhibit (Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, etc) but the side exhibits are fantastic.

The National Building Museum can be GREAT or a waste. Really depends on the exhibits.

Go to Arlington Cemetery (easy walk from the Lincoln).

It is a long one, but if you kids can handle it...Holocaust Museum. If not, next door is the Bureau of Engraving.

For eating. Food truck scene in DC is strong. There are not many food options on the mall.

Neighborhoods to explore, Dupont (Politics and Prose is a great bookstore where you can sometimes come across interesting folks), Georgetown (you can rent a kayak or canoe at the waterfront), Capitol Hill, U-street.

Insider trick. Don't get suckered by the tourist bus, etc. Between Metro, the Circulator, and walking, you can pretty much get around.

[wlu_lax6]

Oh and of course Ford Theater. This is a must stop. Between the theater and house across the street where Lincoln died, it is a good stop. I think that maybe one of the best museum stops in DC. Combine that with either Spy museum or American Art museum from a location stand point. You are also in a good spot for lots of food options.

More off the beaten path
The Kreeger Museum

[Ryan]

The Air and Space thing out near Dulles is like 73 hours away, and it's sort of antiseptic. But I thought it was very cool. Like, holy shit, there's the Enola Gay. And the space shuttle. And a Concorde. If the kids would at all be impressed, I'd go.

[wlu_lax6]

The Air and Space thing out near Dulles is like 73 hours away, and it's sort of antiseptic. But I thought it was very cool. Like, holy shit, there's the Enola Gay. And the space shuttle. And a Concorde. If the kids would at all be impressed, I'd go.

There used to be a free shuttle from the downtown air and space to the Udvar Hazy at Dulles. Unless you want to look at full sized airplanes I would stay downtown.

[BSF21]

The Air and Space thing out near Dulles is like 73 hours away, and it's sort of antiseptic. But I thought it was very cool. Like, holy shit, there's the Enola Gay. And the space shuttle. And a Concorde. If the kids would at all be impressed, I'd go.

I loved the Air and Space when I went to DC. Not sure if it would get a couple of young girls excited, but if it would, go for it. I've had a love for planes and space since I was young so it was super cool for me at like 15/16 to see all that.

[A_B]

Having two daughters, you'd be surprised what typical "boy" things are interesting to them. You guys are being weird about it.

[BSF21]

Having two daughters, you'd be surprised what typical "boy" things are interesting to them. You guys are being weird about it.

I didn't want to come off like I know. I just remember my sister at 8-10 and she couldn't have given 2 shits about planes or science or anything that wasn't American Girl Doll related.

[duff]

Yeah, they are super excited about the Spy museum. And all the 8 year old talks about is the Air and Space museum. We will be hitting those, along with the zoo, Ford Theater, the National Archive and we have the Capitol tour all set up for Friday morning with one of the pages (or interns) from our representative. We sent in all the info for a White House tour, but haven't heard anything back yet.

Thanks for the tip on the monuments at night. Last time I was there we did them in the day time. Not sure the girls could handle the Holocaust Museum. My wife barely made it through when we were there 12 years or so ago.

Thanks for all the info. Any kid friendly restaurants recommended?

[A_B]

Yeah, they are super excited about the Spy museum. And all the 8 year old talks about is the Air and Space museum. We will be hitting those, along with the zoo, Ford Theater, the National Archive and we have the Capitol tour all set up for Friday morning with one of the pages (or interns) from our representative. We sent in all the info for a White House tour, but haven't heard anything back yet.

Thanks for the tip on the monuments at night. Last time I was there we did them in the day time. Not sure the girls could handle the Holocaust Museum. My wife barely made it through when we were there 12 years or so ago.

Thanks for all the info. Any kid friendly restaurants recommended?

Probably not for girls.

[mister d]

Having two daughters, you'd be surprised what typical "boy" things are interesting to them. You guys are being weird about it.

Can't wait for our multi-family trip to the Tampon History Museum and Nail Parlor and Pony Shop in June, AB!

[L-Jam3]

Echo everything above, and there are few things that give me a bigger Amerection than the Air & Space Museum.

[BSF21]

Yeah, they are super excited about the Spy museum. And all the 8 year old talks about is the Air and Space museum. We will be hitting those, along with the zoo, Ford Theater, the National Archive and we have the Capitol tour all set up for Friday morning with one of the pages (or interns) from our representative. We sent in all the info for a White House tour, but haven't heard anything back yet.

Thanks for the tip on the monuments at night. Last time I was there we did them in the day time. Not sure the girls could handle the Holocaust Museum. My wife barely made it through when we were there 12 years or so ago.

Thanks for all the info. Any kid friendly restaurants recommended?

Georgetown has a neat old timey soda/malt shop they'd dig I'll bet.

Not sure if they let girls in.

