With the cherry trees blooming, spring break is the perfect time for a trip to Washington DC. Our capital city is truly an amazing family travel destination. With the Smithsonian Museums and national monuments open free of charge, it can also be a very friendly trip to your wallet. We chose to drive to DC as it is 10 hours away from our home, and we knew we could make it in a day. That saved us quite a bit as well because it would have cost approximately $1,350 to fly the three of us to DC. It took four tanks of gas which ran about $225. You might want to consider flying, however, if you live more than a day’s drive away.
The George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria
We researched several Washington DC hotels finally choosing to stay in Alexandria, Virginia, at the Hampton Inn on King Street. This Washington DC hotel is located just one block from the King Street Metro station and just across the Potomac from Washington DC. We’ve stayed in quite a few Hampton Inns and this one was a bit old but comfortable. We really didn’t spend much time in the room anyway. The staff was very accommodating. I needed a refrigerator to store some medication, and they brought one up within 10 minutes. Another Hampton perk is a free, hot breakfast each morning. If you prefer, there is a Dunkin’ Donuts just a few doors down. Alexandria is an historic town itself; however, after touring all day in DC, we didn’t have time or energy to explore this quaint little town. All of the shops and restaurants are built in the colonial style. There are many restaurants to choose from. The Hard Times Cafe has awesome chili and burgers. Be sure to try their tator tots as they are out of this world. We also ate a couple of times at Joe Thiesmann’s restaurant which had great service and a wide selection on the menu.
Washington DC Metro
The Metro
It makes sense to use the Washington DC Metro even if you drive into the city. The Metro is very convenient and easy to use once you get the hang of it. The Metro has a very useful web site. I was able to plan our Metro trips and calculate the costs. When purchasing your Metro passes, be sure to get one for each member or your party. You cannot have one pass for all. Make note of the last stop on your route. You will need to know this in order to catch the correct train. Most stations will get you within a few blocks of where you want to go. The Metro runs five lines and you may have to switch trains to get to your desired destination.
Sightseeing in Washington DC
While sightseeing in Washington DC be sure to have a map of the city, a metro map and any tickets you need. You will have to go through security at most locations, so be sure to empty your purse or pockets of things such as pocket knives, aerosols, etc. Believe me when I say, you must have comfortable shoes as you will be doing a great deal of walking. If you are planning to wear sandals, that is fine; however, I suggest also taking shoes that will cover your feet in the event of rain. I only took sandals and wished I had tennis shoes on the rainy days. Take an umbrella and rain jackets if you have them. If you are going in the spring, you can count on at least a couple of days of rain. Be sure to take sunglasses and sun screen for sunny days.
Tickets
Tickets are free for most sites. When ordering online, there is sometimes a small processing fee. The tickets are necessary for many sites, and I suggest getting timed tickets whenever you can and as soon as possible. You will need to start working on this at least four months — maybe even six months — prior to your trip especially if you are travelling at peak times like spring break season or during the summer. I started looking into tickets about 2 months in advance. I was able to get timed tickets to the National Archives and the Capitol. I was unable to get White House tickets, Bureau of Engraving or Washington Monument passes. You will need to contact your senator or representative to inquire about timed tickets to the White House. This is the only way to visit the White House. They can also help you acquire tickets for various other sites. If you would like tickets to the Senate Gallery or House Gallery in the Capitol these also have to come from your senator or representative.
The pandas were snoozing at the National Zoo.
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
We caught the Metro to the National Zoo. This station is a bit of a walk from the metro station — 1/3 miles according the Zoo’s website. We had been looking forward to the zoo. We’ve been to quite a few zoos and enjoy comparing them. We were really excited to finally see pandas. We saw one of the pandas but it was passed out on it’s back, so that was a bit disappointing. It was also rainy and slightly cold, so that didn’t help things. The lions, however, were fantastic. The sun had come out and they were all out. There were two females, one male and seven cubs. The cubs were so cute playing with their mothers and each other. Dad didn’t want to play too much, however. We also enjoyed the orangutans as they were huge hams.
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
We caught the Metro to Smithsonian Station and the American History Museum was a short walk away. We headed straight for the Stars & Stripes Cafe to get some lunch. We were shocked to pay $45 for 2 hot dogs, a chicken wrap, 3 bags of chips and 3 drinks. We decided we should have grabbed lunch at the McDonald’s outside the zoo. I recommend eating outside of the museums if you can find something. My favorite thing in this museum was the Star Spangled Banner — the flag that inspired our national anthem. We all enjoyed the Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life exhibit. We also saw Fonzie’s jacket, Dorothy’s Ruby Red Slippers and Archie Bunker’s chair and a lot of other cool things.
My little guy and me in the Natural History Museum Rotunda
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum is located just a quick walk from the Smithsonian Metro station. As we were among the first visitors of the day, we were offered half price tickets to the IMAX theater. Although we enjoyed the movie, I suggest skipping IMAX and using the time to explore the museum as there is so much to see. We all agreed we could have used much more time at this amazing museum. We made sure to get pics in front of the huge African elephant in the rotunda. We then headed off to view the Hall of Geology, Gems & Minerals which includes the Hope Diamond. We also enjoyed the Hall of Human Origins, the dinosaurs, and the Orkin Insect Zoo. The Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th Century Chesapeake was very fascinating. It is amazing what scientists can discover just from studying bones. At the end of this exhibit there is a hands on Forensic Anthropology Lab where kids of all ages can learn about bones. There are experts in the lab to show the visitors how one can identify gender, age and other things just from studying bones. Click here for the Lab’s hours. We grabbed lunch in the Fossil Cafe. This eatery was a little more cost friendly, however, we did spend about $30 for the three of us to eat hot dogs and chips.
