New to area - what's a "can't miss?" (Alexandria: house, school)

[Aliciartodd]

We are new to the NOVA/DC area. We are going to be here for a few years and have three young kids. What are the things that we want to make sure we see and do around here?

[VAFan]

That all depends on what your family likes to do. You haven't told us anything that you are interested in.

Museums, parks, boating, fishing, cooking, arch., etc, etc. The list could go on and on. There are tons of things to explore in this area.

[Vectorhead]

How old are your kids?

[Aliciartodd]

Our kids are young (under 5) but we will be here for 3 years. We like lots of different things. Mostly when we are in a new place I like to get us out and experience all the unique things the area has to offer...museums, activities, small towns, festivals, easy hikes, etc. Basically what should we see and do before we leave this area?

[Carlingtonian]

Walk past the White House.

National Air/Space Museum--esp. the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly (with has a U-2 and an SR-71).

[ICS67]

For starters, in no particular order:

National Zoo
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Mount Vernon
Washington Monument, whenever it reopens
Great Falls

[JfromReston]

Great Falls (Either MD or VA sides)
Old Post Office Tower (12 & Pennsylvania)
Teddy Roosevelt Island

[tgbwc]

When my son was younger, he (and us too), really enjoyed the Railway Festival in Manassas. It is held in the beginning of June. If your kids like trains, riding trains, and looking at all kinds of model train displays, it's pretty cool. You can ride the VRE train from Manassas to Clifton and back. It popped into my head when you mentioned the age of the kids and festivals.

http://media.visitmanassas.org/event...t.aspx?id=9075

[michgc]

Smithsonians:
-Air and Space Museum (both the downtown one and Udva Hazy)
-Natural History
-American History
-American Indian
-White House - walk around it; take pictures - great at Christmastime to see the trees. If you can get a tour inside, do that, write your congressman or former one.
-Climb the Washington Monument (is it still closed?). Great fun for the kids
-Visit Captol Hill (and sing songs from Schoolhouse Rock)
-In the spring, see the cherry blossoms by the Jefferson Memorial
-Go up the tower of the Old Post Office for a good view of the city
-Visit the fireworks downtown on July 4 at least once before you move away
-Climb into your car one evening and do a drive downtown just to see the lights and monuments lit up.

Most of the above places are pretty unique to the US capital and cannot be replicated around the country.

Also great:
-National Zoo
-Great Falls Hike
-Botanic Gardens
-Newseum (adults or older children primarily)
-Spy Museum (adults or older children primarily)
-Walk Old Town Alexandria
-Visit to Annapolis Maryland (home to the Naval Academy)
-Drive out west in late spring/summer/fall to go strawberry picking, blueberry picking, apple picking, and for pumpkin festivals (great fun for little ones)
-Visit the Shenandoah Mountains for a hike or a drive or camping.
-Vist the Baltimore Aquarium/Inner Harbor/Port Discovery
-Visit Fort McHenry in Baltimore (fun for kids)
-Civil War battlefields - local ones such as Bull Run or do an overnight up to Gettysburg, PA
-Catch a National's baseball game
-Harper's Ferry - great little historic town that the Appalchian Trail goes through
-And for a weekend trip, historic Williamsburg cannot be beat

I probably missed something obvious, but that's what I think are the highlights of the DC area

[choff5]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Walk past the White House.

National Air/Space Museum--esp. the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly (with has a U-2 and an SR-71).

One suggestion and little know fact about Udvar-Hazy, while it is free admission you have to pay for parking BUT it is free after 4:00 pm and at this time of year it is open until 5:30, probably a little later in the summer. Living in South Riding it is in your backyard so you might be able to do that, if you can survive the rush hour traffic on 50 though at that time.

Another place that is unique, especially if your kids love airplanes and don't mind loud noise, is Gravelly Point Park, a little park off of the GW Parkway at the end of the runway at Regan National. You can feel like you could touch the planes as they take off or land at National.