[Ryan]

There is an American Doll Girl thing in DC - it's called the Madison Memorial. SHORT GUYS ARE WOMEN!

[Steve of phpBB]

Unless your kids have been there before, I think the stuff that is on the beaten path is probably the best for kids that age. My kids were about the same age when we took them, and they got into the standard stuff, like the Capitol, the Smithsonian, Air and Space, the Zoo.

[Moreta]

My then 10 year old girl loved the Spy Museum and seeing the Constitution at the Archives. She also loved the ball pit at the National Building Museum, but that ended in September. She also really liked Air & Space (we went to the Udvar Hazy), mostly because of the shuttle.

The zoo is okay, but if your kids are fairly good walkers, it can be done in half a day. We had to see the pandas.

Nowhere we ate really made much of an impression so I'm no help there. When I travel with the kids, food is always more a matter of convenience than intention. I hear the best museum food on the mall is at the American Indian Museum, but we never made it there.

We did the monuments/memorials at night and the only one I thought suffered was the FDR one. My younger kids got a kick out of the fact that they included Fala, his dog.

The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington made quite an impression on my crew, but they're all just a bit older.

[mister d]

[hushed voice] "Now he's going to go climb back into the grave and a different soldier will stand outside."

[Moreta]

[hushed voice] "Now he's going to go climb back into the grave and a different soldier will stand outside."

One of my teenagers tried to convince the youngest (who is not gullible and was TEN, so not exactly clueless either) that the guard was there to keep the zombies from escaping.

[Ryan]

I'm listening...

[govmentchedda]

Yeah, they are super excited about the Spy museum. And all the 8 year old talks about is the Air and Space museum. We will be hitting those, along with the zoo, Ford Theater, the National Archive and we have the Capitol tour all set up for Friday morning with one of the pages (or interns) from our representative. We sent in all the info for a White House tour, but haven't heard anything back yet.

Thanks for the tip on the monuments at night. Last time I was there we did them in the day time. Not sure the girls could handle the Holocaust Museum. My wife barely made it through when we were there 12 years or so ago.

Thanks for all the info. Any kid friendly restaurants recommended?

I remember the food in the Native American museum being really good. I believe it's a Smithsonian, and on the Mall, sort of close to the capitol. It's not your standard hotdog, chicken finger type food that most museums offer.

[wlu_lax6]

Yeah, they are super excited about the Spy museum. And all the 8 year old talks about is the Air and Space museum. We will be hitting those, along with the zoo, Ford Theater, the National Archive and we have the Capitol tour all set up for Friday morning with one of the pages (or interns) from our representative. We sent in all the info for a White House tour, but haven't heard anything back yet.

Thanks for the tip on the monuments at night. Last time I was there we did them in the day time. Not sure the girls could handle the Holocaust Museum. My wife barely made it through when we were there 12 years or so ago.

Thanks for all the info. Any kid friendly restaurants recommended?

Where are you staying? There are lots of options so I would narrow to location

Places to consider, Rosa Mexicana (near verizon center), Ted's Bulletin (if you are on Capitol Hill)..but there are a ton of good options up there. While a chain, not sure it is huge in the U.S. yet...Nando' Perri Perri. If you are near dupont...Surfside taco stand...open 24 hours. Matchbox if you want Pizza and you are downtown (verizon center). Booeymongers for lunch if you are in Georgetown. I have never been but Pinstripes in Georgetown is supposed to be fun. I like Coppi's in U-street. If you are near Dupont or the Whitehouse..Bub and Pops for lunch (Diner Drive in and Dash episode). If you are on H-street (not sure you would be there on this trip--backside of capitol hill/union station) there are some good food/bar options (Dangerously Delicious Pies, Biergarten House, etc).

[howard]

This thread reminds me how much I love DC, since my first visit at age 12. I lived there (Bethesda) for six months in college, and just loved all the museums and historical stuff. It's been a few years since I've visited some of them, like Air and Space.

[tennbengal]

Yeah, they are super excited about the Spy museum. And all the 8 year old talks about is the Air and Space museum. We will be hitting those, along with the zoo, Ford Theater, the National Archive and we have the Capitol tour all set up for Friday morning with one of the pages (or interns) from our representative. We sent in all the info for a White House tour, but haven't heard anything back yet.

Thanks for the tip on the monuments at night. Last time I was there we did them in the day time. Not sure the girls could handle the Holocaust Museum. My wife barely made it through when we were there 12 years or so ago.

Thanks for all the info. Any kid friendly restaurants recommended?

Harry's which is near Spy Museum is fun - great bar food (really great burger), but fine for kids. Ollie's Trolley next door is another option.

[tennbengal]

If the kids ride bikes - highly recommend the DC bike share. Can rent bikes quickly on mall and use that to get between Capitol building and Lincoln memorial and is a ton of fun.

