It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a travel-guide thread, so here it is. I chose Washington, D. C. because April sent me a great link of Free Things to Do there.
Please leave a comment if you have additional ideas for places and events to see in the area, especially, but not exclusively, LGBT- and/or family-friendly activities. The Air and Space Museum and National Zoo come to mind for me. The Zoo is good even for the youngest tots, who might easily be bored with many of the hands-off museums in the area. What other museums and attractions have you enjoyed, and with kids of what age? Any hints for best/worst times to go, or things to bring along?
Ok, so I’ve finally got some time to come back to this. We lived in the DC area for 6.5 yrs, so I have a few tips for you.
General:
When you visit DC, you WILL be walking…ALOT. You need shoes that you can walk and stand comfortably in since almost all of the museums have marble floors. The scale of the buildings on the Mall and the sheer expanse of the Mall itself can play tricks on your perception of distance. The buildings are enormous and you will think you are closer to them than you actually are. Be sure little legs get frequent rests on benches or on the Merry-Go-Round on the Mall (Beware, your children may never want to leave the Merry-go-round!)
Get the Day Pass or the 7-Day Fast Pass for the Metro (http://www.wmata.com/). You will want to use the Metro (subway) to get everywhere in DC because the traffic is a nightmare and DC is a maze of one way streets. The Metro is clean, safe and easily accessible even to strollers and children (and adults) who are physically challenged. Even the DC Metro area buses are equipped with chairlifts.
For meals near the Mall, skip the museums. They are outrageously expensive. Grab the Metro to Union Station and have a burger at Johnny Rockets or one of the other stands in the lower level of the station. The building itself is gorgeous and little train enthusiasts will be ecstatic you stopped here. For members of National Geographic (if you get the Magazine you are a member, go hunting for that little paper card they send you), you can eat in the National Geographic cafeteria. I hear it’s good cheap food.
If you have a little construction enthusiast with you, try the National Building Museum (http://www.nbm.org/). They frequently have kid friendly exhibits (see the Building Zone exhibit, it’s hands on!). Again a gorgeous building and a great place for a picnic lunch.
The National Air and Space Museum has hands on exhibits as well. A trick to getting in to this museum? Try going in the back doors not the ones facing the Mall. All of the tour buses let out at the Mall entrance and it is constantly clogged. The back way is almost always clear. There are metal detectors at this museum and will be at others you visit as well, so be prepared.
The Holocaust Museum requires tickets for admission. They are free but you need to make a reservation or get there very early. As a word of caution, this museum is probably too much for a child under 10 and possibly under 14. You may want to preview it before you take your child through. I was overwhelmed the first time I went through and I was in my late 20s at the time.
The Natural History Museum is very kid friendly as well. Hands on exhibits, fossils, dioramas, etc. The gift shop and cafeteria are on the lower levels. This museum and the National Air and Space Museum get more and more crowded as the day progresses, so you may want to start the day with one or the other as soon as the doors open.
If you want to visit the capitol building, be prepared for a long wait and security akin to the airport. Go early and just relax, it’ll be a long day but well worth it.
For the parents, if you like Asian art and peace and quiet, go to the Freer and Sackler Museum next to the Smithsonian Castle. It is my favorite museum and can be a nice way to end a day in DC. It’s calm. It’s quiet. And it’s beautiful (lovely gardens surround the building, there are benches inside the galleries and in the gardens).
For info on where you can take your tot for dinner around DC, see DC Foodies (http://www.dcfoodies.com/). He has a toddler and rates restaurants on how baby friendly they are.
Ok, I can go on for hours about DC. If you want me too, let me know.
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