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I am planning a trip to DC in late April with our two kids (9, 11). I'm looking for hotel recommendations (I've been looking at the Courtyard Marriott near the Capital Building) and suggestions of things to do. This is my list so far:
Capital Building Tour
Zoo
Spy Museum
National Air and Space
We will have 2.5 days to do DC before we move on to seeing friends and family in the NoVa suburbs.
Air and Space museum is pretty cool but you could save it for when you are out in the suburbs. Hopefully the govt shutdown is over by then!
Monuments/memorials and national mall are obviously nice to walk around. Should be good weather by then. I haven't looked up cherry blossom schedule but that is probably earlier than you are coming. Have fun!!
I would recommend the Marriott Residence Inn at 333 E St SW. From there you can easily walk to everything in the mall area. You will have a free breakfast, but also a full kitchen in case you just want to stay in after a long day on your feet.
On Day 1 I would recommend just walking the entire area to see all the monuments and memorials. From there you could decide what specific museums you want to see on day 2.
stayed at the Klimpton Hotel Monaco a few years ago and recall we got a pretty decent rate on Hot Wire at the time. It is across the street from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and just around the corner from Ford's Theatre and close to the subway station. We walked easily to the mall and beyond from there. Left the car at the garage at the depot for a few days when there as it wasn't needed.
Reach out to your congressional office and they will likely provide a back of the scenes escort for the capitol tour, thus avoiding the mobs and saving a lot of time.
Air and Space museum is pretty cool but you could save it for when you are out in the suburbs. Hopefully the govt shutdown is over by then!
Monuments/memorials and national mall are obviously nice to walk around. Should be good weather by then. I haven't looked up cherry blossom schedule but that is probably earlier than you are coming. Have fun!!
I'm hoping the shutdown is over by then. I'm trying to come up with a Plan B if it isn't as this is our kids spring break.
Is the Air and Space near Dulles the same or better than the one down in DC?
One of my favorites is the the tour of the Library of Congress. Gorgeous building.
I also really like the American History Museum and the Portrait Gallery. I didn't think I'd like a museum of portraits all that much, but it turns out that paintings of famous faces can be surprisingly thought provoking.
Agree that Air and Space Museum is worth visiting while you're out in the Nova suburbs. Spy Museum is ok, but it's pricey and it has the same problem the Newseum has. The interactive exhibits get so crowded that you really can't enjoy them.
One thing we've always enjoyed doing in DC is walking along the display of daily newspapers in front of the Newseum. Every day they post the front pages from 60 or 70 newspapers. Basiclly, at least one from every state and some from other countries. Fascinating to see how different cities report their angle on the same events, which story is considered the top news, and what's happening locally across the country.
I am planning a trip to DC in late April with our two kids (9, 11). I'm looking for hotel recommendations (I've been looking at the Courtyard Marriott near the Capital Building) and suggestions of things to do. This is my list so far:
Capital Building Tour
Zoo
Spy Museum
National Air and Space
We will have 2.5 days to do DC before we move on to seeing friends and family in the NoVa suburbs.
I'd look at the Capitol Hilton Hotel. Its across Lafayette Park from the White House
You might consider these attractions:
American History Museum
National Archives
Arlington Cemetery and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
White House tour (If you set it up immediately)
Natural History Museum
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam War Memorial
World War II Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
Paddle Boats in the Tidal Basin (kids will like them)
Washington Monument
Holocaust Museum (intense, but very educational for the kids)
Bureau of Printing and Engraving
FDR Memorial
MLK Memorial
Supreme Court Building and Tour
I would also encourage you to consider nighttime as well as day time. You might catch a play at the Kennedy Center or at the smaller, but more historic, Ford's Theater.
April is indeed busy, Spring Break + Cherry Blossom related tourism.
One thing I'd suggest is the Korean War Memorial. It's right there on the Mall with the rest and seems to fly under the radar for many visitors since not as high profile a war and not a memorial with a huge physical footprint, but IMO it is one of the coolest war memorials in the world both artistically and emotionally. Bonus = it's one of the few that even better to visit in poor weather.
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