[wlu_lax6]

If the kids ride bikes - highly recommend the DC bike share. Can rent bikes quickly on mall and use that to get between Capitol building and Lincoln memorial and is a ton of fun.

Very good recommendation. You can use these to get all around. Will remove some of the complaining for walking too much. Plus they have pickup/drop off spots near most of the major places you would want to go. I.E. you get a short membership and only pay for the time on the bike, not during your time at a monument, museum, etc.
https://www.capitalbikeshare.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Nonlinear FC]

Shit. I was out of town when this thread happened. Hope the trip went well.

The one thing I tell people coming here for the first -- Be aware of how much walking you are going to be doing when lining up your day. I spent a summer working at a snack shop right next to the Wash Monument and the amount of exhausted people, dragging their kids in there for lunch was amazing.

From the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial (the length of The Mall and the Reflecting Pool) is a little under 2.5 miles... about a 45 minute walk. And people are planning on hitting the museums along the way, where you do a shit load of walk-stand-walk-stand... It's exhausting, especially for little kids.

[DSafetyGuy]

Since this thread got bumped, how about restaurants and bars just north of the White House for those who will be there next week without family?

[wlu_lax6]

Since this thread got bumped, how about restaurants and bars just north of the White House for those who will be there next week without family?

When you say "Just North of the White House" are you staying near Farragut Metro? If so will buy you a beer. I work at 17th and K

Lunch--Bubs and Pops, SurfSide, Well Dressed Burrito, or food trucks at Farragut
Dinner- Founding Farmers (this would be my first choice), St. Arnolds, Teddy and the Bully Bar, Firefly, Taberna Del Albardero, CIRCA (near George Washington), Tonic (near George Washington), Georgia Brown (southern)
Bar- Lucky Bar (good spot to watch soccer), Sauf Haus Bier Hall, The Bier Baron Tavern, Big Hunt, Madhatter, Brickskeller Saloon, Barcode, Cities, Bottom Line (rare dive bar in this part of town that has lots of young folks after kickball on the mall)

Misc-Kramerbooks/Afterwords Cafe is not a bad spot to spend time

[DSafetyGuy]

Since this thread got bumped, how about restaurants and bars just north of the White House for those who will be there next week without family?

When you say "Just North of the White House" are you staying near Farragut Metro? If so will buy you a beer. I work at 17th and K

Lunch--Bubs and Pops, SurfSide, Well Dressed Burrito, or food trucks at Farragut
Dinner- Founding Farmers (this would be my first choice), St. Arnolds, Teddy and the Bully Bar, Firefly, Taberna Del Albardero, CIRCA (near George Washington), Tonic (near George Washington), Georgia Brown (southern)
Bar- Lucky Bar (good spot to watch soccer), Sauf Haus Bier Hall, The Bier Baron Tavern, Big Hunt, Madhatter, Brickskeller Saloon, Barcode, Cities, Bottom Line (rare dive bar in this part of town that has lots of young folks after kickball on the mall)

Misc-Kramerbooks/Afterwords Cafe is not a bad spot to spend time

Hopefully, my schedule will allow for you to buy that beer, as I am staying at the Mayflower.

Thanks for the list. Another friend also recommended Bottom Line from his time there.

[govmentchedda]

I had a good time at Brickskeller many moons ago, FWIW.

[wlu_lax6]

Since this thread got bumped, how about restaurants and bars just north of the White House for those who will be there next week without family?

When you say "Just North of the White House" are you staying near Farragut Metro? If so will buy you a beer. I work at 17th and K

Lunch--Bubs and Pops, SurfSide, Well Dressed Burrito, or food trucks at Farragut
Dinner- Founding Farmers (this would be my first choice), St. Arnolds, Teddy and the Bully Bar, Firefly, Taberna Del Albardero, CIRCA (near George Washington), Tonic (near George Washington), Georgia Brown (southern)
Bar- Lucky Bar (good spot to watch soccer), Sauf Haus Bier Hall, The Bier Baron Tavern, Big Hunt, Madhatter, Brickskeller Saloon, Barcode, Cities, Bottom Line (rare dive bar in this part of town that has lots of young folks after kickball on the mall)

Misc-Kramerbooks/Afterwords Cafe is not a bad spot to spend time

Hopefully, my schedule will allow for you to buy that beer, as I am staying at the Mayflower.

Thanks for the list. Another friend also recommended Bottom Line from his time there.

Let me know I am 1/2 block from the Mayflower. Room 817 is the Spitzer one. Lewinsky and Judith Exner were also staying their during their presidential fun.

[testuser2]

Really late to this... Money museum is fun. Need to get tickets in the morning and it's only weekdays. I'd second the night bus tours of the monuments. Kids are tired by that point and loved to have some sitting time.