2007-01-05 05:10:05 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Washington, D.C.
The Smithsonian musemus are great, not just b/c they've got top notch exhibits, but because they're FREE!
* The Air & Space is great if you've got sons - rockets, planes, space shuttles, it's all there.
* The Museum of Native American History is pretty cool too. Sometimes they've got live concerts/dance exhibitions going on and that's cool to watch.
* The National Zoo (also a Smithsonian) is great - don't miss the baby panda!
* The Spy Museum is great - you can see a lot of really cool stuff, including actual spy gear used by both sides during the Cold War. And you can see if you can crawl through an air duct without making any noise. (It's MUCH harder to do than it looks like!)
* Sometimes if you call your Senator/Congressman's office you can arrange to get one of the staffers/interns to give you a personal tour of the Capital.
* The Mall is great - but don't underestimate it's size! It's about 3 miles long! But definitly check out the Lincoln & Jefferson Memorials, the Vietnam, Korean, and WWII Memorials are great also.
* You can rent paddle boats on the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial, which is fun if you're in DC during the summer.
2007-01-05 16:01:13 · answer #1 · answered by ccf4980 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Any of the Smithsonian museums - although kids may not be as thrilled with the art museums. The Air and Space museum is a big hit with kids ... plus it has an IMAX theater which you should try and see... and my personal favorite is the American History Museum. And the Natural History museum with the dinosaurs also will be good for kids. The best thing about the Smithsonian is that they're all free (so if you go and the kids start getting tired half an hour into the visit, you don't have to feel like you wasted tons of money for admission, haha). Plus the National Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country.
2007-01-07 16:31:40 · answer #2 · answered by Mike R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I recommend spending at least one evening on the National Mall viewing all the monuments - they're the most beautiful at night. Mt. Vernon is a nice change of pace from all the museums, you can take a guided tour of the house (which has a great view of the river) and then visit with other guides stationed at various points of interest around the property. Rather than reading about history in a museum - you have the opportunity to see what daily life was like for the Washington's.
2007-01-08 16:39:19 · answer #3 · answered by Nicole E 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Smithsonians. There's so many so just hit the Air and Space, Natural History, and American History Smithsonians. The White House always gives tours...fun...neat. Also the National Archives...holds the Constitution, Declaration, Bill of Rights. For the adults, the Holocaust Museum! Call ahead..way ahead. Metro Metro Metro...use it!
2007-01-05 13:21:54 · answer #4 · answered by Sam I Am 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah the Smithsonians are very nice. Kids would like the Air and Space and perhaps the Natural History. ALSO check out the Spy Museum. A little expensive to get in, but a lot of fun, and its a lot larger than it looks from the outside. Very cool place. I would also recommend the zoo and the bureau of engraving and printing is neat to see.
2007-01-05 15:20:32 · answer #5 · answered by kellysmistake 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best thing is the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. There is more to see there than a whole day! Kids will be happy there too. The dino bones are REAL, lots of interactive stuff.
Best part...IT"S FREE!!
They have an awesome guided tour (also free) called the Highlights Tour, and it is fascinating!
Have fun!
2007-01-07 13:48:06 · answer #6 · answered by ♦♦pixiechix♦♦ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ALl of these are good. The Smithsonian is wonderful, as are all of the memorials.
The zoo is part of the Smithsonian, and, like all of the Smithsonian museums, is free, and a pretty good zoo.
The other thing I would do is go to the southern tip of Haines Point and see the half-sunk sailor sculpture. Bring a picnic if it's nice and your kids can take the time to climb all over him!
http://www.photopost.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2728&limit=views
2007-01-06 20:23:39 · answer #7 · answered by firefly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the smithsonian is cool. but i would totally take them to all of the war monuments and the lincoln memorial. the war memorials are breathtaking. they also may appreciate their freedom more when they actually see the names of the men and women who died for them. the lincoln memorial is insane! you can see the washington monument from the steps too. the gettysburg address is on the walls of the lincoln, so if they wanted to read that they could read it in the most historic place possible.
2007-01-06 20:00:21 · answer #8 · answered by Starry Eyes 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Science and Space Museum. Imax theatre is there. And the kids' favorite.....the world's largest Mc Donald's is inside the museum.
2007-01-07 00:36:21 · answer #9 · answered by Baby Doll 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't go wrong watching the money get printed at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing tour--that has fairly universal appeal regardless of age.
2007-01-05 15:29:07 · answer #10 · answered by stickman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