Going to DC over Spring Break

1,760 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by valvemonkey91
45-70Ag
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Going to see my sister over the break and the kids and wife are coming along.

I've been before but trying to nail down the things i want my son to see seems a little overwhelming. He has an interest in all the history and just trying to figure out what are the musts in a five day span is a challenge.

My sister will play chauffeur for us she said so transportation won't be much of an issue but what are the musts for a first visit for an 8 year old who likes to read about all things u.s. history?

I did set up a white house tour and Capitol building tour through Rep. Flores' office
Liquid Wrench
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Honestly, for an 8 year old - and even for me as an adult - a lot of the visuals alone make an impression to spark the desire to read more. Jefferson Memorial at night is one of my favorites, and not too far from Lincoln and the mall.

I think Ford's is on the essential list just to see the physical dynamics of the place and see how far the patriot had to jump down from the balcony and hurt his ankle.

I also like visiting Manassas Battlefield if time permits a 45 minute trip. Any of the Smithsonians will impress a kid, especially Air & Space, though they're always packed.

Now for you, if you get a grownup night, there's Kelly's Irish Times and The Dubliner near Capitol Hill.

JABQ04
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We did DC last summer with a 10 year old and a 5 year old. They both enjoyed Gettysburg. We also did the Air and Space Museum, as well as the Air and Space Annex. They both enjoyed that. We also hit major monuments as well as Arlington for the changing of Guard. Another non-historical fun stop was the National Zoo. Also saw the battlefields at Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Wilderness, and Chancellorsville. All four of those are all right on top of each other and pretty close to DC. The junior ranger program for those battlefields was neat and gets the kids involved in learning about the battles and they can earn a series of patches.

Enjoy your trip. So much to do there I felt we barely scratched the surface. My kids even want to go back for another round
JABQ04
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Irish_Man said:

Going to see my sister over the break and the kids and wife are coming along.

I've been before but trying to nail down the things i want my son to see seems a little overwhelming. He has an interest in all the history and just trying to figure out what are the musts in a five day span is a challenge.

My sister will play chauffeur for us she said so transportation won't be much of an issue but what are the musts for a first visit for an 8 year old who likes to read about all things u.s. history?

I did set up a white house tour and Capitol building tour through Rep. Flores' office


Where in the area does your sister live? Also look into setting up the White House tour.
Upperdeck Critic
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Holocaust Museum
The Mall itself is an historic place
Ride the Metro, sometimes it has problems but it is clean, well maintained, and patrolled whenever I have been in DC.
Smithsonian ( any museum)
Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial
Korean War memorial, Vietnam Wall, World War II memorial
Union Station for the architecture
45-70Ag
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My sister lives in Alexandria
AEK
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I would go see...

In DC:
Library of Congress
Museum of American History
National Archives
Arlington Cemetery
Air and Space Museum
National Cathedral

Outside of DC:
Air and Space Annex (Dulles)
Mount Vernon
Manassas Battlefield
Marine Museum at Quantico (A little farther out)
Gettysburg (Way far out but worth it if you have never been)

Also as corny as it sounds I would consider the Old Town Trolley tour. You can hop on and off and they take you to all the sights around town
dcbowers
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AEK said:

I would go see...

In DC:
Library of Congress
Museum of American History
National Archives
Arlington Cemetery
Air and Space Museum
National Cathedral

Outside of DC:
Air and Space Annex (Dulles)
Mount Vernon
Manassas Battlefield
Marine Museum at Quantico (A little farther out)
Gettysburg (Way far out but worth it if you have never been)

Also as corny as it sounds I would consider the Old Town Trolley tour. You can hop on and off and they take you to all the sights around town


Agree with above.

If you are up for day trips, you may want to consider Charlottesville, Virginia and Monticello (2 1/4 hour trip, but worth it). Alternatively, the Naval Academy in Annapolis is also a great trip.
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JABQ04
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Some quick drive times per Mapquest starting from Alexandria, VA:

Antietam Battlefield, Gettysburg, and Harpers Ferry are all 1.5 hours away.

Manassas Battlefield is abt 45 mins away

MT Vernon is only 20 mins

Anything in DC itself like others have said is obviously worth seeing. You'll run out of time before you even see a fraction of what the area has to offer. Enjoy the trip.
gigemhilo
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I went last summer on a school trip, so my trip was planned for me. We didnt get to do any battlefields (bummer), but...

Favorites:
Arlington - Changing of the guard is a must, as well as the memorials around it (Iwo Jima memorial, etc)
Memorials - all of them are worth your time. Walk the mall and see them all. Dont forget Jefferson, Rosevelt, and JFK as they are not on the mall.
Capital - Tour we had was short. If you really want to do it, I would suggest contacting your Congressional Rep's office to see if you can get a tour that way.
White House - All we did was take pictures in front of it. You need to arrange a tour months in advance
9/11 Memorial at Pentagon
Mt Vernon
Twilight Tattoo was pretty cool if you are able to make it (Fort Myers, Arlington)
Smithsonian - American History and Air & Space
Rabid Cougar
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I would advise to ride the Metro from Arlington to the Mall. It is so convenient and an adventure for an 8 year old unto itself.

