Suggestions for family to take a frugal trip to Washington DC? Where to stay, places to eat, fun/education for teens?
2006-12-25 10:22:41 · 6 answers · asked by kfriedlander3 2 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Washington, D.C.
Best place for a family to stay is the Days Inn in the 4500 block of Connecticut Ave., NW. It's very well located about 2 blocks from the red line metro, and in a very safe neighborhood. It's also one of the nicer Days Inn's. You may find cheaper hotel rooms in the suburbs but the cost of transporting the family back and forth will eat up what you save pretty quickly. They also have free parking which many city hotels don't offer.
Things to do... there are a ton of museums; almost all of the Smithsonian museums are free and it's impossible not to find one you like! Also look into the Heritage Trails--- self-guided walking tours of the city. The Adams Morgan trail is very interesting and also goes through consistently safe neighborhoods. Check a search engine for details.
Food.. check out Booeymonger (3 or 4 locations, one is about 2 metro stops north of the Days Inn at Friendship Heights) for casual dining/deli; very inexpensive and tasty. Also try some Ethiopian food; its hard to get good Ethiopian outside of DC (we have the biggest Ethiopian population outside of Ethiopia). It's tasty food although not especially pretty; there are no utensils so you scoop bits of stewed meats and veggies up with spongy napkin bread. If you're not drinking alcohol, you can have a very nice Ethiopian dinner on $10-12/person plus tax/tip. Try Dukem at 10th and U NW (Green line/U Street metro).
2006-12-25 15:55:32 · answer #1 · answered by dcgirl 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Where to go:
The most obvious place to start is the National Mall Downtown. The Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, Korean, WWII Memorials and several of the Smithsonian Museum buildings are all right there.
Many of these don't have a lot of parking or are not all easily accessible from a car so plan on utilizing the Tourmobile, a rented bike or rented segway. Otherwise, plan on doing a whole lot of walking.
Arguably the most beautiful building in town is The National Cathedral. It is awesome inside and out. The Bishop's garden adjacent is pretty cool too and if the weather is good, there is not a better spot on the east coast.
The National Arboretum is unknown to many locals. It has a great bonsai garden, large Koi ponds, and acres of others gardens and forested areas. It is up NY Ave across from the Washington Times Building.
How to save: Everything mentioned above is free except for the tourmobile (which is cheap) or renting a bike or segway. You also can pay for IMAX movies inside the air and space museum or natural history museum but you don't have too. The IMAX movies are a fantastic place to stop, rest, and be well entertained to break up a whole lot of walking.
You can look into a metro pass for unlimited use for a three day period which can be an excellent way to get most places.
You can spend a fortune and stay many places. Crystal City or Pentagon City has a bunch of hotels from the dirt cheap Americana (not too nice) to the Ritz Carlton and in between. If you stay in Crystal City or Pentagon City you are close to downtown and the monuments and in an environment that is safe, clean, and lots of options for shopping and eating.
2006-12-27 02:22:12 · answer #2 · answered by Bird 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not too sure about hotels, since I grew up in Washington and whenever I visit I either stay with family or friends, or my company pays for hotel if it's for work. But I know there are a lot of hotels just across the river in Crystal City, which is just a couple of Metro stops from downtown. You might be able to find deals on some of the travel websites. As far as what to see: Any of the Smithsonian museums are worth seeing. Personally, I like the American History Museum and also the art museums. The good thing about the museums is that they're all free, and you don't need tickets. So you can go for half an hour to a museum - you don't have to feel like you need to spend hours there because you paid $15 to get in. Any of the monuments and memorials are worthwhile too. The Lincoln and Jefferson Monuments, and the FDR and Vietnam War Memorials are all especially worthwhile. Again, all free and no tickets are needed. All of the museums and monuments are located within a block or so of the mall. And of course, the U.S. Capitol, White House, or Washington Monument are all right near the mall as well. You DO need tickets for these three things (they're all free, but you need tickets). For the Washington Monument, you can only get tickets the day you want to see it - you get them from a kiosk near the monument. This, to be honest, is overrated - it's nice and all, but considering the amount of time you will probably have to wait in line for tickets and then waiting to go up (probably will take all day), it's not worth it. You can still of course see it from the outside, tickets are only needed to go inside. The White House and Capitol tickets are also free and it's "strongly encouraged" that you get them in advance, and considering the fact that it's peak tourist season in Washington, I'd say that's a good idea. You can reserve them online - just google "White House tours" or "Capital tours". The Capitol has a new visitors' center which you can see without a ticket - but for guided tours of the chambers and other cool stuff you do need a ticket. Again, all are free though. So anyway - there's plenty to see in Washington. You could easily spend a week there and not see everything but at least you have a start! That's the best time of year to visit Washington in terms of weather and seeing the cherry blossoms. Of course, as I mentioned, that also means it's peak tourist season - plus it's spring break for a lot of schools, and Easter weekend as well as Passover, so it will probably be quite crowded. So if you're planning on driving (which is never easy to do in the Washington area), it will be worth it to park at your hotel or at the Metro and taking public transit. Fortunately the Metro is easy to use, convenient, and all of the tourist stuff is walkable.
2016-05-23 06:23:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A note: be observant of DC's food tax. It is at 10% since there are so many tourist. However, there is no grocery tax on food sold in grocery stores, so buying food at a DC grocery store may be the way to go. That 10% can really add up, especially for a family. Taxis are expensive here and work on a strange zone system, so using the subway (metro) provides fast, low cost transportation. You can get all day visitors passes for aroun $6 I beleive. The majority of the museums are free here, as well as the zoo and monuments. Its a great city, hope you have fun.
2006-12-28 06:50:03 · answer #4 · answered by kellysmistake 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I stayed at the Howard Johnson in Cheverly Maryland. It was cheap and nice aroun 89 to 99 a night, however, there is only 1 restaurant that is close by. But they have a free shuttle to the subway, and for under 7 bucks a day, you can ride the subway unlimited!!
Like everyone else has mentioned, the Museums are mostly free.. the Arboretum is beautiful, and walking around Georgetown and Dupont circle, and Embassey row, doesn't cost a thing, while you get to absorb the beauty!!!
2006-12-27 06:44:26 · answer #5 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Holiday Inn National Airport
2650 Jefferson Davis Hwy
Arlington, Va----------------- Very reasonable also newly renovated. They have a shuttle as well. So if you need a ride from the airport to the metro then they are able to take you there....... As for as things to do Washington dc is packed with freebies. Starting with the museum
2006-12-26 04:53:33 · answer #6 · answered by ty 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