Monument Walking Tour
We walked from the Natural History Museum toward the World War II Memorial. The World War II Memorial is very beautiful; however, this is when we discovered that the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial had been drained. They are doing major repairs on the pool so don’t expect to see water in it until roughly November of 2012. You can still walk around the area quite easily just no beautiful monument reflections in the pool. We swung around to the north side of the (empty) pool to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial — the Wall. It is staggering to see the names of 58,000 names of United States service-men and -women who died or disappeared during the Vietnam War. We then headed up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This monument is so impressive from the 36 columns representing the states of the union at the time of Lincoln’s death to the 19-foot statue of our 16th president. You can also stand on the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. Next, we began the long walk around the Tidal Basin toward the Jefferson Memorial. Although the walk was long, it was lovely with all of the cherry trees in bloom. We had hoped to see the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the way but it is also under renovation. We finally made it to the Jefferson Memorial. Modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, this picturesque memorial was dedicated in 1949. It features a 19-foot-tall statue of Thomas Jefferson.
See the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives.
National Archives
We had timed tickets for the National Archives. We arrived about 20 minutes prior to our entry time. I suggest doing this especially if you don’t have a feel for how long you will need to walk from the Metro Station. After a short wait, we viewed the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Photography of any kind is not allowed. They allow a large group to go up and look at the documents. The Declaration and the Bill of Rights are very faded. In fact, I could barely tell where John Hancock’s large signature appeared. The Constitution was much easier to read.
Mt. Vernon, George Washington's Home
Mt. Vernon
We caught the Metro back to Alexandria and then hopped in the car to drive to Mt. Vernon. This beautiful home is preserved just as it was when George Washington died there in 1799. My favorite thing about the home was that the key to the French prison, The Bastille, was there. It was a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette to Washington. The grounds were breathtaking as well, especially the Potomac right out the back door. The tomb of George and Martha Washington is also located on the grounds. There is a very nice museum and education center there with everything you’d ever want to know about George Washington including his false teeth!
White House Visitor Center
It was a cold, rainy morning so the walk to the White House Visitor Center was not much fun. Located inside the Commerce Building, the White House Visitor Center provides information on many aspects of the White House, including its architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, and relations with the press and world leaders. At the Visitor Center, you can see a 30-minute video, entitled Where History Lives, explore six historical exhibits and purchase souvenirs at the gift shop. Rest rooms and first aid is also located in this building. We were disappointed when we arrived. We all thought we could have skipped this particular attraction. It is easy to rent DVDs (or even borrow them from the library) about the White House which are far more informative. I did however, enjoy the photo display of the Presidents’ children over the years.
Touch a moon rock at the Air & Space Museum.
National Air & Space Museum
We headed over to the Air & Space Museum and were delighted to find a McDonald’s in the food court. At least we had an idea of what the prices would be. There was also a Boston Market and a Donato’s. After having some lunch, we explored the museum. The best part of the museum is the How Things Fly Gallery. Dozens of exhibits invite kids of all ages to touch, pull, push, lift, press, slide, twist, turn, bend, spin and balance. It was cool to see Amelia Earhart’s red Lockheed Vega 5B and the Spirit of St. Louis. We also enjoyed the Wright Brothers exhibit and an original Apollo Lunar Module — 1 of 12 built for the program. This museum also houses the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and the Albert Einstein Planetarium.
Go to the top of the Washington Monument for great views of the city.
Washington Monument
It was our last day and as we’d been unable to get timed tickets, my husband went and stood in line at the Washington Monument at 7 a.m. to get same day tickets. We had tried to get them on Sunday but we were too late. They had given them all away before we reached the front of the line. I recommend getting your tickets on line, but you must do this several months in advance. When I called at the end of February, they had given out all the timed tickets through May. When ordering online, there is a $1.50 charge per ticket. They do give out a limited number of same day tickets. Lines begin to form as early as 7 a.m. during peak season. They start handing out tickets at 8:30 and continue until they run out. This time, we did get tickets and it was a beautiful day to go up in the monument. Visibility was great. I was surprised at just how much room was at the top. You can see for miles in every direction — to the east is the Capitol, to the west is the Lincoln Memorial, to the north is the White House, and to the south is the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial. Be sure to watch out the windows of the elevator on the way down to see stones donated by states and even places like Egypt.
The United States Capitol
We had acquired timed tickets to the Capitol from our Senator’s office. I recommend doing this as we had a very thorough tour. We saw the old Senate and House Chambers, the Rotunda, and the old Supreme Court Chamber. We also visited the House and Senate Galleries. You have to acquire separate tickets to view these areas. This must be done through your Senator’s or Representative’s office. As you leave the Capitol be sure to look across the street at the Supreme Court Building and the Library of Congress. We had planned to take a look inside both of these buildings, but unfortunately they were closed by the time we exited the Capitol. Oh well, that gives us a good excuse to the visit DC again.