Also King Street and the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria is very nice for grown ups.

Another location in the city that is not mentioned is the Washington Navy Yard (also on Metro line). It has two museums. They have LOTS to see in regards to navy Stuff/Ships that is comparable to the Air And Space Museum for airplanes. You can also take a tour of the Washington Senators ball field which right across the street from Metro's Navy Yard stop.

You can spend two days on the mall just by itself with all the places to visit there.

If you have several days plan one day to go south to Quantico/ Marine Museum , Fredericksburg,Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania. They are all basically "right there" together.

One day to go west to Udvar-Hazy Museum (Dullas) - Manassas/2nd Manassas.

Spring is very nice up there. Also can be freaking cold.

Enjoy!
VanZandt92
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I'm going to say no on the Holocaust museum as an 8 year old.

things that we're good for all my kids:

The newer Air and Space museum that isn't on the mall.

Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Lincoln Memorial.

U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Just walk around the mall and let it happen otherwise.

VanZandt92
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Fair warning; mount Vernon was just a house on a river when I was a kid. You could see it in a few hours. It is now so much more and will take you a half day not including getting down there. It is now a place every American should visit in their lives. The museum and surroundingliving history exhibits are awesome.
Liquid Wrench
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Have any of you visited Arlington House? Somehow, I've never been - despite taking multiple historical trips in the area alongside a couple Southern sympathizers. Wonder if it's worth tacking on the next trip.
Federale01
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I wouldn't make a separate trip into DC for the Dubliner or Irish Times if you are staying in Alexandria though. Old Town has several good Irish pubs with Murphy's being the best.
Quad Dog
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We went to DC last Labor Day with a 8 and 6 year old and the in-laws. We walked their legs off, but the kids had a blast. I did try and group things geographically when planning to minimize walking. We used Uber or DC Metro to get everywhere and had no trouble. A friend did recommend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park for canal boat rides and lock demonstrations, but we didn't make it out there.

  • Air and Space Hangar at Dulles
  • Capitol Building tour from local Congressman
  • Library of Congress
  • White House tour
  • Washington Monument
  • WW2 Memorial
  • Lincoln Monument
  • Vietnam
  • Korea
  • Air and Space Museum
  • National Archives: this was great because the kids had just learned about it in school
  • Museum of Natural History: My kids loved the Dinosaurs and gems
  • Museum of American History: Seeing the Star-Spangled Banner was a hit, but most of the other things my kids didn't know about yet and we didn't have a ton of time to explain to them.
  • Rented bikes and rode around the Mall
  • Spy Museum: I thought it was just OK, but the kids really liked it
  • Night bus tour of monuments : highly recommend this one. Some of the monuments, especially Korea, Marine Corps, and FDR are better at night IMO. We bought the tickets at Union Station which has a huge food court and nice areas to walk around in.
  • Arlington for changing of the guard, etc. We are a NASA family so we visited the Challenger Memorial there.
  • We quickly went to National Zoo to see Pandas, but not much else to see there that you can't see at any other major zoo. One tip: the zoo is on a hill with an entrance at the top and the bottom. We took an Uber to the top, walked down the hill, and got another at the bottom. Try to avoid going uphill.
  • Our group split up and the adults went to Holocaust Museum, which is amazing. We tried to take kids to Bureau of Engraving and Printing, but it was closed to tours that day. Instead, we just walked the Mall more and ate lunch at a Farmers' Market the USDA puts on.
We bought my eldest this, and it really helped his interest in the monuments and museums. However, sometimes he was so busy with finding things in the book he would miss something else. It would depend on the kid.
https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Washington-D-C-Scavenger-Adventure/dp/0989226778
gigemhilo
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I had forgotten to mention the Library of Congress. Very cool

Also, i agree with some of the memorials at night.

The Holocaust Museum was incredible, but also very emotional and not very PG.
VanZandt92
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8 year old
Rabid Cougar
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The museums on the mall will be enough for an 8 year old......and the train!
45-70Ag
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Thanks for the link to the book, ordered it today.
valvemonkey91
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Went this past summer with my now fish BQ. The MUST see's (IMHO) are the National Archives, Arlington Natl Cemetery, Mt Vernon, The Mall, and the NASA annex at Dulles (Enola Gay). Most of those can be grouped in one day with the exception of Dulles and Mt Vernon. Eat at Old Ebbit Grill and have a Yuengling while you're there. Enjoy.
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